ABOUT BrainBuffet

Behold, our origin story

BrainBuffet started as the classroom website for Rob Schwartz, a high school teacher, back in 1998. Originally it was simply a collection of webpages built on Netscape Composer and set as an active desktop on classroom PCs for students to access the resources for projects. Things finally got online and worthy of visiting around 2001 when Rob tweaked the site to win the Broward County CyberTeacher of the Year award.

Soon after, Rob began working on Macromedia products and became a Macromedia Education Leader (MEL). When Adobe purchased Macromedia, the MELs became AELs (Adobe Education Leaders) and Rob began to focus specifically on design and creative software.

Story

When the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) certification was started, Rob was the Top Certifying Academic Center in 2009 and 2010, and was the Top Certifying Center in 2010 & 2011. Adobe recognized this and presented Rob with the Impact Award that same year. Rob started creating content for Dade and Broward counties to help their programs achieve similar successes, which eventually became ACATestprep.com.

In 2016 Rob reluctantly left his lab to support other classrooms full-time with Brainbuffet. We soon became the best selling and most successful certification curriculum for the ACA, and partnering with Adobe to support Statewide Rollouts of Creative Cloud like the Create Idaho project.

Story

Why do we certify?

Meet the instructors

Mark Shufflebottom  

Adobe XD
Mark Shufflebottom
Mark Shufflebottom | FL

Mark Shufflebottom began his media career in 1996 and since then has been honoured with the Europrix Top Talent Award for an interactive installation, and the Best of Festival Award, BEA Festival of Media Arts, 2006, in recognition of an experimental approach to game narrative. In 2011, Mark was presented with the Adobe Impact Award "in recognition of outstanding services to higher education. In 2013, Adobe nominated Mark as part of the advisory board for Adobe Education Leaders. Mark has been invited by Adobe to several speaking engagements over the years, and taught their cutting edge online training course. He also writes for a leading trade magazine called Web Designer, and has been a contributor to several web design text books. Mark has also created training videos for HTML5 animation.

Teaches

Kevin McMahon  

Character Animator
Kevin McMahon
Kevin McMahon | CA

Kevin is 20-year design educator and the award-winning creative mastermind behind DesignDojo.org. He is a 10-year Adobe Education Leader, a contributor to the Learn Adobe book series, and a frequent Adobe Generations Pro guest expert presenter. Kevin's freelance work ranges from logo branding to character design to web design. His clients include: Adobe Systems, USA Track and Field, Trader Joe's, Z Shoes, and Stanford University.

Teaches

Joseph Labrecque  

Adobe Animate Adobe Audition
Joseph Labrecque
Joseph Labrecque | CO

Joseph Labrecque is a creative developer, designer, and educator with nearly two decades of experience creating expressive web, desktop, and mobile solutions. He is an Adobe Education Leader, Adobe Community Professional, and member of Adobe Partners by Design. Joseph has authored a number of books and video course publications on design and development technologies, tools, and concepts. He has spoken at large design and technology conferences such as Adobe MAX and for a variety of smaller creative communities. He is also the founder of Fractured Vision Media, LLC; a digital media production studio and distribution vehicle for a variety of creative works.

Teaches

Rob Schwartz  

Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator
Rob Schwartz
Rob Schwartz | FL

Rob Schwartz is an award-winning teacher with over 20 years experience in Technical Training and Education and the founder of BrainBuffet. He is a popular speaker at local, state, and national conferences; and often presents for Adobe on Photoshop, Illustrator, creativity, and teaching strategies. Rob's focus on helping people find their purpose, gaining industry skills, developing creativity, and solving real-world problems are the secrets to his success. Rob is an Adobe Certified Instructor, Adobe Education Leader, and won the prestigious Impact Award from Adobe in 2011. Rob was also recognized as the #1 Educator WorldWide in 2010 for the Certiport Adobe Certified Associate Championship.

Teaches

Jennifer Stubblefield  

Microsoft Powerpoint Microsoft Word Microsoft Excel
Jennifer Stubblefield
Jennifer Stubblefield | FL

Jennifer spent 27 years in public education. She is a cheerleader for Microsoft Office Certification and was named the 2019 Certiport Educator of the Year, 2018 Southern Business Education Teacher of the Year, 2016 Ky Business Education Teacher of the Year, 2016 Chamber of Commerce Most Outstanding Women in Business. On the side, she does corporate training in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Known for having high energy and never sitting still for very long.

Teaches

Jessica Campbell  

Adobe Dreamweaver Project Management Ready (PMR)
Jessica Campbell
Jessica Campbell | FL

Jess is an Adobe Educated Leader and computer science and digital multimedia teacher who specializes in the entire Adobe suite. She loves introducing kids to digital skills that will help them be creative and get awesome jobs. She also loves to cook and dreams of one day writing a book.

Teaches

Joe Dockery  

Adobe After Effects Adobe Premiere Pro
Joe Dockery
Joe Dockery | WA

Joe Dockery is an Adobe Education Leader and has inspired educators coast to coast as they integrate technology tools and resources into the arts and media curriculum. He's received the Washington State Golden Apple Award, Radio Shack's Technology Teacher of the Year Award, both the "Best of the Best' and "Making IT Happen" awards from ISTE, and the Adobe Education Leader "Impact" Award.

