Another year and another dope music industry conference from The Stylus Group, presenters Slaight Music, and partners Manifesto, and the A&R Report.
Your boys will be moderating a panel on artist profile development and PR strategies + interviewing the conference’s keynote – Atlantic A&R V.P. Kawan ‘KP’ Prather (Dungeon Family, Outkast, Usher, John Legend).
It all jumps off tomorrow (Saturday, June 8th @ 12:30pm). Full details below.
John Legend, T.I. Outkast, Usher, TLC, P!nk, and Yelawolf are some of the artists whose careers have been orchestrated by famed music industry executive and producer Kawan “KP” Prather – Urban A&R at Atlantic Records who will join the 2013 It Starts With The DJ conference as the main keynote speaker. The conference will feature a power panel of Toronto’s best in the media relations business held in Toronto on June 8th, 2013.
Stylus Group Co-Founder David “Click” Cox shares, “It will be great to hear from an Atlanta influencer on how the scene has grown and was built. In relation to hearing his recommendations and outlook on the Toronto scene. His experience and involvement within the music industry is a big a deal.”
Held at the Jackman Hall – Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas Street W.), the McCaul Street entrance will open at 12:30 pm, with tickets available for $10 CND at the door. The sixth annual It Starts With The DJ conference is a prelude to Stylus Spinfest Weekend taking place in the Fall 2013 involving three-days of celebratory events leading up to the big Stylus Awards show finale.
Moderators: Rez & Ty (CityonMyBack)
Round 1:
Breaking Ground into the Media World
1:00pm – 2:15pm
Panelists: Tara Muldoon, Lola Plaku, Ryan B. Patrick, Victoria Westfall, Quentin Peters, Karla ‘HustleGRL’ Moy, Catrina Jaricot
This interactive discussion will focus on the world of public relations and the importance of connecting directly with various media outlets. The panel will feature some of Toronto’s well respected publicists, bloggers, and diverse writers, who will explore their outlook on today’s industry and the inside scoop on how to engage the media. This segment will provide a forum to introduce musical artists to the steps in establishing the right PR strategy to build their profile. A few topics on the agenda include: The steps to approach various media types, what do writers care about, and what not to do to burn your bridges.
Round 2:
Keynote Interview with Kawan “KP” Prather, Senior VP of A&R Atlantic Records, CEO Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment
2:30pm – 3:45pm
Direct from Atlanta we sit down for a conversation with successful A&R Record Executive Kawan “KP” Prather. This unique keynote appearance will dive into his outlook on today’s urban music industry and offer an inside look to his entrepreneurship and business philosophy as he shares insights of his music career over the years and stories behind some of the industry’s most celebrated artists that he’s worked with throughout the decades. Offering advice and motivation, along with the tools to inspire.
Round 3:
One on One – Creating Relationships
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Back by popular demand, we’re dedicating one hour to the importance of networking. Unfortunately, many musicians do not have relationships with key industry executives and this creates obstacles in receiving exposure. Participants have the opportunity to book in advance a five-minute session with up to three of our influential advisers of their choice, to receive feedback or advice on current projects. After the first five-minute session has completed, participants will proceed to the next scheduled session and continue until all sessions have been completed. One on One relationship building sessions can result in the best of outcomes for a chance to network in a more intimate setting, and open the door to properly strategize next career steps.
Advisors: Nicole Rochefort (Booking Agent), Gavin Sheppard (The Remix Project), Kevin Thomson (Creative Control), Andrew Karis (Actra/Racs), Adrian McKenzie (Urbanology Magazine), Darryl Rodway (Urbnet Record Label), David Hayman (Music Supervisor), Madelaine Napoleone (Universal Music)
