ReFolkUs is back with a special pre-conference drop, where we will be releasing four episodes prior to the Folk Music Ontario Conference being held in London, Ontario on October 12th-15th.
One-on-one meetings, also known as pitch meetings or speed meetings, are a dedicated time for two people to meet - at Folk Music Ontario, we call them ‘Lightning Talks’. They take place online pre-conference and participants are given the chance to connect with industry experts and other conference attendees before the event begins.
In this week’s episode, we chat to Valerie Denn about her workshop ‘Pitch Craft’ and how to get the most out of these lightning talks. Valerie explains how folks can best represent themselves in these meetings, what materials to bring, how to be memorable and stand out from the crowd, and guides listeners through some do’s and don'ts.
Follow Valerie online:
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Valerie is very active in the World Music/Roots/Americana/ community as an agent and a manager. She is passionate about her artists and especially adept at helping her clients with export development and building global careers. Val served for four years on the Board of Directors for Folk Alliance International where she also served a term as President. Val teaches and partners with other industry events to lead workshops/panels for the enrichment of the creative/artistic process.
She has been a mentor at SXSW, Mundial Montreal, WOMEX, Folk Music Canada, ECMA’s and participated on numerous panels at industry events. She currently is on the board as interim President of Folk Music Canada and a board member of the Live Music Society- which gives grants to small venues in the US. Val is the Canadian Ambassador for The House of Songs based in Austin, Texas. This organization matches songwriters globally for co-writing experiences and has residencies in Austin, Bentonville, AR, New York City, and opening new “houses” in Nordic countries.
In her spare time, she is an organic farmer and potter with her husband of 41 years in Nova Scotia Canada.
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Produced by Kayla Nezon and Rosalyn Dennett
Episode 18