FOUNDER/ Senior Engineer

JOSH EASTMAN (HE/THEY) is a music producer based on the unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations (Vancouver, BC). Josh’s work has landed on dozens of Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Warner Brothers soundtracks, amassed millions of streams, and been recognized in outlets such as Rolling Stone, Exclaim!, Complex, CBC, The Georgia Straight, Earmilk and Range Magazine. Eastman has been fortunate to have collaborated with Juno, Grammy, Tony and Polaris prize nominees in his career as an arranger/composer, engineer, producer, educator and multi-instrumentalist. He spends much of his time operating Helm Studios, supporting low-income 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC artists in the music industry. Eastman is also a member of the City of Vancouver’s first Music Task Force, and is dedicated to supporting local music, and advocating on behalf of artists.

ASSISTANT ENGINEER

ELLA GONZALES (SHE/HER) IS A FILIPINO AUDIO ENGINEER, R&B ARTIST AND WRITER. BORN IN CEBU, PHILIPPINES, SHE IMMIGRATED TO “CANADA” AT 9 YEARS OLD AFTER MOVING AROUND FREQUENTLY DUE TO HER FAMILY SEEKING A BETTER LIFE. AFTER GRADUATING FROM AUDIO SCHOOL IN 2021, SHE IS NOW WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY AND HAS HER HAND IN ALMOST ALL ASPECTS OF MUSIC FROM PERFORMANCE AND WRITING TO ENGINEERING. SHE HAS BEEN A MUSICIAN SINCE AN EARLY AGE, AND IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY ARTISTS SUCH AS LAURYN HILL, JAZMINE SULLIVAN, D’ANGELO, AND 90'S R&B GROUPS SUCH AS DESTINY'S CHILD AND BOYZ II MEN. THE INSPIRATION BEHIND HER WORK IS HEAVILY DRIVEN BY A PASSION FOR INTERSECTIONALITY AND LIBERATION FOR ALL OPPRESSED MINORITIES. SHE IS AN ANTI-CAPITALIST AND ANTI-IMPERIALIST COMMUNITY ORGANIZER AND IS A TROPIC BOUNCE MUSIC GROUP AFFILIATED ARTIST.

BOARD MEMBER

TAYLOR FRIGINETTE (HE/THEY) IS A JAMAICAN, UKRAINIAN AND METIS ARTIST, SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER. FROM POP AND R&B TO ROCK, TAYLOR’S INTROSPECTIVE WRITING IS AN HONEST REFLECTION OF HIS MIXED CULTURAL HERITAGE AND LIFE EXPERIENCE.

TAYLOR IS RECOGNIZED FOR PROPELLING FELLOW ARTISTS, RENOWNED COLLABORATIONS, AND RNB ANTHEM ‘LET ME’. HE HAS A STRONG DESIRE TO SEE BIPOC & LGBTQ + PEOPLE IN POSITIONS OF AUTHORITY, AND TO MAKE PROFESSIONAL CAREERS IN THE ARTS MORE ACHIEVABLE FOR THOSE WHO COME FROM HARDSHIP. FROM A YOUNG AGE, TAYLOR RECOGNIZED THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC, AND BELIEVES IN ITS ABILITY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.

BOARD MEMBER

KATIA ASOMANING (PRONOUNS: FLUID) IS A SETTLER ON THE UNCEDED TERRITORIES OF THE ŠXʷMƏΘKʷƏY̓ƏMAɁꞭ TƏMƏXʷ (MUSQUEAM), SKWXWÚ7MESH-ULH TEMÍX̱W (SQUAMISH) AND SƏL̓ILWƏTAɁꞭ TƏMƏXʷ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) NATIONS. THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT: ADVOCATING FOR MARGINALIZED PEOPLE; COMMUNITY BUILDING; UPLIFTING AND CELEBRATING QTBIPOC VOICES; STORYTELLING AND NARRATIVE; AND WELLNESS.

IN ADDITION TO THEIR WORK WITH HELM STUDIOS, KATIA IS IN COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND OUTREACH WITH VINES FESTIVAL, AND A DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR PINK FLAMINGO, A BLACK-LED ADVOCACY GROUP THAT UPLIFTS THE QTBIPOC COMMUNITY BY FACILITATING ART, EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, EDUCATION AND SAFER SPACES. KATIA’S VALUES ARE INTERSECTIONAL, ANTI-RACIST AND IN SOLIDARITY WITH ONGOING SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS AND THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT BUILDING EQUITY ACROSS AS MANY SECTORS AS THEY CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON.

BOARD MEMBER

“I am French born and raised, originally from Mali, in West Africa. I moved to Vancouver in 2012. I am a music lover who is always trying to figure out how I could help artists perfect and promote their craft. I work as A&R for a distribution company called Weareopposition based out of Vancouver and I am what we call a music marketer. My role is to educate artists on how to use social media to showcase their brand and music, as well as run ads to help increase their reach and introduce their sound to new audiences.” - MOHAMADOU DOUMA DIARRA

BOARD MEMBER

“Hello! I am an audio engineer and radio show producer near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. When I am not posting to Instagram, you can find me mixing live audio for concerts and DJing weddings.” - DENISE GOLDBERG

BOARD MEMBER

“Hailing from Vancouver B.C., an active member of their local community for over 13 years(House of La Douche: FUSE @ The Vancouver Art Gallery & Vancouver Nightlife Awards Best Performer of the Year: 2011, SFUxSAG: Longing & Forgetting, G-Thang, Hogan's Alley Society, Ethọ́s Lab, BlackLivesMatterYVR: March On Pride & ISSA COOKOUT, The Vancouver BIPOC-CA: Culture Day, AfroQueerYVR 2nd & 3rd Annual, UBC Bookstore, Public Disco: Bentall Centre and many more...) Marcus is no stranger to the Music & Arts scene.

Marcus is a queer Black-American, Fijian-Canadian, Vancouver-based interdisciplinary creator working in public spaces, arts & entertainment. As an award-winning performance artist, promoter, event curator, and now DJ(Juicy Smooyé), Marcus has continually reinvented himself over the years through various art mediums, continuing to evolve and explore his artistry.” - MARCUS MARSHALL

Board member

Originally from Toronto, David is an artist and technician currently reinventing himself as musician and songwriter.He can usually be found tangled in audio cables or wandering beside the water.