Brian Allison

Technical Director

Brian is a technical director with the media production team at Marketplace. His job is to make sure the shows get on the air and sound as good as they can.

Before coming to Marketplace in 2016, he was a freelance audio engineer with clients such as Nickelodeon, Disney and Los Lonely Boys. Prior to that, he worked as an engineer at Interscope Records in Los Angeles with artists such as Usher, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas and American Idol.

Brian graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2008 with a degree in music production and engineering.

Latest from Brian Allison

Mar 14, 2022
It’s interest-rate week at the Federal Reserve
Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images
This week, we’ll hear from the Federal Reserve about its plans for interest rates. After a two-day meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will have a press conference Wednesday. The Fed is expected to raise interest rates, and it’s a decision that affects everyone. As financial markets react to the Russia-Ukraine war, they also tell us things about economic and geopolitical risk. From the BBC, we hear about a Ukrainian-born, award-winning chef who has transformed her East London kitchen into an aid center to help family and friends in Ukraine.
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Mar 14, 2022
Stocks in China and Hong Kong fall with fresh COVID-19 lockdown worries
STR/AFP via Getty Images
From the BBC World Service: Statistics suggest that the number of COVID-19 cases so far this year in China exceed the total number reported for 2021. But it’s not just the pandemic that’s worrying markets. Plus, America’s largest natural gas producer believes the US can play a much bigger role in providing global energy security. And, for Ukrainians living abroad, fundraising and sending aid to their loved ones in a war zone isn’t easy.
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Mar 11, 2022
Let’s compare central bank notes about the U.S., Europe
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images
Interest rates are making headlines in Europe, as the European Central Bank announced this week that it’s going to keep rates steady for now – but is prepared to move them higher. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve is set to raise interest rates next week. Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer and the BBC’s Victoria Craig team up for a discussion about the approaches of both central banks. The people overseeing fracking operations are running into shortages on all fronts.
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Mar 11, 2022
Into the “social death” of the Russian oligarchy
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The Western sanctions on Russia’s wealthy elite have raised a variety of questions that range from who these people are to the effectiveness of the sanctions. We spoke to Dartmouth sociologist Brooke Harrington, who argues in a new piece for The Atlantic that the sanctions represent an existential threat for Russia’s elite — and, by proxy, the Kremlin itself. Consumer sentiment has dropped to lows not seen since the 70s and 80s, yet spending remains strong. What gives? The dating app Tinder has added a background check feature that allows users to see if a possible date has a criminal past.
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Mar 11, 2022
Worries emerge for Ukraine’s upcoming planting season
From the BBC World Service: One of Ukraine’s biggest food producers says that Russian advances could prevent Ukrainian farmers from planting this year’s wheat and grain seeds. On the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, China locks down a city of 9 million and a new study suggests that the global death toll could be three times higher than official records indicate.
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Mar 10, 2022
The federal government is officially getting into cryptocurrency
Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Earlier this week, President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies, directing federal agencies to focus regulatory attention on six areas, protecting U.S. consumers and mitigating the risk of illicit activity. It also called for “urgency” around research and development efforts into a possible central bank digital currency (CBDC). For more, we spoke to Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, a cryptocurrency compliance firm. Congress has overhauled the U.S. Postal Service, but what kind of effects can actual postal workers expect? Diane Swonk wades through market activity with us.
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Mar 10, 2022
Rising gas costs are causing a shift for small business
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Filling up your car with gas has not only become more painful for the average customer, but for small business owners as well. Businesses that rely on vehicles, such as caterers or equipment suppliers, are considering some big changes to their operations because of the pain at the pump. The House approved $1.5 trillion funding bill to keep the government running through the end of its fiscal year in September, and the bill now heads to the Senate. Native tribes are keeping watch on that situation, as short-term funding can cause issues for a key health program.
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Mar 10, 2022
European Central Bank mulls interest rates
Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images
From the BBC World Service: The European Central Bank will likely be factoring the economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into its interest rate policy. Ukraine’s central bank governor has called for reparations to be taken from Russia’s frozen assets around the world. And we explore the likely economic impact of South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol.
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Mar 9, 2022
Where does OPEC stand in this global game of oil?
Ryad Kramdi/AFP via Getty Images
The oil-producing cartel known as OPEC has been somewhat absent in the oil discussion as countries have imposed bans and sanctions on Russia over the former’s invasion of Ukraine. It makes the global oil picture a little murkier, but here to clear up some of it is Fernando Valle, senior energy analyst at Bloomberg. In terms of oil supply, help for the U.S. could come from a geopolitically surprising source: Venezuela. The BBC reports on the global food impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, as both produce a massive percentage of the world’s wheat.
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Mar 9, 2022
Deal reached to fund federal government, help Ukraine
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Congressional leaders have struck a deal on legislation that will fund the federal government this year, along with providing billions in aid to Ukraine. Both houses of Congress are expected to vote on it this week. After President Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports Tuesday, crude prices shot up, and Russia is having problems finding buyers. A law that would bestow independent contractor status on ride-hailing service drivers in Washington state in under consideration.
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