Alumni Update: Metalworks Institute Alumni Awards of Merit 2018
Each year the Alumni Awards of Merit are presented to graduates in recognition of outstanding achievements within the last 12 months. This year we were proud to present Alumni Awards of Merit to nine of our exceptional graduates.
In recognition of winning Recording Engineer of the year at the 2017 Juno Awards. Riley mixed and mastered Daniel Caesar’s acclaimed debut-album ‘Freudian’ which was nominated for two 2018 Grammy Awards and won the 2018 Juno award for R&B Soul Recording of the Year. Riley has also worked with top Canadian and international acts including The Weeknd, the Rolling Stones, Nelly Furtado, The Tragically Hip, Arkells, Passion Pit, One Republic, and Jessie Reyes.
In recognition of his recent SOCAN Award for his contributions to French Montana’s global hit ‘Unforgettable’. The track is certified 8x Platinum in Canada and 6x Platinum in the US. Rainer and fellow Metalworks graduate Jeff Crake have their own label, Bleeding Hearts Club, which they use to release their own music as well as other projects they are involved with.
In recognition of continued success as Drake’s personal recording engineer and his multiple credits on Drake’s latest album Scorpion. Scorpion was certified platinum in the US on the day of its release. That same day Scorpion broke Spotify’s one-day global record for album streams with 132.45 million streams, more than 50 million plays greater than the previous record.
In recognition of his 2017 Juno Nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and the success of his debut album Reckless. The album reached #8 on Billboard’s Top 200 and #5 on Billboard’s Top R&B and Hip Hop Albums. Reckless was produced by NAV himself along with Wheezy, Ben Billions, Rex Kudo, Charlie Handsome, and Foreign Teck and others, and features guest appearances from artists Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, and Gunna.
In recognition of achieving the position of Royalties Coordinator at Sony Music Canada. Prior to accepting her new position at Sony, Katie worked in rights management at companies including Number 9 Audio Group, Coalition Music, Blackbox Music, and CMRRA.
In recognition of achieving the position of Business Development Manager at Sony Music Canada, developing and executing forward-thinking marketing plans and general project management for distributed, domestic and international repertoire. As an Artist Marketing Manager at Sony, John has worked with artists including Blink 182, Pink Floyd, John Legend, ASAP Rocky, and Britney Spears.
In recognition of achieving the position of Director at ole Label group – the world’s fastest growing rights management company with offices in Toronto, Nashville, New York, London, and Los Angeles. Prior to taking on the role of Director, Jennifer held three other positions at ole, including Office Manager, Creative Manager, and Senior Manager of Creative Operations for ole’s Pop/Urban division.
In recognition of engineering contributions to artists including Drake, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and The Weeknd. Together, Jeff, AKA ‘Grimm’ and fellow Metalworks Institute graduate Rainer Millar Blanchaer, form the songwriting & production duo Rainer + Grimm. Rainer + Grimm have done official remixes for high-profile artists including Sam Smith, Jessie Ware, and Years & Years, as well as production work for artists Allan Rayman, William Darc, and others.
Devontee Grubb (AKA Devontee Woe)
In recognition of the success of his new album Head Gone, which features Kardinal Offishall, Eyez, and Pro Era’s CJ Fly. Devontee also produced, wrote, and did vocals for Bridgit Mendler’s 2017 indie-hit ‘Temperamental Love’ and he scored the theme song for “Ayesha’s Homemade” which airs on the Food Network.
Photos of the 2018 Graduation Ceremony are available here.
