Radio 1′s Annie Mac With Point Blank Students After Her Guest Lecture.
Here at Point Blank, we endeavour to extend our educational resources beyond those provided by any other school out there by constantly reinvigorating our classrooms and bringing in a rich mix of influential figures from within the industry directly to you. In the past we have brought in top producers such as; Paul Epworth, who has recently finished working on Florence And The Machine’s second album, new music pioneers like Annie Mac, and artists who have changed musical landscapes such as Carl Cox or Basement Jaxx.
Our belief is that the best way to get your career in music rolling, is to speak directly to those who have navigated the stormy musical waters before you. This is a style of teaching we commit to at every level of our school from our guest speakers to our day-to-day tutors. This term, we have lined up a trio of experienced industry experts who have achieved success at the top level of the business to come in and present a series of masterclasses to our current Music Business students throughout October and November.
Richard Castillo (N-Dubz Manager and A&R) – Richard Castillo has rised through the ranks of the music business, proving time and time again that the qualities he looks for in an artist, is equal to that of what mainstream audiences are connecting with. His main success has been to guide and develop the now global stars of N-Dubz from a group known only in the underground urban scene, to topping the charts and becoming household names.
Highlighting his achievements, Richard has had consistent success at the UK’s most well known and prestigious award ceremony for Black music; The MOBOs. Included in his roster of nominanted clients are; N-Dubz, Jamelia and a number of other artists over the years. One of Richards key qualities is his unashamed focus on breaking new artists into the mainstream and identifying acts that have attributes to become commercially succesful on a global scale. His in depth knowledge of the mechanics of the music industry and expertise in the power of marketing make him a hugely valuable mentor to anybody looking to get a foot in the door of the business, and get help in transforming their musical passion into a career. We recently caught up with Richard at the Choice FM ‘I Have A Choice’ project, where he left a personal video message to all of the students here at Point Blank.
Kwame Kwaten (Music Media Consultant) is the owner of top London based media consultancy agency KKMC. Together with his tireless team, he has helped to hugely boost the media presence of many artists, and guided them through their massively successful careers over the years. Included in Kwame’s extensive list of achievements are: Securing production duties on the award-winning Gorillaz album // Being presented with a disc in 2011 by Jay Z’s European label for his part in Jay Z’s story // Producing ‘Wishing on a Star’ as part of production outfit D-Influence, with whom he also supported acts like Michael Jackson, Prince and James Brown alongside.
As well as these milestones, he also signed the artist Shola Ama to his record label, who had the record breaking track ‘You Might Need Somebody‘. From here, Kwame’s C.V. goes on for what seems like ever, with impeccably impressive experience at every level of the music industry. He continues to be a step ahead of the game today, playing important roles in teaming up Rob Chiarelli with newly breaking band The Rizzle Kicks, and masterminding the Urban Music Seminar, one of Europes largest events attracting speakers including Kanye West. Alongside his immanent visit, Kwame is also offering his consultancy services to Point Blank students, looking to take the next step in their development as a music industry professional. Prepare your questions on how to get ahead in terms of media exposure for Kwame to address during his guest lecture.
Ben Scarr (Island Records A&R) - A man welcome in the studios of Point Blank at any time. Ben studied music production with us back in 04/05, and since then has gone on to become one of the trusted ears on the ground with the everyoung, influencial, and always innovative Island Records.
After working relentlessly, promoting club nights and hiphop events across London, Ben caught his break and began working for Island Records as one of their key A&R men. While there, he has proven himself to be instrumental in searching out the next big thing for the influencial label. During his time, he has signed chart topping act Tinchy Stryder, and worked with artists such as; Amy Winehouse, Sugababes, Florence & The Machine among others. Ben has kept strong ties with us here at Point Blank, knowing that the next top producer or artist could be just around the corner...
These three guest lectures are an absolute must for anyone looking to take control of their future as an artist. Although working within similar roles in the industry, each will have his own story to tell on how he forged his path, and will be able to impart a plethora of priceless tips to hopefully inspire, and push you forwards.
These lectures are exclusively for students studying Music Business at Point Blank, and the dates for these events are:
* Tuesday 11th October: Richard Castillo 2wo7even Music – N-Dubz Manager
* Tuesday 1st November: Ben Scarr – A&R Manager – Island Records
* Tuesday 22nd November: Kwame Kwaten – ATC Management & KKMC Consultancy
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