Meet the January Music Meeting Panelists

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January Music Meeting 2016 (Photo: J.Senft Photography)
Andrew Roach
Erin Kinghorn
Jared Falk
Jeremy Giacomin
Vivian Barclay
Vel Omazic
Teghan Beaudette
Stu Anderson
Maud Salvi
Julia Train
Joe Clark
Joanne Setterington
Andreas Rizek
Big Fun Productions

The pencils are sharpened and the schedules are done... January Music Meeting is back and ready to host some of Canada’s top music industry pros for the second edition of the winter mini-conference. Label, agency, management, festival, publishing, and publicity representatives will converge on the Manitoba Music office to discuss the state of Canada’s independent music industry and provide concrete advice on how to succeed in the ever-changing music business. 

In conjunction with the Big Fun Festival, which will host a Manitoba Music Showcase on January 27, JMM2017 kicks off its three-day on January 26. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain access to tastemakers and experts from across the country while connecting with local artists and industry peers, at a conference designed and held right here in Manitoba. Be sure to take the time to research the speakers ahead of time, particularly if you're requesting mentor meetings. Here's a little something to get you started... 

An alumni of Fanshawe College’s “Music Industry Arts” program, Andreas Rizek is part of SOCAN’s  A&R team. With years of experience in publishing, marketing, and distribution, as well as royalty administration, Rizek is able to connect the dots between the creation of the song to putting out records. In his spare time, he manages a successful electronic label called No.19 Music and is a producer and DJ.

Andrew Roach is an entertainment professional with over a dozen years of experience in the field. He’s worked at Universal Music Canada, Cineplex Entertainment, CBC, and now for the past two and half years at Cadence Music + Fontana North. His role there is as director of label and artist services where he leads day to day interactions with many of the company's international label partners like ATO Records, Warp Records, Ingrooves, and more. Key recent successes include piloting the Alabama Shakes’ album Sound & Color to gold in Canada and bringing a number of  domestic artists to the Cadence roster that include Sun K, Taylor Knox, and Jane’s Party. 

Duncan McKie has been the President of FACTOR since December of 2010. Prior to this assignment, he enjoyed a broad and distinguished career in culture, media and market research, and regulatory affairs. Duncan was the President of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA, formerly CIRPA) from 2007 to 2010.

Erin Kinghorn founded eEK! Productions in Toronto to provide integrated marketing management and grant administration, giving artists the solutions to build their brand and maximize their fanbase through multiple platforms, including street, digital, mobile, print, radio and TV. Honouring its mission statement to service, lobby and develop the arts communities, eEK! tailors each marketing plan to the client, from developing online profiles and nationwide street teams to the overall concept and branding. Among its artist clients are the Trews, Latent Recordings (Cowboy Junkies, Lee Harvey Osmond, Skydiggers), the Jerry Cans, Tim Chaisson, and Starfish Management (Blue Rodeo, Harrow Fair, the Ladies) Prior to forming eEK! in Toronto,  Erin spent eight years with Nettwerk Music Group as director of sales & marketing working on albums by Sarah McLachlan, Tiesto, Swollen Members, Great Lake Swimmers, Be Good Tanyas and more.

Jared Falk is the national publicity manager for Killbeat Music, a Canadian music publicity company that has worked to gain national attention for more than 400 album releases and tours. You're likely to find a Killbeat artist featured in magazines and newspapers across the country, charting on the R220, R330, and !earshot, nominated for a JUNO Award, or on the short list of the Polaris Music Prize. Falk has a background in advertising and has previously worked as a music photographer and radio producer. 

One of the newest additions to the Paquin Artists Agency (PAA) team, Jeremy Giacomin joined the company in August 2013 as an assistant and has since risen through the ranks as an associate, and is currently an agent/talent buyer with a focus on booking the West. Giacomin has had the pleasure of working with artists like The Strumbellas, Corb Lund, Fred Penner and many more. With a love for live music and previous experience in advertising and film, Jeremy brings a passion for the entertainment industry in all of its various forms. Under the mentorship of PAA’s Julien Paquin and Todd Jordan, Giacomin is currently building an impressive roster of emerging talent that he is excited to share with the world.

