Ezra Brown, who has worked with Grammy Award winning artists: Cassandra Wilson, John Forte, Dorothy Moore, Charlie Daniels, Miki Howard, is currently involved in several projects. He serves as music director for Blue Nefertiti (one half of the group Les Nubians); as a member ofT he Mighty Embassy Ensemble for up and coming hip-hop artist Blitz the Ambassador.; and as a band member for Cheryl Pepsii Riley at The Village Underground in New York City, the top R & B open mic night in the country. You can hear Ezra on MTVu’s Live Sessions, where he is featured with Blitz the Ambassador and John Forte “Breathe” video on MTVu.
The Toronto International Film Festival traditionally opens the Thursday night after Labour Day (the first Monday in September in Canada). Films are categorized into Programs to better organize the selection. In one of the festival's program categories, "Wavelengths", filmmaker Jean-Marie Straub continues his exploration of classic texts with this "collaboration" involving the great 16th-century writer of the 'Essais'. In Hollywood studios premiere their films at TIFF due to the Festival's non-competitive nature, relatively inexpensive costs, enthusiastic and cinema knowledgeable audiences and other factors. This year the Festival hosts a September 7 Gala event, "Celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema", reflecting 100 years of inspired work by Indian filmmakers. Dinner and a reception are included for this event.
The Toronto International Film Festival's major prize, the People's Choice Award, is given to a feature-length film with the highest ratings as voted by the Festival-going populace. TIFF Bell Lightbox has come to be regarded for film related exhibitions and moving image artworks that reach a junction between cinema and the visual arts. Specal exhibition: "David Cronenberg: Transformation" will feature six new TIFF-commissioned artworks by leading Canadian and international contemporary artists who share David Cronenberg's inspirations from literature and philosophy—writers such as McLuhan, Burroughs and Ballard—and his fascination with biological horror, the human psyche and the merging of humans and media. The festival closes on September 15.
Game Music Connect will happen in London for one day only on September 9 and is suited to fans of music in games, aspiring and professional composers of all backgrounds and those interested in learning about the art and science of creating today’s cutting edge video game soundtracks. The format will have interviews and roundtable discussions with composers and audio directors in the video games industry. Included in a line-up of British and international composer talent will be ASCAP member Martin O’Donnell (Destiny, Halo series) and PRS affiliates James Hannigan (Dead Space 3, Command & Conquer series, Harry Potter series) and Joris de Man (Killzone series) – and will be hosted by composer, audio director and commentator John Broomhall (X-COM series, Transport Tycoon, A Christmas Carol). Audio directors from both independent and major developers and publishers will also participate.
In one of the Game Music panels, "Soundcard to Symphony", game composers - Martin O’Donnell, Jesper Kyd, Jason Graves, James Hannigan, Joris de Man, Richard Jacques, John Broomhall (Chair) - outline their personal journeys into scoring videogames, together with their inspiration and influences, reflecting on the past, present & future of game music design and application The day’s programming will comprise in-depth discussions with celebrated composers and audio directors, including insights into their diverse career paths and scoring experiences as well as practical demonstrations of interactive music and previews of next-gen original scores. The day will feature a composer panel exploring the evolution of video game music and a philosophical discussion of the art form and its future.
International Broadcasting Convention, or just IBC, is an annual event staged in Amsterdam for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide. This year's convention which runs September 12-17 has conference themes that reflect: technological innovations to engage viewers and create a more engaging entertainment experience; advances in industry collaboration and standards that affect business and content production; global impact of the internet on all aspects of traditional television and its affect on the future of traditional broadcasting; emergence of event television and the production, broadcast, distribution and monetisation of content in these digital spaces and other areas.
Keynote speaking presentations at the IBC conference open with Bob Harris, Chief Technology Officer, Channel 4 Television, but will also include: Robert M. Bakish, President & CEO, Viacom International Media Networks, Morten Hesseldahl, Executive Director of Cultural Affairs, DR, Danish Broadcasting Company, Keith Hindle, CEO, Digital and Branded Entertainment, Fremantle Media, Tony Wang, General Manager, Twitter, UK and others. IBC is owned by six industry partners that represent both exhibitors and visitors. They include: The International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, The Royal Television Society, The Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers, The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
San Diego Music Thing Conference and Festival opens September 13 for a two day run. Attendees can sharpen their skills and knowledge of the music business through interactive and roundtable sessions with notable panelists and featured speakers operating in the music business. Conference opening panel: "Music Industry 101: The Basics 2013", features speakers in discussion on what anyone needs to know about getting started in the business of music. Later that same day, another workshop session, "Dos and Don'ts of Music Distribution", covers setting up your music for sale in all formats and why YouTube is important to all performing music.
Planned day time activities include a trade show, happy hour parties, listening stations and pop up live performances, as well as a chance to meet and mingle with industry professionals and artists. Kim Gordon, a founding member of noise-rock band Sonic Youth -- and who has been involved in numerous collaborations with other artists and musicians makes a featured speaker presentation at the end of day one. Bands and music artists scheduled for performances include: Ra Ra Riot, New Politics, Titus Andonicus, Milo Greene, Fidlar, The Album Leaf, Unwritten Law, Mike Herrera, Wild Nothing, The Silent Comedy, LIttle Hurricane, Body/Head featuring Kim Gordon and over 150 more.
