Pete McCauley M.Ed. is the Principal Audio/Visual Media Producer with the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. As part of the ICI communications team, he is responsible for all aspects of video and multimedia production for both internal and external communications, marketing, knowledge translation, professional development training materials, and more.
Pete also provides media production services for a variety of clients outside of the University on a freelance basis, working both in conjunction with other media production companies and directly with clients as needed.
Since graduating with a BA in Communication from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1994), Pete has spent many years in the film & television industry under many guises. After several years supporting educational media creation and integration at the University of Minnesota, Pete decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Learning Technologies, and completed the M.Ed. program in 2021. Pete’s focus on promoting critical media literacies through education culminated in a mini-documentary film on the topic, released in 2021.
Pete lives in St. Paul with his wife and son and is also an active performing musician in the Twin Cities area.
Music:
Pete’s passion is music. He has played in numerous bands since taking up the guitar in 1984. A founding member and the original guitarist for the Twin Cities-based rock trio Eddie Mac, he spent a few years traveling the country, earned a record contract with SPV Records in Germany, and released two albums with the independent label Mud Hut Records. Pete performs with and writes material for the Hounds of Finn, a Twin Cities-based Celtic folk-rock group. Since 2007 the Hounds of Finn have released two full-length CDs, a live DVD, and several EPs. Pete also performs solo and with other groups when available.
From Pete:
I’ve been working in the realm of video and film production since 1990 when I began producing material for a student-run TV station at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where I received a BA in Communication. In that time I’ve held all kinds of positions in media production, from Production Assistant to Producer / Director and everything in between. My work has bridged all divisions of genre and distribution, having worked on feature films, music videos, and programs & commercials for television, as well as corporate, industrial, and educational media for a wide array of clients. In recent years, my primary roles have been that of Director of Photography, Post Production Supervisor, and Project Manager for various productions.
From 2000 through 2006 I was a video producer for a production company called Dreamworld Studios in Eden Prairie, MN. In that role I produced television commercials and multimedia content for a wide variety of clients across the country. I was fortunate to have a wide variety of interesting experiences at Dreamworld – including shooting underwater video; shooting from a helicopter; and traveling overseas for several projects. However, after a long stint in the private sector, I was excited to explore all the possibilities of using video as part of a greater, media-rich environment in the world of teaching and learning, which led me to my work at the University of Minnesota. I continually seek to build community relations through developing media solutions for educational purposes; and I enjoy my role as a member of the technology community at the University as well.
Intellectually, my primary focus in recent years has been on promoting critical media literacy as a learning objective in both K-12 and higher education curriculum. I strongly believe that this new, multimodal form of literacy and awareness is crucial for the survival of democratic society in our modern information age. To that end, I seek to engage learners of all ages both through media creation and community participation, and this desire serves as the inspiration of all my endeavors. This is why I decided to pursue a Master’s of Education in Learning Technologies.
In my spare time I am a performing musician (guitar, mandolin, and vocals) and I perform in and around the Twin Cities area at various venues both solo and with a couple of bands. I live in St. Paul with my awesome wife and son, and I try to stay as active in my community as possible, volunteering for a number of organizations that I believe in.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about video, audio, multimedia, or anything else. I look forward to getting to know you.
-Pete McCauley, January 2023