Teaches

Jonathan Gordon  

Adobe InDesign Microsoft Word Expert Communication Skills for Business (CSB)
Jonathan Gordon
Jonathan Gordon | FL

Besides teaching English, Journalism, and Social Studies over the past 29 years, Jonathan has taught Digital Media Technology and Computer Applications for both secondary and post-secondary students. Though specializing in the Adobe Suite, he has taught Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Web Design. Jonathan has been the recipient of the Sun-Sentinel Journalism Teacher of the Year as well as the Florida Scholastic Press Association District 7 Teacher of the Year. Jonathan is also an author and technical editor for several Adobe InDesign publications.

Teaches

William Price  

Cisco CyberSecurity
William Price
William Price |

William Price stands at the forefront of cybersecurity education, blending a rich array of industry credentials with a flair for engaging young minds. His arsenal of certifications, including CompTIA Security+, Project+, Linux+, and others from EC Council and ISC2, are just the tip of the iceberg. William's academic journey began with a BS in Cybersecurity & Information Assurance from Western Governors University, laying the groundwork for a fascinating career path. What sets William apart is his decade-plus journey through the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity, encompassing roles that have seen him tackle everything from unmasking digital vulnerabilities to fortifying against stealthy cyber threats. His experiences aren't just from any textbook; they're drawn from real-life scenarios across various industries, making his classes a blend of thrilling spy-like adventures and critical tech-skills training. As an instructor, he's not just teaching cybersecurity; he's inviting students on an exhilarating ride into the digital unknown, where each session feels like a step into the future of technology and security. William's approach to teaching is not just about imparting knowledge; it's about igniting a passion for the digital world in each of his students.

Teaches

Sam Pan  

Adobe Lightroom Adobe Premiere Rush
Sam Pan
Sam Pan |

Teaches

Tommy Demos  

Premiere Pro Level 2
Tommy Demos
Tommy Demos |

Tommy Demos is a Professor of Film, Television & Digital Production who has been an active design professional and educator for over a decade. He holds an MFA in Film Production, a PhD in Leadership & Computer Information Security, and specializes in teaching video editing and motion design to students of all ages. Dr. Demos is a managing member of Wise Up Digital, a creative agency that provides digital production services to clients as well as design technology education to students and faculty across the nation.

Teaches

Terri Blackwell  

Microsoft Excel Expert
Terri Blackwell
Terri Blackwell |

Terri Blackwell is a certified Microsoft Office Specialist and has taught Microsoft Office for more than 20 years. She has helped learners of all ages master Microsoft Office packages in the workplace and in educational organizations.

Teaches

Danielle Milazzo Roccisano  

Microsoft Outlook
Danielle Milazzo Roccisano
Danielle Milazzo Roccisano | NY

Danielle is a Microsoft Office Specialist and instructional technology teacher who works with students and faculty frequently to assist them with Outlook. She has taught over 200 professional development courses and loves assisting adult learners, especially teachers, to improve upon their practice. She aspires to one day expand her role to school administration and help expand the technology in her school district.

Teaches

Ron Trucks  

QuickBooks
Ron Trucks
Ron Trucks |

Along with over 25 years of coaching small businesses, non-profits, and start-ups on management and bookkeeping, Ron has taught as an adjunct instructor in the Business Management department at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO for over 15 years. A house full of dogs and lots of travel keep him busy when he's not helping students and owners understand "what the heck all this business stuff is about."

Teaches

Greg King  

AutoDesk AutoCAD
Greg King
Greg King |

Greg King is a Computer Assisted Design Instructor at a vocational high school teaching architectural design, mechanical design, and computer animation. Prior to leaping into education, Greg was a Senior Mechanical Designer/Project Manager for HVAC projects in both the design build and plan-spec marketplace working on projects ranging from small residential to large scale commercial and industrial applications. Greg also holds several accreditations such as LEED AP O+M, and WELL AP, that he leverages both in design as well as teaching students about responsible building and product design. Greg has been using Autodesk products for over 25 years with AutoCAD being his first introduction into the engineering and design career path. In 2022 Greg was selected as a Certiport CERTIFIED Ambassador where he shares best practices with fellow educators on how to help students achieve Autodesk certifications. On the side, Greg is a freelance designer and when not designing can be found on a mountain either skiing or assisting with coaching a youth mountain bike race team.

Teaches
Behind-the-Scenes Team
David Freund
David Freund

Director of Operations

Rob Schwartz
Rob Schwartz

Curriculum Consultant

Taty Rafagnin
Taty Rafagnin

Product Manager

Sam Pan
Sam Pan

Director of Curriculum

Steven Lykins
Steven Lykins

Senior Web Developer

Luis Blanco
Luis Blanco

Sales & Business Development

Malu Aragao
Malu Aragao

Lead Editor & Project Manager

Natalia Conti
Natalia Conti

Professional Development

Katie Smith
Katie Smith

Executive Assistant

Monica Perez
Monica Perez

Customer Success Manager

Adri Masson
Adri Masson

Content and QA Coordinator

Wayne Tsai
Wayne Tsai

Animator

Mayyar Namek
Mayyar Namek

Content Manager

Pedro Ribeiro
Pedro Ribeiro

Content and QA Specialist

Sabrina Marchiori
Sabrina Marchiori

Graphic Designer

Mickey Mercado
Mickey Mercado

Video Editor

Daniel Serrano
Daniel Serrano

Animator

Eric Luchini
Eric Luchini

Video Editor

Jordana Leijoto
Jordana Leijoto

UX Designer

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