Chartered in 1991, conference organizer, the San Diego Music Foundation, was created to make music performance accessible to children of need in San Diego County by providing them with a hands-on vehicle, - the guitar - to express themselves creatively. Over its 20 year history, the organization has served K-8 students county-wide from Chula Vista to Fallbrook. In subsequent years the organization has broadened its focus and service areas, providing forums to increase local musicians' understanding of the music business, get performance exposure within the local and national music communities, and to publicly recognize the breadth and diversity of the San Diego music scene.
Oaxaca FilmFest, founded in the City of Oaxaca de Juarez in 2010, is intent on presenting works representative of achievement in cinema, creating opportunities for filmmakers, and providing audiences with outstanding entertainment. Planned for this year's festival running September 21-28, Oaxaca FilmFest 2013 has scheduled eight days of international film on par with those being exhibited anywhere in the world today, an international script writer symposium, special events, tours of the region, academic opportunities and those anticipated Oaxaca FilmFest after-parties. Other aspects of the festival include the program Academia -- a five day training program designed to enhance festival attendees' self-distribution skills for those that have producer ambitions. The festival also features "Pitch It", a platform that allows screenwriters to sell their scripts to industry executives around the globe in a designated meeting place.
Dubai Music Week is an annual B2B/B2C event dedicated to establishing the music industry in the region with: seminars, conferences and workshops, trade show and exhibition, live concerts, networking events and competitions connecting Middle East and Asia with Europe and North America. The six day event which opens September 24 is the brainchild of music impressario Quincy Jones and is also structured as a platform for rising artists and launching new talent. The convention will host the ‘Emirates World Exclusive Quincy Jones Seminars, and on September 25 Quincy Jones will invite music industry icons Timbaland and will.i.am on stage to discuss music production with fans, and to launch the first cross-over talent from across the region.
On September 24 at DMW, fans of Michael Jackson’s music will be able to hear directly from the multi-Grammy winning production team fueling the success of the King of Pop’s record-breaking albums -- 'Thriller', 'Off The Wall' and 'Bad'. Members of the team at this convention -- Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Bruce Swedien and Siedah Garrett -- offer reflections on the experience of producing the greatest selling albums of all time. On September 27 a Keynote Conference is scheduled and will be presented by Frank Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo Global Consumer Engagement, PepsiCo, also Shridhar Subramaniam, President of Middle East and India at Sony Music Entertainment.
MIDEM, the renowned global music convention held in Cannes every year since 1967, is an official DMW Conference Partner. Dubai Music Week in association with MIDEM will present a series of Music Conferences and Workshops with senior executives and Founders of companies such as Anghami, Saavn, Times Music, Orange, Sacem and BMI. Conference organizer, G3 is a cross-cultural music and entertainment company with offices in Dubai and Los Angeles. Founded by legendary music producer Quincy Jones and Emirati social entrepreneur Badr Jafar, the company is launching a series of initiatives and productions that is attempting to change the future of the music industry and live entertainment in the Middle East and North African region.
Known as a one stop training, exposition and networking event, Digital Video Expo brings together a gathering of technology innovators and content creation professionals to downtown Los Angeles from September 25-26. The conference agenda has over 50 conference sessions in two conference programs covering content creation and storage. The Los Angeles Post Production Group will hold their monthly September meeting at DV Expo immediately following the close of the exhibit hall floor on September 25. Cocktails will be served. The meeting is free and open to all attendees of Digital Video Expo. A new free special event, Video Edge Live! is a conference program designed for professionals who produce and deliver online video for media and entertainment, enterprise, educational, and government applications. Pro Media Conference is back this year at Digital Video Expo. PMC motivates and engages participants through a series of papers, case studies, and networking opportunities. Introduced last year at Digital Video Expo, the Pro Media Conference is designed to educate, motivate and engage professionals working in media and entertainment, video and audio production, internet and mobile video, AV, government, corporate video environments, and IT.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience. Annually, The Film Society at Lincoln Center presents two world-class international festivals – the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films (celebrating new cinematic artists). The Society will operate the New York Film Festival from September 27 through October 13 this year. And the Festival's Opening Night World Premiere is the Paul Greengrass directed, Sony Pictures release, 'Captain Phillips'. The festival is competitive with approximately 28 feature films in the Main Slate and 16 short films selected each year by a five person screening committee. Entry into NYFF and ND/NF is open to all filmmakers and all lengths and genres are considered. There are no categories and no prizes are awarded. The Society also publishes the cinematic journal, 'Film Comment', presents an annual Gala Tribute honoring legendary stars and industry leaders of this generation, and partners with Hollywood studios to present premieres and special live appearances at various times of the year.
The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's picture placement highlights "Soul Muzik" saxophonist, eZra brown (J. Quazi King, Nicole Norwood photo credit) on tour in Japan and the far east for the introduction of his debut solo album. If the photo does not appear in this post please click this link to view it. In a preview of next month's events, be aware that: Japanese Cultural and Anime Convention, Ochiba Con, will be in Oshawa. The New Orleans Film Society hosts their annual festival. The Adelaide Film Festival, in Glenside, opens. Colchester Film Festival 2013 featuring short film selections, opens in Colchester. MIA Animation Conference and Festival will be in Miami. The BMI London Awards will be in Hyde Park.
