Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Gorman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the organization, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
While I was in college, my mentor asked me to help with some of the A&R work for a producer he was developing. I moved to LA with the aspiration to manage behind the scenes artists, especially producers. For the first time in my life I felt truly creative. I knew only one person in LA, Billy Smith, who helped me get my first gig as a chef at Record Plant Recording Studio. I immediately went to Instagram to find and connect with producer JGramm who was behind some of my favorite records at the time. JGramm understood my passion for management so he introduced me to Nick Jarjour of Maverick Management, and manager to Starrah, who also happened to be the songwriter behind my favorite tracks by Dej Loaf. This felt serendipitous because I loved the androgynous sound of Dej Loaf.
Nick was pretty much a one-man army, so once I had access to the emails, after a year of interning, things got popping right away. Starrah was killing it with hits all across the board and I found myself picking up new plaques and awards for their achievements regularly. After a few weeks, we signed about 15 songwriters and producers to various management and development deals. This was when I began developing producers and songwriters and making demo contributions that my boss was pitching for A-level artists. Nick couldn’t have been a better leader, boss, and mentor, as he gave me so much creative freedom. Later in my career, I learned that many label people feel restricted in their creative freedom, so I have come to really appreciate the opportunity I had working with Nick. After two years, we brought in an assistant, and she instantly implemented structure with an intern A&R system, so I was able to move onto managing some talented producers in the Netherlands. During our first year, we landed some big placements with Yung Pinch, Wiz Khalifa, and Young Thug, which was super rewarding.
I became inspired by Starrah earning Forbes 30 under 30 in 2018 while also teaching herself how to produce. That same day I learned at a conference that women producers only make up 3% of the industry. So, I made a post to my Instagram to help raise awareness of this fact. My friend Steven Slate and owner of Slate Digital responded and provided me with a bunch of production and engineering resources for women that I reposted to my followers. He asked me to partner with him and Erika Earl, Slate Digital’s female hardware engineer, for an event to encourage women to join the industry by creating a resource network.
We had our first WMT event in Jan 19’ hosted by legendary women in the production and engineering game like EveAnna Manley, of Manley Labs. We had a surprisingly wonderful turnout. Using the momentum, I took over a “First Friday” night at a unique venue in Hollywood, where “My Girls and I” booked live talent and created an abundant networking space.
Currently, I have the privilege of A&Ring big projects and continue to manage Women Music & Tech with the help of some amazing women. I also give my time and resources to the Watts Empowerment Center in South LA. I look forward to helping a community express itself musically in a new studio while upholding an inclusive culture that encourages, teaches, and empowers young girls to learn creative music skills.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting out in the industry, I was very lucky to work alongside Starrah because, when you have a roster with the talent to write hit songs for so many different artists, it grants the team a ton of leverage. It was amazing seeing someone so prolific and talented; many days I left work crying tears of joy.
Though I was fortunate to work with Starrah, I still had many challenges. For example, keeping up with finances has always been difficult. I had to work another job that kept me up until 4 am many nights of the week. In this industry, I find it necessary to maintain a side hustle to keep up the passion. I recognized and experienced first-hand that women don’t get fairly compensated for their contributions. Also, I have had uncomfortable sessions and meetings where I have encountered harassment and discrimination.
These occurrences are discouraging, but I let them bother me very little because pain is a motivating force for me. Experiencing these obstacles encouraged me to look out for other women who are in or are looking to enter the business, and these issues in the industry have been the impetus for my movement. We want to fix these problems, so women can have an inclusive space.
Women Music & Tech – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We aim to break the gender bias that exists in the booths and studios today by offering education, resources, outlets, and mentorship to younger generations. I know that if we can make an activity look really profitable and fun, it will provoke others to follow. The music production and engineering industries have, for the most part, always been a “boys club”, we are seeking to change that. Our goal is to spread awareness and facilitate a community which is open and inclusive to all.
I would say what separates Women Music & Tech from similar movements is our focus on developing more female sound engineers, music producers, and tech bosses. Throughout the years, what has inspired me is the talent behind the scenes and the technology that makes the music circulate and advances us forward to the future.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One thing I am proud of with WMT has been my ability to put many girl’s goals into action by placing them in leadership positions to help organize and run future events. Giving women the platform to chase their dreams by offering an opportunity to perform and gain experience has been incredibly fulfilling. I hope that I have been able to give voice to those that were maybe too afraid to find it within themselves or thought that they couldn’t take action or stand up for something.
I’ve noticed that there are so many amazing female empowerment movements happening in 2019! It is so great to see us all working together, collaborating, and cheering each other on, rather than competing. In my opinion this is just one of the advantages of being a woman
Contact Info:
- Website: www.womenmusicandtech.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenmusictech/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Daisy Magaña (@dazy_daze)
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