Music Freelancers Day - Building Your Business - 22nd March 2023
Launchpad, together with the Business & IP Centre Leeds City Region and Leeds Libraries present a day of talks, panels, workshops, presentations and networking to support those building a freelance career in music.
Location: Business & IP Centre Leeds, 2nd floor Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3AB
The day will run as follows:
12pm - 1pm
Welcome - Networking Lunch & Drinks (provided)
1pm - 1.45pm: Panel - Establishing a Freelance Career
Our Freelancers Day starts with a panel discussion on how to navigate embarking on freelance careers, the stepping stones to becoming freelance, how to balance different types of work and feeling confident in dictating your own work schedule. Speakers work in a range of background within music, from production, composition, performing, events, and technical services, across the recording, Film / TV and live sectors. Speakers include:
Lins Wilson (Chair - Music Creative & Project Producer)
George Bloomfield (Artist & TV/Film Composer)
Danny West (Music Producer)
Holly Early (Audio Creative - Sound Recordist & Post-Sound Editor)
Max Lilley (Backline Technician & Stage Manager)
2.00pm - 2.40pm
Presentation / Workshops on Managing Finance
3.00pm - 3.45pm Keynote - Jez Willis, Utah Saints
Jez Willis is a founding member and one half of Utah Saints, a Leeds based electronic Music act who have had considerable national and international success over the last 30 years.
Jez has built a music-based portfolio career which has included writing and producing chart hits, film music, games music and other high -profile commissions. Utah Saints regularly DJ at clubs and festivals around the UK and abroad.
Running parallel to this, Jez has promoted, managed and booked acts for various nightclubs in Leeds, York, Harrogate and London, as well as starting record labels, directing a 2000 capacity festival, curating a 3-day stage at Beatherder Festival and co-managing all of Utah Saints business affairs. His studio work has included many high-profile collaborations, and over 40 commissioned remixes.
In recent years, as well as continuing his work with Utah Saints, Jez has completed an MA in Music Production and is a part-time lecturer at Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Conservatoire, where, in March 2023 he was conferred a professorship.
4.00pm - 4.45pm: Panel - Building Your Networks
Freelancers Day continues with a panel discussion on how to build your networks, create new relationships, reach new clients, collaborators, customers, audience and sustain your career as a freelance music professional. Featuring speakers from a range of backgrounds within music, including event production, live sound and tour managing, music education, performing and composition. Speakers include:
Lins Wilson (Chair - Music Creative & Project Producer)
Emily Marlow (Freelance Events Professional)
Frankie Harper (Producer, Composer, Musician)
Pete Flinton (Live Sound Engineer)
Kathryn Sturman (Musician and Co-Director)
5.150pm - 6.00pm
Networking Round Table
Facilitated "meet the org" networking and workshop activity.
The event is free to attend, but places are limited and you must register in advance.
If you would like to find out about more events and opportunties to support the regional music sector, please check out Launchpad's resources page here.
For more events from Leeds City Region Business & IP Centre, please follow them on Eventbrite here.
Find out access information and more about the venue here: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/libraries/central-library
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Launchpad is an emerging talent development program that supports artists and emerging professionals throughout Yorkshire, delivered by Music Local, a not for profit organisation that supports and develops place-based music support systems and infrastructures, tailored to the needs of individual music communities. We work with regional music communities to support Music:Leeds, Bradford Music Network & Music:SouthYorkshire and are supported by Youth Music and Arts Council England using public funding from the National Lottery and as a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner as well as additional local authorities and partners.
The Business & IP Centre Leeds City Region, in partnership with Leeds Libraries and the British Library, is inspiring a thriving community of new and existing business owners across Leeds and beyond.
The Business & IP Centre Leeds City Region is free to use and open to everyone. Whether you're just starting out, have a brilliant idea you want to discuss, or want to take your business to the next step, we're here to help. Find out more.