Brian Scott Martinez (born 14 February 1974 in Houston, Texas) is a noted educator, computer technician and journalist.
He is currently a technology accounts manager for Jostens, the world's largest producer of yearbooks.
Martinez spent most of his career in education, beginning as a teacher and publications adviser in the Conroe (Texas) Independent School District. He began teaching journalism in 1996 at J.L. McCullough Junior High School (formerly McCullough High School) in The Woodlands, Texas. The school was later rebranded as a 9-10 campus called The Woodlands High School McCullough Campus. He created and advised both the newspaper and yearbook. Later, after moving to Austin, he was the publications director for the yearbook at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy.
Ironically, during this time, he took a one-year break to work for Jostens as a yearbook management specialist.
After moving to Porter, Texas, with his family in 1978, Martinez attended schools in the New Caney Independent School District, graduating as valedictorian of New Caney High School. While there, he was editor of both the newspaper and its yearbook. He also served as captain of his school's academic challenge team, earning him his first television appearance on KPRC-TV's "Texaco Star Academic Challenge."
Martinez was named a National Merit Scholar, only the second in his school's history, and awarded a full scholarship from The University of Texas at Austin. He was graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 1996, after serving at The Daily Texan student newspaper, and being named a Texas Scholar by The Ex-Students' Association (now the Texas Exes). While at UT, Martinez got certified to teach journalism and government in Texas secondary schools.
Before he was graduated from UT, Martinez was a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund intern at the Houston Chronicle, later accepting a free-lance copy editor position.
Martinez left the Chronicle shortly after graduation where he began his career in education. In his first year as a publications adviser and journalism teacher, he created the journalism department from scratch, including two publications: the newspaper, The Tartan, and the yearbook, Highlander. Both publications went on to win top state and national awards, including the Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association, the Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and the Gold Star Award from the (Texas) Interscholastic League Press Conference. His students also earned individual awards beginning in his first year.
During this time, Martinez teamed with both Jostens and the National Textbook Company to consult on and edit journalism textbooks, including "Making It Click" and "EXP3: Journalism."
That same school year, 1996-1997, he was recognized by The Ex-Students' Association as a "Rising Star" teacher. Later, in 2004, he would be named in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. In addition, the Journalism Education Association gave him the title of Certified Journalism Educator in 2004, a professional designation.
After a consulting stint with Jostens and a return to teaching and advising, Martinez went to work in Apple's retail division as a trainer in 2005. A lifelong fan of Macintosh computers, Martinez was trained at Apple's Cupertino headquarters and assigned to Texas. In his spare time, he continued to teach national journalism workshops, made the lecture circuit, and continued to judge student publications.
In 2006, Martinez moved to Austin, Texas, and began doing software training for educators nationwide. He accepted the position at LASA in 2012, and with Jostens in 2014.
Martinez has served on the board of the Texas Exes Outstanding Teachers' selection committee and Forty Acres scholarship selection committee; contributed written pieces for various industry publications and continues to travel when possible on the scholastic journalism circuit. He is very politically active, usually in socially liberal and environmental causes. He campaigned for Bill Clinton in 1992, and again in 1996; he campaigned for Texas gubernatorial candidates Tony Sanchez and Chris Bell, as well as for former Texas governor Ann Richards. He later campaigned for Al Gore, Howard Dean, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
Martinez can sometimes be found in the media: in late 2006, he was a guest on KOOP-FM in Austin for becoming "carbon positive" in the effort to live a "green" lifestyle, and earlier that year, he was interviewed by state media about urban planning in Austin and about the legacy of Richards.