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Pictured L-R: Back row: John Poppo, Bill Gibson, Eric Boulanger, Maureen Droney, Jeff Balding
Front row: Scott Jacoby, David Frost, Ann Mincieli, Matt Hennessy, Salaam Remi. Not pictured: Peter Asher and Harvey Mason Jr. Photo courtesy of the Recording Academy. © 2015



 





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing®
Announces 2015-2016 Steering Committee


139th International AES Convention, New York, NY (October 30, 2015)The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® has announced its 2015-2016 Steering Committee, the leadership group of the P&E Wing, which researches and recommends solutions for technical, creative and economic issues facing today's music production professionals. The newly seated Committee, consisting of a diverse array of music engineers, producers and audio professionals, will build upon the significant legacy established by prior Steering Committees and work to address key issues confronting music production professionals, with the goal of finding meaningful solutions and suggestions for the industry moving forward.

The P&E Wing 2015–2016 Steering Committee includes the following music industry professionals from across the United States: Peter Asher, Jeff Balding, Eric Boulanger, David Frost, Bill Gibson, Matt Hennessy, Scott Jacoby, Harvey Mason, Jr., Ann Mincieli and Salaam Remi. Also serving as members of the Committee are John Poppo, chair of The Recording Academy Board of Trustees, and Neil Portnow, the Academy's President and CEO. Jacoby and Mason will serve as Co-Chairs, leading the committee as the P&E Wing continues to advocate for excellence in sound recording, audio technologies and education in the recording arts, along with recognition and rights for music creators overall.

Maureen Droney, Managing Director of the P&E Wing, states, "With this group of accomplished individuals in place, we have a collective that encompasses the wide-ranging experience and diverse perspectives to set our agenda for the year, while prioritizing the initiatives that matter most to our members. This dedicated team will address these initiatives against the backdrop of the changing landscape of the recording industry."

Steering Committee bios:

Peter Asher: Asher’s career began in earnest in 1964, as one half of Peter & Gordon, who amassed nine Top 20 records. In 1968, he was named head of A&R for the Beatles' record company, Apple Records, where he found, signed and produced James Taylor. In 1971, he founded Peter Asher Management, representing James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Randy Newman and more. As a producer, Mr. Asher has worked with such diverse artists as James Taylor, 10,000 Maniacs, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Linda Ronstadt, Robin Williams and Cher, among many others. He has produced thirteen GRAMMY® Award-winning recordings, and in 1977 and 1989 won the GRAMMY for Producer of the Year. Recent and current projects include the second album by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, So Familiar and several soundtracks with Hans Zimmer. Currently he is music supervisor for the Steve Martin/Edie Brickell hit musical Bright Star, opening at the Kennedy Center in Washington in December and moving to Broadway next year. In the New Year's Honours list for 2015, Peter Asher was awarded a CBE (“Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The official investiture took place at Buckingham Palace on February the 24th.

Jeff Balding has brought his unique blend of commercial instincts and authenticity to a broad array of genres and has earned numerous GRAMMY nominations in addition to a multi-platinum professional profile. He has worked with icons across genres including Taylor Swift, Don Henley, Little Big Town, Jewel, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Megadeth. His service in various Academy positions include National Trustee (2015-17), President of The Recording Academy's Nashville Chapter (2013-15), Nashville Chapter Vice-President, Inaugural P&E Wing National Steering Committee, Nashville P&E Wing Co-Chair, and Governor on the Nashville Chapter Board. He also serves on Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment Board and the Pearl-Cohn Entertainment High School Advisory Board.

Eric Boulanger of The Bakery is a classically trained violinist who has performed at some of the most celebrated venues in the country. Eric holds a degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and has mixed and/or mastered records across a variety of genres with credits, including Neil Young, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, Sarah Jarosz, Plain White T's and Chris Botti. With the P&E Wing, Eric has taken a lead role in Apple's "Mastered for iTunes," which aims to improve the quality of current and future downloaded music.

David Frost has produced recordings for major classical labels and won 14 GRAMMY Awards, including four for Producer of the Year (Classical) and two for Best Engineered Album (Classical). He has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Riccardo Muti, Gustavo Dudamel, Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, NY Philharmonic, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Dave Brubeck, Andrea Bocelli and Baz Luhrmann, among others. He has served as Audio Producer for the PBS Great Performance series, and has collaborated with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Irons and Jim Dale on spoken word projects. A staff producer for RCA Red Seal for 10 years, he holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, and performed Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto at Carnegie Hall at age 15.

Bill Gibson is an instructor at Berklee College of Music and President of Northwest Music & Recording, Inc., a Seattle-based artist development, recording, and production company. Gibson plays an active role in the recording, education and publishing worlds, constantly writing, performing, recording, producing, teaching, and working with multiple authors in the development of new instructional texts and videos for Hal Leonard Books. He is the author of 30+ books and videos about audio recording and live sound, including The Ultimate Live Sound Operator’s Handbook, The Hal Leonard Recording Method, and a 24-book curriculum for Guitar Center's in-store audio recording courses. Gibson’s work with Quincy Jones (Q on Producing), Bruce Swedien (The Bruce Swedien Recording Method), Sylvia Massy (Recording Unhinged), Chuck Ainlay, Ed Cherney, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, and Dave Pensado/Herb Trawick/Maureen Droney (The Pensado Papers) reveals extremely valuable insights into the top level of production and engineering.

