Women In Media

Let me start here: Jully Black was nominated to come on this podcast by Cynthia Loyst BEFORE NBA All Star Weekend when she performed HER version of the Canadian National Anthem. What beautiful timing, eh? This interview also happened a few days after she shared an unfortunate e-mail she stumbled upon. There was a lot to cover...I especially loved hearing about how she found community as a young woman in the music business, and how she’s paying it forward to create community for others now. I hope you enjoy this conversation, she was a GREAT hang. More here: https://www.sarahburke.ca/women-in-media-podcast/ep53-jully-black

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My next guest is Laurie Brown. She currently manages country musician Don Amero, but she's also the founder of Porch Swing Entertainment.

Porch Swing Entertainment is an artist management and consulting company handling full-time overall career management for artist Don Amero and project management for 'Amero Little Christmas', Don's holiday spectacular. Porch Swing Entertainment also works directly with Dale Speaking (promotions team) and MDM Recordings (radio team).

With a professional designation in "Music Business - Artist Management" from Berklee College of Music, and having completed the Canada's Music Incubator ten-week Artist Manager Program in Toronto, Laurie brings a wealth of industry knowledge, funding and showcasing experience, and organizational skills to the artist's career and allows the artist to do what they do best - create and share incredible music. Laurie is the full time manager for MDM Recordings Artist Don Amero, handling all aspects of Don’s career. She also does double duty on the Dale Speaking Promotions Team and MDM Recordings Radio Team. Laurie’s previous work within the music industry falls primarily into the folk and country genres having managed artists such as Adam Gregory, Jeffery Straker, Flint & Feather, The Doll Sisters and Over the Moon, and having offered consulting and project managment to many more. Laurie was recently the winner of the “Industry Person of the Year” award for Country Music Alberta and in 2021 won a CCMA award, for Management Company of the Year, as part of the MDM Recordings Management team for her work with Don Amero.

Find out more about Laurie Brown and Porch Swing Entertainment: http://www.porchswingentertainment.com/about.html

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Although I celebrate women all year long on this podcast, I'm always up for celebrating Women's History Month and International Women's Day. This week also marks the one-year anniversary of this podcast. I'll revisit some of the inspiring conversations I’ve had over the last year; call it a best-of if you will. But, I also have some personal news to share.

You know, when I launched this podcast just ahead of International Women’s Day a year ago, my aunt asked me, "hon...when do we get to hear your story?" I laughed and tucked that comment into the back of my head and tried not to think about it all year.

The truth is, while I’ve been interviewing women about their challenges and triumphs in the media, I’ve been having a really difficult time myself. Maybe launching this podcast was a means to better understand what I’ve been going through. But, if you’ve noticed, you haven’t heard too much about my story yet, and why? Fear.

Fear seems to be a constant theme on this podcast and it’s popped up in almost every conversation. It’s different for everyone. Fear of losing one’s job. Fear of judgement. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of being too demanding. Fear of asking too much. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of being too confident, too bold, too much...

What stops you from making tough decisions? For me, it was the fear of ruining my career; the fear of not getting another great job. The fear of repercussions. But, I did it.

I just became a stat in the great resignation and left my job. A job that I absolutely loved. I handed in a resignation letter without even lining up a new full-time job. One of my greatest fears came true in the process: I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t get a chance to say thank you to my colleagues or partners or the emerging musicians-turned-friends that have been the soundtrack to my last five years.

Forbes recently did a piece on the Great Resignation and shared some findings from an American survey that asks what the main causes are. The top three causes were low salary, limited career opportunities, and not feeling valued by management...interesting. Let’s unpack one more factor. I think this pandemic has forced many of us to look inwards, asking ourselves who we are, what we care about, and who we want to be next. A job doesn’t define you and that’s a lesson that I’ve needed to learn for a long time, but better late than never.

I made the decision to resign in the name of self-love and that concept is pretty new for me. The challenges were outweighing the joy I once felt at work. That may be shocking to some, but as thrilling as these last five years have been at a really exciting company, it became difficult to separate me from SiriusXM. I also came to an important realization that helped me face my fear; my accomplishments will follow me. Just because you resign, it doesn’t erase what you’ve poured your heart and soul into for five years. It doesn’t end friendships that will continue for years to come. I’m grateful for the entire journey, though, and really excited for the future.

I have some thanks to give as I end this chapter, and I wasn’t given much else of a choice but to do this here. I want to thank SiriusXM and my colleagues for the last five years. I’ve learned so much about our business and the industry, but also about myself and what I’m capable of.