Fiercely independent, it was absolutely no surprise to anyone when Joanne Setterington created Indoor Recess in 2003 – a place where her energy, drive and ambition could flourish, unencumbered.  On the front line of many artists’ careers, she is a proud emissary, advocate and champion of everyone she has the privilege to work with in both the PR and management realms of Indoor Recess.

When reviewing Joe Clark’s history, it seems as if he was destined for a career in music. He’s studied music performance, psychology, theory, and business since high school, and studied Music Research at McGill University where he ultimately earned his Bachelor of Music. After graduation, U.S. connection recommended he check out The Feldman Agency, which turned out to be a perfect fit. Clark joined Feldman in 2013 and currently works with Daniel Caesar, Ralph, Heartstreets, and Clairmont the Second among others. He is actively engaged in scouting and developing emerging artists spanning a variety of genres.

Julia Train’s history in the Canadian music industry began with her training in classical piano and love of music. She attended the Harris Institute for the Arts, where she studied recorded arts management. Shortly after graduating, she went to work for the CMRRA’s Royalties Administration department. Julia was a valued member of the FACTOR team from 2008-11 as a submissions coordinator and communications manager. Currently, Julia is the communications and administrations director at the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC), ensuring that musicians receive the recompense that they are entitled.  

Originally from Winnipeg, Lindsey Van De Keere joined FACTOR in 2012 after receiving her B.A. in Cultural and Environmental Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a Cultural and Heritage Site Management program at Centennial College.

Maud Salvi has been the executive director of the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival since 2013. Taking place over five days in over 30 venues across Calgary’s downtown core, Sled Island presents over 250 musical acts along with visual arts, film, and comedy.

Mighty Cypress Talent Inc. was founded two years ago by Stu Anderson as a full-service talent management and event production company.  Anderson’s current artist management roster includes Begonia, The Bros. Landreth, Cairo Knife Fight, Joey Landreth, and Living Hour.  Anderson previously spent five years as a booking agent at Paquin Artists Agency.

Teghan Beaudette is an award-winning journalist with CBC. She's spent the last seven years reporting in Ottawa, Halifax, and Winnipeg -- including for CTV and the Winnipeg Free Press. For the past five years, she's been with CBC Manitoba and is currently a video journalist and anchor there. She has done extensive reporting on underrepresented communities, specifically, people with disabilities, and the LGBT community. Beaudette is also known for her arts and culture reporting in Winnipeg, in particular for a weekly entertainment column that has now been running for several years.

Vel Omazic has been Canada’s Music Incubator’s executive director since co-founding the not-for-profit organization in 2011. CMI’s mandate is to provide customized and ongoing mentorship to artist entrepreneurs and managers across all genres of music. He is also the executive director of the TEMPO Educates Foundation, a registered charity he also helped to found in 2011 dedicated to music business and entrepreneurial education at the high school level, including Aboriginal communities. Omazic has worked in the Canadian music industry for over two decades having served as vice-president, national promotion and media relations for Sony Music Canada for 10 of those years. He got his start in the music industry in the national promotion/publicity department at PolyGram Records. Prior to joining CMI, Omazic was VP marketing and communications at Green Living Enterprises, an environmental marketing, consulting, events, and publishing agency.

Vivian Barclay is the general manager of Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd., the publishing arm of Warner Music Group. She works directly with a diverse roster of songwriters including Barenaked Ladies, Jully Black, Machel Montano, Producer Lantz, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, and Gordon Lightfoot, and is also responsible for the administration of the 200-year-old company’s global catalogue, which includes Cole Porter, Katy Perry, Radiohead, Jay Z, and Michael Bublé. A Radio and Television grad from Ryerson University, Barclay joined CKLN-FM in production before taking to the airwaves as host of her own show as well as three years as PD of the station before leaving to work with Toronto-based Jones & Jones Productions, a company that offers a wide range of event and entertainment services. Barclay joined Warner Chappell in 2001, and then spent two years at the head office in Los Angeles before returning to Toronto to head up the company in Canada. As a music publisher, she has taught classes on music publishing at Metalworks Institute, Ryerson University and at the Trebas Institute in Toronto. Barclay sits on the boards of the CMRRA, Canadian Music Publishers Association, SOCAN, and the Phemphat Entertainment Group, producers of the annual all-female Honey Jam Showcase. Barclay works with Habitat for Humanity GTA and is a part of National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment (NABFEME)

