Mentorship and Training Weekend with Bart McKay, Louis O’Reilly and Brett Kissel.
These three industry leaders will mentor and educate 8 participants over the course of a weekend, who will witness first-hand the recording of Brett Kissel’s album. Along the way, they will experience the valuable interaction between the artist, manager, and producer; learn new recording tips and techniques; and partake in educational and Q&A sessions.
The weekend will be an excellent all-encompassing opportunity for local industry professionals to gain valuable insight and education. The presenters have honed their craft and developed their careers by working with their own mentors in Canada and the US. They all have proven track records and will share the knowledge that they have attained through their experience and relationships.
Through the mentorship and educational sessions offered throughout the weekend, the participants will learn about:
• The Development of the Career of an Artist
• The Management and Marketing of an Artist
• The Engineering and Production of music geared to receive national and international success and recognition
The sessions and information would be focused on the real life planning, career development, and recording project for the Juno and CCMA award-winning artist Brett Kissel and his new album, which will be recorded in Saskatoon at Bart McKay Productions.
Brett’s first album, "Started With A Song" was co-produced by Bart McKay and included recordings that have since achieved national success and acclaim. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2014 Canadian Country Music Awards and won in that same category at the 2014 ACMA awards. Brett’s manager, Louis O'Reilly has brought Brett's career to the forefront by building relationships within the industry and has facilitated the success that Brett has achieved. These sessions are aimed to educate participants endeavoring to further their careers within the music industry as artists, engineers, producers or managers by exposing them to the principles learned by the presenters throughout their own respective careers.
Throughout the workshop, participants will witness the complete process that is involved in recording an album that will be marketed by the major record label Warner Music Canada. This will include information regarding the recording procedures (tracking, editing and mix down) in the recording studio with Bart McKay, a sessions with Louis O’Reilly focused on management and strategies for building an artist's career in Canada and beyond, as well as a session with Brett Kissel himself regarding the steps taken to develop his career as an artist thus far.
Recording
Bart McKay will demonstrate the skills necessary to produce a successful recording; skills that are fundamental to artists, engineers and producers alike. The topics that will be addressed will include the role of a producer and engineer; recording techniques; getting a great performance; the mix-down; and how to make a living in the industry. This session will be applicable to any style of music in any recording situation and will also help to demystify the various steps of the recording process and will demonstrate the necessary skill set required to create the best quality recordings. The session will be recorded in ProTools HDX, but the concepts could be adapted to apply to any recording format.
Management
Louis O’Reilly will provide insight into the role of a manager; steps and artist must take to build a career and get to the next level; making song, video, producer and creative plans and decisions; clearing a song and first-use and mechanical licensing; and revenue streams for artists. These sessions will cover material relevant to a manager’s role with an artist and the creative process, plus there will also be plenty of question and answer periods and opportunity for personal mentorship.
The Artist’s Perspective
Brett Kissel will address the role of the artist by speaking on topics such as choosing a producer, manager and agency; writing vs seeking songs; plotting a career for success; the necessity of radio; signing a record deal; taking charge of your career; artist professionalism; working with a band; the role of social media; and how to make a living as a professional artist. During this session, participants will hear firsthand the thought process, choices, stumbles and successes made by a CCMA and Juno award winner.
Saskatchewan artists, recording engineers, producers and managers of all music genres, in all levels of their careers are encouraged to apply to participate in the weekend Sound Recording Workshop before the deadline of 4PM Friday May 15, 2015.
There is no cost to attend. Interested applicants are asked to complete and submit the workshop application form available at www.creativesask.ca. Eight (8) participants will be selected and notified on Monday May 18, 2015. (Only applicants able to attend the entire 3-day workshop who agree to participate in a post-event survey, will be accepted.)
