BDRB Panel 4 - Biographies
Breaking Down Racial Barriers
Panel #4 - November 6, 2021
Panelist Biographies
This panel is the first of the BDRB series to include individuals who do not identify as BIPOC. It was important for this panel, being the final in the series, to include key stakeholders and decision-makers from the spaces within which Black people have been systematically excluded. Those stakeholders have been invited to the table in order to ensure that they understand the scope and intensity of the issues facing Black music professionals, to take back to their respective spaces in order to make changes in their policies and structures of their organizations and spaces.
Mickey Quase
Senior Advisor to the Creative Industries working the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism & Heritage for the Province of Nova Scotia
Mickey became the first Music Development Officer for the Province of Nova Scotia in 2005, running funding programs and creating partnerships to leverage export opportunities for local artists. Over the years, the position evolved,and by 2016, Mickey was the Senior Advisor to the Creative Industries, managing the for-profit business division of the new Creative Industries Fund for the Department of Communities, Culture & Heritage and specializing in Music Business and Book Publishing. He also administers the Screenwriters Development Fund, which invests in the various stages of script development for film and television projects focussed on achieving gender parity and diversity.
Mickey believes that through collaboration one can build strong teams at home and internationally to create ongoing commerce.
Prior to joining the Public Service, Mickey worked in both traditional music and contemporary songwriting sectors for 20 years as an artist manager all over the English- speaking world. Years of extensive international touring, showcase facilitation and conference work have afforded Mickey the opportunity to build a large network of friends and colleagues in all facets of the business, worldwide. Over the span of his career, he has worked as a musician, booking agent, promoter, artist manager (Blackpool, Rankin Family, Danu, JP Cormier, etc), tour manager, educator, consultant, etc.
He has been an active member of the ECMA International Committee since its inception and a co-conspirator in the conception of the Export Readiness Training Program Pitching Workshop. Mickey is the author of the MusicNL (Newfoundland, CA) Export Strategy 2018, as well as a Co-Host of the Atlantic Publishers Incoming Buyers Program from Germany 2019. (Halifax, CA)
JRDN
Ralph Jordon Croucher, better known by his stage name JRDN, is a Toronto-based Scotian born R&B sensation. In 2021, JRDN is back with a new sound and energy in his music. Working closely with Sebastian Kole (writer) Jazz Feezy (producer) Jenson Vaughn (writer) on new music that will show the growth of his artistry.
His 2010 breakthrough album, IAMJRDN yielded Gold singles ‘U Can Have It All’ and ‘Like Magic". “Like Magic” received the 2012 SOCAN Urban Music Award, and went to #1 on the Much and MuchMore Music video charts. IAMJRDN also garnered him 2 nominations for New Artist of the Year and R&B/ Soul Recording of the Year at the 2012 JUNO Awards. JRDN won the prestigious 2014 JUNO award for R&B/Soul recording of the year for his hit single “Can't Choose” featuring Kardinal Offishall. In 2019 JRDN resurfaced releasing two projects titled Supply And Demand as well as Bristol Place, capturing a more youthful sound that relates to today’s R&B audience. 2021 will be a year full of music as JRDN is set to release numerous projects including his long awaited album RALPH, released March 26th 2021. JRDN’s newest single Missing Us is explains the emotion of letting that one get away and not really coming to terms with the fact that the relationship will never be the same.
Katrina Lopes
Kat’s roster includes platinum selling, Juno Award winning artist/producer Shawn Desman, pop duo/production team RadioClub, soul artist/film composer/Sephora collaborator TiKA, singer/songwriter/producer Kayla Diamond, and singer/songwriter/composer Sol Escobar.
Together with her clients KL has garnered accolades including MMVA Video of the Year, SOCAN #1 Awards, SOCAN Pop Song of the Year, numerous platinum/gold singles, and over 50 millions streams.
She serves on the board for Manifesto, a youth arts organization; Music Managers Forum Canada (MMF); is a mentor via Femme It Forward; teaches music industry classes to young men in custody via F-You: The Forgiveness Project; is an innovator w/ Keychange, a global network working towards a total restructure of the music industry in reaching full gender equality. And was named an honouree on the global “Alternative Power 100 Music List 2020”.
Ryan Veltmeyer
Ryan Veltmeyer is a social innovator, entrepreneur, community builder, educator and musician. In 2021 Ryan joined the team at the Light House Arts Centre, as the manager of the Link Hub for Creative Entrepreneurship, a space opening in 2022 that will house co-working space, offices, event & meeting spaces in downtown Halifax.
In 2012, Ryan Co-founded Youth Art Connection (YAC), bringing together his passion for youth leadership development and the arts. YAC is a registered charity that supports emerging artists, especially from marginalized backgrounds, to develop small arts-based businesses and social impact projects. Through YAC Ryan has helped build a growing and connected community of young artists from a broad range of art practices, cultural backgrounds and life experience.
Ryan's career in youth leadership started with his early experience in leadership training and outdoor adventure programming for various summer camps in NS and the USA. Ryan worked as a Teen Services Library Assistant at Halifax Public Libraries and as a Ryan senior program facilitator and trainer at the HeartWood Centre for Community Youth Development in Halifax. Throughout this time Ryan maintained a professional music practice as a trombonist, composer, conductor and chorister, collaborating with a who’s who of East Coast musicians and Sobey Art Award nominee William Robinson.
Ryan's work has been recognized through various awards including the Dalhousie Legal Aid Social Justice Award (2019), the Big Brothers Big Sisters Halifax Inspire Leadership Award (2016) and being a finalist for the Halifax Assistance Fund Social Innovation Award (2017). He was selected to participate in the prestigious Banff Centre for Art and Creativity “Getting to Maybe” Program for System Entrepreneurs in 2016 and the 21 Inc. Emerging Leaders Program in 2012 and 2014.
Sheri Jones
Sheri Jones has been in the business of artist management for a gazillion years. She still loves the work that she does and the people that she does it with. Sheri loves creativity and operating effectively and is always looking for a better way to achieve the goals of the artists she works with. Sheri is an active member of her community, giving back by serving on national boards and committees; consulting with artists and industry; and by initiating projects that will further the development of the music industry.
Harvi Millar
Harvi Millar is a Saint Lucian-Canadian also with Barbadian roots. He holds a B.Sc. (Honors) in Industrial Engineering from the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine campus), a Master of Applied Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering both from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. Currently, Dr. Millar is a professor, a researcher, a strategy consultant, a sought-after workshop facilitator, a 6-time award-winning jazz musician and composer, and a free-lance columnist. His is full professor in the Sobey School of Business where he has taught for the last 33 years.
Dr. Millar has published several scholarly articles in a variety of international academic journals on a wide range of topics in the field of operations. He has presented his research at over 40 international conferences in Canada, The USA, Europe, South America, Mexico, Africa, and the Caribbean. His current research interest focuses on the intersection between cultural identity and leadership practice.
Dr. Millar is the President of Management Technologies, a management consulting firm dedicated to organizational development and improvement (ODI). He specializes in strategy formulation, performance management, productivity and process improvement, corporate governance, and human resource development. Dr. Millar has conducted interventions for private and public companies throughout the Caribbean and Canada.
Dr. Millar has served on several Boards and Committees, including the Strategy and Planning Committee of the Board of the University of the West Indies, and is currently the co-chair of the Africentric Learning Institute.
Dr. Millar’s approach to life is guided by his favorite African proverb which states, that “when Spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion”.