Matt Hennessy is a Chicago-based Producer, Mix Engineer and Studio Owner. He received formal training at Berklee College of Music, studying both Jazz Performance and Production. In 2000 Hennessy joined the staff of Chicago Trax to engineer projects for R. Kelly, Jay Z, Kanye West and DMX. Teaming up with GRAMMY Award Winner Maurice Joshua, Hennessy worked on projects for Beyoncé, Omarion, John Legend, Shakira and Curtis Mayfield. In 2015, Matt joined the Board of Trustees of The Recording Academy. Recent clients include Twista, Ray-J, Raekwon, Chris Brown, Mikkey Halsted, Day 26, Akon, Donald Lawrence, and Busta Rhymes. This year Matt is looking forward to completing construction of the new VSOP Studios, a large 5 room facility located right in Chicago’s West Loop.

Scott Jacoby, Co-Chair, Producers & Engineers Wing
GRAMMY Award winner Scott Jacoby is a New York-based cross-genre writer, producer, engineer, mixer, musician and recording artist. His credits include John Legend, Vampire Weekend, Sia, Ronnie Spector, and Fabolous, among many others. As a composer, he’s scored feature-length films, documentaries, television shows and national television commercials. He’s the founder and president of Eusonia Records, whose debut release, Maiysha's This Much Is True, earned a 2009 GRAMMY nomination, and is also the owner of Eusonia Studios in Manhattan. An Academy trustee 2011 to 2015, he currently serves on the New York Chapter board and is the co-chair of the New York Chapter’s P&E Wing committee.

Harvey Mason, Jr., Co-Chair, Producers & Engineers Wing
Los Angeleno Harvey Mason, Jr. is a GRAMMY, OSCAR, and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter/producer/film music composer and filmmaker. The son of legendary drummer Harvey Mason, he's penned and produced hit songs for artists from Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson to Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Luther Vandross, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. As half of the production duo The Underdogs, Mason produced the music and soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning musical Dreamgirls, and his work on Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "And I’m Telling You I'm Not Going" helped earn her an OSCAR for her performance. Harvey produced the film and composed the score for More Than A Game, the major motion picture documenting the journey of LeBron James's high school basketball team. Other film music productions include songs and/or soundtracks for The Help, Pitch Perfect and PP2, Get On Up and more, including the music and soundtrack for the just released Straight Outta Compton. Mason, Jr. is a current Academy trustee.

Ann Mincieli: Best known as longtime engineer, mixer, programmer and coordinator for Alicia Keys, two-time GRAMMY-winning engineer/mixer Ann Mincieli has also worked with Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé, Hole, Whitney Houston and Jay Z, among many others. Now co-owner of the newly opened multi-room Jungle City Studios—one of New York’s most elegant and best equipped recording facilities—Mincieli is a leader in the music industry. Mixing new and old technology together, she hopes to restore Manhattan to its former prestige as one of the world’s top recording destinations. Mincieli is on The Recording Academy Board of Trustees, serves as Co-Chair of the New York Chapter P&E Wing with Scott Jacoby, and sits on the Steering Committee of the P&E Wing.

Salaam Remi is among this generation’s most prolific producers with the ability to bring out the best in each of the GRAMMY winners, innovators and legends he has worked with, including Amy Winehouse, NAS, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys, to name a few. "There's no particular Remi sound," he says, "Every artist is unique and every day is a new idea. It's my job to inspire not to program." He is also a notable composer having done the film score for various films including, most recently, Sparkle.

John Poppo, Chair, Recording Academy Board of Trustees
Poppo is a New York-based multi-platinum-selling producer, engineer, songwriter and musician who has worked in a wide range of musical genres. His various credits include recordings by such artists as Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Al Green, Daryl Hall, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Annie Lennox, Madonna, NSYNC, Diana Ross, Seal, and Luther Vandross. Currently, Poppo is focused on the development of new artists for his production/management company, Pop Productions Inc. He has served on The Recording Academy's Board of Trustees for the past 12 years, and on many of its national committees including the Planning & Governance Committee, which he has co-chaired for the past six years.

Neil Portnow, President/CEO, The Recording Academy: GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares; Chair of the Board, the GRAMMY Museum; Trustee and Executive Committee member, The Latin Recording Academy; Executive Board, Music & Entertainment Industry, City of Hope. Represents The Academy to its constituents, to its partners, and to music fans, and serves as an industry leader on issues relating to the music industry — including participation in national caucuses, conferences, roundtables and keynotes, as well as testifying before Congress. Recipient, UJA-Federation of New York’s Music Visionary of the Year, and recipient of George Washington University’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Previously, senior vice president, west coast operations, Zomba Group of Companies; music supervisor for feature films; VP, EMI America Records; VP and general manager, Arista Records-West Coast; president, 20th Century Fox Records; VP A&R & staff producer, RCA Records; manager talent acquisition & development, Screen Gems Music. Independent producer, professional musician (bass guitar). Past Los Angeles Chapter Trustee; National Finance Committee; National Planning Committee; National Vice President; National Secretary/Treasurer (01 -’02).

Photo file: SteeringCommitte15.JPG
Photo caption: Pictured L-R: Back row: John Poppo, Bill Gibson, Eric Boulanger, Maureen Droney, Jeff Balding
Front row: Scott Jacoby, David Frost, Ann Mincieli, Matt Hennessy, Salaam Remi. Not pictured: Peter Asher and Harvey Mason Jr. Photo courtesy of the Recording Academy. © 2015

About The Recording Academy: Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY® Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.

About The Producers & Engineers Wing: Currently more than 6,500 professionals comprise The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers, remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and technical professionals in the recording field. This organized voice for the recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of recorded music, including the development and implementation of new technologies, technical guidelines and recommendations, and archiving and preservation initiatives. For more information, please visit www.producersandengineers.com.



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