Creating Safer Spaces in the Music Community Panelists

Alexa Potashnik is a beatboxer-activist and a fourth year undergraduate at the University of Winnipeg, majoring in Human Rights with a double minor in Business Administration and Conflict Resolution Studies. Alexa is the current Racialised Student Commissioner with the Canadian Federation of Students of Manitoba. Her work has provided conversation for people of colour to have a safe space to heal, decolonize and create solidarity to strengthen marginalized communities. She has conducted and hosted events such as: Dear White People: Black History Month Film Screening, Sexualizing the Disposable Woman, One Month in our History: The Search for the Afro-Canadian Identity, Blacktivism and many others. Alexa remains a strong leader in her community, connecting her activism with her musicianship as a vocal-percussionist in the hip-hop community of Winnipeg.

Ashley Au is a Winnipeg-based bassist, composer, arranger, and educator. A multifaceted musician, Ashley specializes in the upright and electric basses (4-string, 5-string, and fretless) as well as guitar, and is a much sought after sessional musician and music educator. After completing a degree in Jazz Bass Performace (B. Mus) at Brandon University, under the direction of Michael Cain, Greg Gatien, Eric Platz, and Gilles Fournier, Ashley has become an active member of Winnipeg’s music scene. Current and past projects include work with Weakerthans frontman, John K. Samson. folk roots songstress, Carly Dow. internationally-acclaimed Americana tastemaker, Scott Nolan. composer/trumpeter Chuck Copenace. progressive spoken-word hip-hop outfit, Dr. Strange and the Hidden Gems (Nereo II). indie art-rock quartet, Odanah. songwriter, Brett Nelson. Roma-inspired feminist folk-punks, Bacca. and many more. 

Jen Zoratti is a columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press and the founder of the blog SCREAMING IN ALL CAPS: another feminist response to pop culture. For almost 10 years, she worked as a music journalist, covering the local and national music scene for a number of outlets. 

Jodie Layne is a writer and activist in Winnipeg, MB who was named one of Chatelaine Magazine's 2015 women of the year. By day, Jodie works for the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival as the marketing & communications manager and is one of the founding board members of the Rainbow Trout Music Festival. Jodie is the founder of Safer Spaces Winnipeg and works with music venues, festivals, and bars to create policies and procedures and train staff and volunteers with an emphasis on bystander intervention. She also writes about feminism, fashion, fat positivity, and basically anything else for publications like Bustle, xojane, and Extra Crispy.

Leonard Sumner (aka Lorenzo) is an Anishinaabe MC from the Little Saskatchewan First Nation located in Interlake Region of Manitoba. He provides perspective from a voice often unheard and over-looked in the traditional music communities: truthful, insightful, and providing a new sound straight from 'the Rezzy'. His music is best described as a fusion of hip hop, country and rhythm & blues. His lyrics are both intricate and honest, combined with his heart, message into a raspy flow that growls with the bittersweet existential angst of Reservation Indian. On stage, he captivates crowds with a guitar slung over his shoulder, singing and rhyming to the beats, allowing his style to be enjoyed by people who typically 'aren't into rap.' 

Tyler Sneesby (AKA DJ Hunnicutt) has been DJing since 1991, both in the clubs and as a member of the Winnipeg instrumental outfit, the Hummers. As a member of the rap group Farm Fresh, Hunnicutt was also a co-founder of the acclaimed Canadian hip hop label Peanuts & Corn Records. With his unique blend of hip hop, funk, disco, rock, reggae and anything else that gets bodies moving, Hunnicutt, along with his partner DJ Co-op, has been ruled the dance party scene in Winnipeg and Western Canada for more than a decade. Since 2005, Hunnicutt has been performing with internationally renowned improv duo Crumbs, enhancing their freestyle comedy shows with an improvised soundtrack. In 2014, Hunnicutt and some friends opened The Good Will Social Club in Winnipeg. The music venue made national headlines when it included safer space guidelines in their “house rules.”

Uzoma Chioma is an entrepreneur, registered psychiatric nurse, member of the Premier's Advisory Council on education, poverty, and citizenship, retired member of the Canadian Women's National basketball team, and founder of QPOC Winnipeg. QPOC is an initiative that creates safer spaces for queer and trans people of colour in Winnipeg.

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