Our Staff

Brendan Elder's career spans over 22 years as an Audio Engineer, Project Manager, and owner of VILA Audio Visual Group, a Pittsburgh-based design firm providing corporate, concert, and political production services alongside labor support.

His notable audio work has been a staple for years in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia venues, including Spirit, Mr. Smalls, The Smiling Moose, and numerous downtown theaters. In addition to venue work, Brendan has served as a Production Manager and audio engineer for major music festivals such as Made in America, Four Chords Music Festival, The Country Fest Ohio and Pittonkatonk. He has also managed the faders and production for high-profile political events featuring the last five U.S. Presidents and notable figures such as Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris.

Brendan’s journey began as a sound designer for stage plays and musicals before transitioning to studio engineering at Iron Mountain Digital Studios. There, his role was in analog tape preservation and mastering projects for legendary Universal Music Group albums, including Nirvana’s Nevermind and Soundgarden’s Superunknown, The Jackson Five as well as work on various video games and national commercials.

Since moving into live event production in 2012, Brendan has operated in every essential role, including Lighting Programmer, V1, Camera Operator, A1/A2, and of course Stagehand which is the foundation he believes is vital for any skilled technician. A staunch advocate for professional development, Brendan believes the industry is in dire need of vocational programs like Tech 25. He is always eager to discuss the current state of the industry and takes great pride in the talented students emerging from the Tech 25 programs and is always excited to talk about his roles at Tech 25 as Career Pathways Coordinator, and resident Event Project Manager.