Describe your background and industry experience, and explain how it will help you contribute to the SOCAN Board of Directors?
I’m a three-time Canadian Screen Award-winning composer originally from Edmonton, now based in Los Angeles via Montreal. I’m a board member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC), where I previously served as Vice President. My work includes serving on advisory boards for organizations like the Banff Centre and Action Canada, as well as program advising for the Canadian Film Centre’s Slaight Music Residency. I also serve as an external curator for the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.
During my time with the SCGC, I’ve led initiatives like orchestral reading sessions, industry consultations, and the International Screen Composers Leadership Summit in Berlin, which brought together AV composer leaders from eight countries to address shared challenges. I also initiated a hackathon with SOCAN to improve the cue sheet process, working closely with composers and stakeholders to identify bottlenecks in the process and to ideate solutions. As executive producer of musiccreator.ca (creationdemusique.ca), I led the development of an acclaimed resource that helps songwriters, composers, and lyricists navigate the industry.
As my first term on the SOCAN board comes to a close, I’m grateful for the experience and the opportunity to contribute to SOCAN’s work. My relationship with SOCAN management is built on mutual respect and a shared goal of understanding the complex regulatory and business environment we face. My strong presence in both the AV and concert music communities ensures that creators’ voices are represented at the board level, maintaining a creator-first perspective in our discussions.
In your opinion, what issues will be most important to SOCAN members over the next three years?
The ecosystem in which music creators exist is changing rapidly, with one of the biggest challenges being the rise of generative artificial intelligence. SOCAN must lead the charge in protecting the rights of music creators and ensuring they are fairly compensated in this new landscape.
SOCAN’s role as a trusted partner to music creators is more important than ever. The organization must continue to enhance its processes and systems for greater transparency and accountability in royalty distribution, with input from creators, especially as it rolls out its new Spanish Point interface.
In an evolving environment, SOCAN must remain flexible and responsive. Key issues, such as the increasing importance of reproduction rights, declining revenue from traditional broadcast, and tensions between Canada and the U.S., in addition to the issues surrounding artificial intelligence, present an unchartered territory of many new challenges. Management and the Board need to stay on top of these issues while always prioritizing the interests and livelihoods of all SOCAN members, ensuring their needs guide every decision the organization makes.