At pointblank we pride ourselves on our real world industry connections and frequently invite leading and influential figures to speak to our classes. Offering tips, insights and guidance gleaned from working at the very top of their field, these guests help to inspire students and demystify a hugely competitive world. Nowhere is this more important than the world of business where it pays to stay ahead of the latest developments and opportunities.
This term, like always, saw a number of special guests come by our London studio complex as part of our Music Industry module. As you can see, all these ‘lectures’ are intimate, informal affairs allowing our students plenty of opportunity to put their own questions to the experts. To give a little taste, here’s this term’s recap in pictures.
Anna Russell (AR Management)
Anna Russell runs AR Management and Vocal Agency. Set up with the aim of providing commercial dance producers with a dedicated source of vocalists and top line writers, they now provide vocals for a wide variety of projects that reaches much further than their original dance and pop music remit.
Jake Warren (Silence & Air)
Jake Warren, a former student of pointblank, won his very first pitch through pointblank’s Student Opportunities page. After leaving pointblank he co-founded Silence & Air, a Shoreditch-based music service that provides original music for campaigns on behalf of a range of global clients including McDonalds, Chevrolet, Lexus, Versace and more.
Laura Newton (Creative Artists Agency)
Laura Newton is an agent at CAA, the world’s leading entertainment agency. She also shared her wealth of knowledge at pointblank’s industry panel at IMS College Malta earlier this year.
Lewis Mokkler (Huntar)
Lewis Mokkler is a fast-rising R&B and pop singer-songwriter who makes music as Huntar. His single ‘BLINDSPOT’ has over 500k plays on Spotify – and counting. He took time out of his schedule to offer his perspective on how to thrive in the music business.
Sam Willis (Walls, Rough Trade Records)
Sam Willis boasts dual insight into the music industry as both successful artist and publicist. As part of WALLS and Primitive World, Sam has released on R&S, KOMPAKT & Black Acre and remixed Caribou, Panda Bear and Simian Mobile Disco. He combines this with 15 years’ experience as a publicist, including a stint as Head Of Press at Rough Trade Records as well as representing Jarvis Cocker, Justice, Animal Collective and Cut Copy amongst many others. Sam now teaches Music Industry as part of the Degree course at our London school.
Simon Baker (Cocoon, Get Physical)
Over the last 10 years, Simon Baker has carved out a recognisable presence within the underground techno scene, releasing music on some of the biggest labels in that world including Cocoon, Leftroom, Get Physical, Kompakt and Truesoul.
If you want to benefit from pointblank’s exemplary network of connections, learn from industry professionals and kick start your own career in the music industry, you should join us. Our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering degree is the pinnacle of what we offer and gives you a 360-degree view of your options in the industry. Our courses are developed by professionals who have worked with Pharrell Williams, Chemical Brothers, Swedish House Mafia and Massive Attack and modules cover music composition, DJing, live sound engineering, music business and much more. Validated by Middlesex University, you won’t find a better way to immerse yourself in your passion for music. Find out more about our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering degree here. You can also book a tour of our brand new London studio complex by heading here.
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