
Berklee Hosts Leading Artists and Entertainment Pros at Annual Career Jam Grammy-winning producer and singer-songwriter FINNEAS and hitmaker Ashe BM 15 headlined an event that featured top talent from across the industry.
By
Daniel Pesquera
April 8, 2024
FINNEAS and Ashe speak at Berklee Career Jam keynote event.
Kelly Davidson
More than 100 artists, entrepreneurs, and executives representing major companies from across the music and entertainment landscape converged on the Berklee campus for Career Jam 2024, an annual professional development event that connects students to many of the most influential figures in the business. The two-day program took place April 4-5 and included master classes, mentoring sessions, auditions, and Q&A panels with top-tier musicians, performers, producers, executives, and more.
Headlining this year's Career Jam were Oscar-winning and multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer FINNEAS, and singer-songwriter and alumna Ashe BM 15. The duo was joined by Paul Wachter, founder and CEO of Main Street Advisors. The keynote panel-moderated by Jonathan Perkins, assistant chair of songwriting-revealed insights on FINNEAS and Ashe's collaborative process as songwriting partners, how they each have learned to navigate the business while continuing to evolve as artists, and their personal advice to aspiring creatives on how to nurture themselves and their art.
I knew I wanted to make music for a living from the time I was 11 years old, and every day I recommitted to that, said FINNEAS. I had so many questions and I wanted so much advice. That would be my biggest advice to anybody: if you are in a room with somebody who has stories you want to hear, ask them about those stories.
I didn't know what the heck I wanted to do [at Berklee]. I was the most insecure little girl of all time, shared Ashe, introduced on stage by Voice Professor Patrice Williamson, her former instructor whom she referenced as a source of encouragement. I kept trying to surround myself with people who wanted the best for me as the human, not just as the artist. You don't need to be what anyone else wants you to be, and [my people] kept feeding that into who I was.
Renowned K-Pop choreographer Todd Williamson gave the keynote talk at Career Jams K-Pop and Beyond series.
Along with Career Jam headliners, the event featured a host of prominent artists and industry leaders. The two-day event kicked off Thursday, April 4, with the K-Pop and Beyond series, sponsored by the CJ Cultural Foundation, featuring a keynote interview with renowned choreographer Todd Williamson, a discussion of K-Pop songwriting with singer-songwriter and producer August Rigo and songwriter Chikk, and a dance performance from Berklee's Asian Culture and Performance Club and Boston Conservatory at Berklee's commercial dance students.
Friday, April 5, offered an eclectic mix of career development opportunities for students, with conversations ranging from the world of sync featuring alumna Emily Weber BM '97, head of synch/partner at Position Music; to gender gaps within the industry with Tina Farris, tour manager for the Roots and Chris Rock, and Keli Nicole Price, associate professor and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter; to a celebration of Broadway featuring Boston Conservatory alumna and musical theater veteran Natalie Toro BFA '86; to a panel on live event music direction with renowned director and composer Khirye Tyler (Beyonc , Alicia Keys); and an inside look at the business side of hip-hop featuring legendary producer Kyambo Hip-Hop Joshua.
Leadership from Splice including CEO Kakul Srivastava (far left) speak with students at a discussion on creating professional sample packs.
Mike Ritter
A highlight from the day was the discussion with representatives from Splice. CEO Kakul Srivastava; Chrissy Tignor, Splice education director and associate professor for Berklee and Berklee Online; and Israel Medina, senior label manager and sound designer, dissected the company's unique position in the industry while offering guidance about how Berklee students can utilize the companys expansive sound and sample library. In the lead-up to the panel, Splice participated in the project Splice Sprints, which gave songwriting and electronic production and design students the opportunity to work on developing professional-level sample packs. The company previously hosted Berklee students at its studios in Los Angeles for a behind-the-scenes look at how they create sample packs.
Additionally, Career Jam debuted the premiere of a new music video from alumnus, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato BM '04, leader of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Cato unveiled his cover of Miss You by the Rolling Stones, a project he filmed at Power Station at Berklee NYC using 3D cameras and audio tracking. Attendees experienced the power of this technology through Oculus headsets, giving them a 360-degree perspective and the feeling of being in the studio with Cato and his orchestra clones playing every instrument.
Watch Miss You by Louis Cato, filmed at Power Station at Berklee NYC:
I thought about the idea of making a visual representation of what's happening in my brain when I'm composing a soundscape, said Cato, explaining how he came up with the concept for the video. There's an interaction that happens when I'm drumming, for example, where I'm engaging in my head with what the bass player is going to be playing. So I tried to capture that visually using the technology.
Other notable speakers participating in this year's Career Jam included producer and frequent Kendrick Lamar collaborator DJ Dahi; Steve Schnur, worldwide executive and president of Music for Electronic Arts; acc
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...