As you know, this podcast is about building community, and celebrating women. Today, I just so happen to be celebrating a personal decision, a new chapter, and five years of accomplishments alongside the amazing guests that were part of year one of the Women in Media podcast.

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Well, no big deal. My next guest is Jann Arden; a multi-platinum award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, author, broadcaster, podcast host, and author with three decades of incredible work in music and comedy. As a good friend of mine noted, she is considered a 'Canadian treasure' by many. She is set to release her 15th studio album, Descendant this week on January 28, 2022, via Universal Music Canada. In this episode she speaks about her ups and downs in the spotlight, great colleagues like Allan Reid and Jeffrey Remedios, body image and so much more.

Born and raised in Alberta, Arden catapulted onto the Canadian music scene in 1993 with her debut album, Time For Mercy, featuring the hit single, "I Would Die For You". A year later, with the follow-up album Living Under June, she would have her career breakout hit "Insensitive," which solidified her position in the music scene across Canada and beyond. To date, Arden has released 17 albums and achieved 19 top 10 singles. Her music is available to stream HERE.

With accolades that include 19 top 10 singles, eight JUNO Awards and 10 SOCAN Awards, Arden is a beloved Canadian musical artist and personality. In 2020, she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame joining the ranks of Canadian music icons like Alanis Morissette, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, RUSH, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain, and many more.

A versatile artist, Arden co-created and stars as a fictionalized version of herself in the CTV Original Comedy Series JANN, available on CTV in Canada. The first two seasons are available via HULU in the U.S. Premiering in 2019, and the series was the most-watched new Canadian comedy series of the 2018-19 broadcast season. Season three wraps up with the last episode on November 15. The show features Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, Elisha Cuthbert, Keshia Chanté and more. Arden has been involved in Workin' Moms, Wynonna Earp, Private Eyes and The Detour, she has previously appeared in sitcoms Ellen and Corner Gas. Arden has made guest appearances on CBC's Rick Mercer Report, as well as regularly appearing as a guest host on The Social. Arden also hosts an iHeartRadio original podcast called The Jann Arden Podcast, discussing everyday life challenges, triumphs, and tribulations. The Jann Arden Podcast is a fun-filled, relatable experience exploring what makes all humans authentically themselves with various special guests, including musicians, actors, politicians, writers, and athletes. Listen HERE.

In addition to being a singer/songwriter, Arden is, of course, an author of note, peppering her words of wisdom with her signature humour. Arden has written five books, the most recent being her new memoir "IF I KNEW THEN: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging," released in October 2020 via Random House Canada. IF I KNEW THEN follows Arden's 2017 Canadian bestseller, "FEEDING MY MOTHER: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives with Memory Loss," which spent a combined 44 weeks on The Globe and Mail bestseller lists.

The new album Descendant is produced by Bob Rock, Russell Broom and Jann Arden. The 15-song collection represents the last 18 months of Arden's life and headspace. A bold, beautiful, and empowering sound of Jann Arden, Descendant signifies a return to form for the multifaceted artist, reflecting on where she came from and where she is headed.

Women nominated to come on the Women in Media Podcast in this episode: Jody Vance, Wendy Williams Watt, and

PRE-SAVE DESCENDANT AND LISTEN TO "STEADY ON" HERE

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Erin Benjamin is President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) and has been since its creation in 2014. Erin has worked in the music industry for over 25 years - first as a touring and recording artist, and then as Executive Director of both Folk Music Ontario (2001) and the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (2008). Erin has been an unflagging champion for the live music sector, particularly during the difficulties presented by COVID-19. She currently serves on the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Tourism and Cultural Industries pandemic-response Ontario Music Panel as co-chair, and on advisory committees for Ontario Creates, the National Arts Centre Creation Fund and Algonquin College.

Erin also sits as a board member for the Ottawa Board of Trade, the Ottawa Film Office and the Unison Fund – Canada’s leading music industry charity. Under her leadership, the CLMA launched the #FortheLoveofLIVE awareness campaign to amplify the impact of COVID-19 on the live music industry for government. The campaign has reached over 60M (and growing) and has helped to leverage over $300M+ in emergency relief for the broader live music sector. Since March 2020, she has produced a weekly livestream show out from her living room with a local artist which has raised over $150,000 for local charities in need during the pandemic.

She is the recipient of several awards including the United Way’s Community Ambassador Award and the Ontario 150 Award, in recognition of her service to community.

Find out more about the Canadian Live Music Association: https://www.canadianlivemusic.ca/

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