Feedback, May 22 | Meet the Mentors
Build your music community. Meet your mentors.
Looking to make connections, grow your community, and learn more about the music industry? We've launched Feedback, a new monthly networking, mentorship, and community-building event. It’s a safe space for Manitoba Music members to get guidance from local industry professionals and an opportunity to share thoughts and exchange ideas with music peers and other members.
For this open house-style event, we'll be inviting music industry mentors from different backgrounds and experiences to hang out, answer questions, and provide folks with some guidance. Join us!
Feedback
Wednesday, May 22 / 5 - 7 PM
The Common Cocktails (formerly Passerby) at The Forks, 1 Forks Market Road
Free / all ages / Light refreshments will be provided
Guest Mentors
Ashley Bieniarz
KWIAT / Songsmiths
She / They
Ashley Bieniarz, also known as Kwiat, is a Winnipeg-based music industry professional celebrated for her dedication to community and culture. She received the inaugural Women in Music Honour Roll award in 2023 for her outstanding work with Songsmiths, a program supporting Canadian creators. Ashley, the first Indigenous woman from Manitoba to earn this honor, continues to make significant contributions. She recently served as Artistic Director for the RiseUp Mentorship and GerryFest program and collaborated on an Indigenous Languages and Culture Program grant. With experience as interim Indigenous Music Development Coordinator at Manitoba Music, Ashley actively promotes gender equity in audio recording and music production. She envisions evolving Songsmiths into an artist services and publishing house rooted in Indigenous knowledge. Under the name Kwiat, her debut single "Follow The Call", co-produced by Hawksley Workman and mixed by George Seara, released earlier this year.
Talk to Ashley about grant writing, virtual performing, songwriting, event promotion, art admin, and more.
Kelsey Assad
Operations Manager
Birthday Cake Records
She / Her / Elle
Originally from Northern Ontario, Kelsey began her career with the Geraldton Music Jamboree and graduated from the Music Business Management program at Durham College in 2009. Since then, she has spent time with various companies such as RGK Entertainment, CARAS / The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts, and Paquin Artist Agency. Over the last two years, Kelsey has been a part of the Birthday Cake team as an Operations Manager, and working closely with management clients such as The Bros. Landreth, and Begonia. In her spare time, she's a #dogmomaf.
Ask Kelsey about events and the live industry including booking, routing, advancing, production, marketing, merch, immigration, taxes, and more.
Terence Ruiz
Ruiz
He / Him
Terence Ruiz aka Ruiz has a skillset of many as a producer, songwriter, rapper, and audio engineer at Private Ear Recording. Ruiz started in the basement, a teenager piecing together a home studio with a love for Rap music. For more than a decade Ruiz has continued to bring a certain edge that feels homegrown and you can feel that energy when Ruiz steps on stage. Consistently pushing his creative boundaries, Ruiz’s single "Shade" featuring HAVS became an instant hit with fans and showed a new side to his sound. If he isn't on stage he's in the studio developing his craft and delivering top quality mixes for artists. He is known for helping people bring their sound to the next level whether in writing, production or performance. More recently, Ruiz has helped open CTRL Space Records as a co-owner along with Derek Benjamin where the 2 have put a focus on creating a community of professionalism in Winnipeg's music scene for those who may not have that experience.
Ask Terence about production, songwriting, and audio engineering.