Grammy-winning producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins speaks to the crowd in a candid keynote conversation at IMSTA FESTA L.A. at the new SAE Institute Hollywood.
Santa Monica, CA (June 10, 2015)—Four-time Grammy-winning producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins kicked off the recent annual IMSTA FESTA L.A. event held at SAE Institute Hollywood with a candid keynote sharing informative and inspirational anecdotes from across his career.
Held by the International Music Software Trade Association with support from The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing and numerous pro-audio manufacturers, the event drew more than 500 attendees. This annual conference highlights pro-audio software and hardware manufacturers and promotes the theme “Buy the Software You Use” with a day-long program featuring demonstrations, panels and networking.
The Professional Panel Series included two P&E Wing programs —”Pathway to a Grammy,” an overview of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Awards process, and “Leaders of the New School,” a conversation with today’s hitmakers. The Grammy panel included Recording Academy staffers Yvonne Faison, Jeriel Johnson, Joseph Langford and Sean Riley, and Leaders of the New School featured producers Rahki, Rob Knox, Sak Pase and Scoop Deville, with P&E Wing Sr. Project Manager Deston Bennett serving as moderator.
Closing the day was an interview with GRAMMY-nominated artist/producer DJ Khalil, moderated by Jeriel Johnson, the Academy’s Project Manager, R&B, Rap & Reggae. Khalil also served as a guest judge of the IMSTA songwriting contest, awarding a talented music professional the opportunity to record a demo in Santorini, Greece.
The event is part of a tour, with additional 2015 conferences scheduled for Chicago (7/25/15), New York (9/26/15), and Toronto (10/17/15) later this year. “FESTA LA 2015 was a great opportunity to hear from top music professionals and network with the southern California recording community,” stated P&E Wing managing director Maureen Droney. “The response from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to the upcoming events in Chicago and New York.”
IMSTA
www.imsta.org
Producers & Engineers Wing
www.producersandengineers.com
