Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasey Phillips.
Kasey, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born into a musical family and practically lived 24/7 in our home recording studio in Trinidad & Tobago. Growing up I learned all I knew from my dad, Kenny Phillips, who’s a renowned music producer, guitarist, and arranger himself. It was very early on in life when I chose this career, and as a result spent many years, from maybe seven or even younger, taking the time to develop myself into a producer, sound engineer, and musician over the years. I then carved my own lane and career from this foundation and founded Precision Productions, my company.
Precision was designed to turn music and the creative love for music into a thriving business which was unheard of in Trinidad at the time. It quickly became the top Caribbean production house, winning numerous prestigious awards and securing placements on shows such as MTV Real World, etc. From the start, though, my motto was always “secure multiple streams of income.” Because of that, I steered Precision into being a multi-faceted brand, doing everything from Music Production, to Advertising and Jingle Campaigns, to then having a huge digital music online presence in the Caribbean. At this point, the ceiling of the Caribbean seemed to be stifling and I began seeking out bigger ponds to roam and grow in.
In 2010 the company was offered the opportunity to intern in Los Angeles under producers Dre & Vidal and since then, we have never looked back. The internship taught me a lot about the business which I implemented in Trinidad to expand Precision Productions even more. The internship also showed me that I had to move to Los Angeles to have more access to bigger and better opportunities for our Caribbean music, so this is what I did in 2015. Since moving to Los Angeles, the opportunities have been endless, with securing more social media and digital partnerships, which allowed us to launch an educational arm and platform for young and upcoming producers and enthusiasts to learn how to produce music. To date, we’ve hosted five workshops in destinations like Trinidad & Tobago, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, and London.
Since building the company into a thriving business versus just having it as a creative side hobby, I have won the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce in 2019. This was validation that being a creative and using your talents can ACTUALLY be your business and be a successful thriving career, which has always been frowned upon or looked down on in the Caribbean. With the new year comes new goals and plans, and the next plan is to develop and build a recording studio in Los Angeles to start the journey of branching into the United States market and taking Caribbean music even further.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Some of the struggles faced on this journey are as follows;
– Being a creative has always been frowned upon as it doesn’t seem to be a viable career and business. Parents usually steer their children towards being doctors or lawyers. Musicians and creatives don’t get the respect they deserve. Starting the company Precision Productions was my way of counteracting this and turning a creative hobby into a viable business. Also, no financial institution would lend support to any creative venture because of the stigma associated with it, so everything had to be built from the ground up using our own earned capital.
– There was no blueprint to do any of these things. Everything was done by trial and error, research, and little advice. From building a business to getting a song from the Caribbean on iTunes or Spotify in order to earn income, none of these paths had any clear blueprint or manual to follow. Everything we have done, we had to try and learn on our own, while we made mistakes along the way. Even things like building and running a company, paying required taxes, payroll, even dealing with the immigration requirements needed to move and relocate to the United States, were all areas that had a steep learning curve and we had to figure it all out.
– Breaking into a new market isn’t always the easiest. With Caribbean music, there are cultural barriers and language hurdles to cross and bridge. So with this move, adapting and adjusting has to happen in order to make the music accepted and enjoyed across various barriers.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Precision Productions story. Tell us more about your work.
Precision Productions is a music production company that specialises in predominantly Caribbean Music but it also produces other genres like R&B, Hip Hop, Rap, Pop, and Gospel. Our team has won awards for both our Caribbean Music and Gospel Music productions.
We are known for creating music that makes thousands of people hit the streets in Carnivals across the world and have the best time of their lives. Our songs are played in Notting Hill Carnival in the United Kingdom, Labor Day in New York, Miami’s Carnival, and Hollywood’s Carnival; this is in addition to all of the Caribbean Carnivals, including the biggest, Trinidad and Tobago’s. We have worked with top Caribbean Artists like Machel Montano, Charly Black, Kes The Band, Patrice Roberts, and uncountable others. This is in addition to working with R&B superstars, Chaka Khan, Amerie, Carl Thomas, and Toni Braxton.
I think at this point, I am most proud of the legacy of music, the quality of work my company has produced so far. This includes a digital catalog of near 500 songs, our recently released 11th full-length album, We Muzik Vol 11, along with many music awards for our production work throughout the Caribbean and in the UK.
Unequivocally, Precision has earned a reputation of always having high standards of meeting global benchmarks in terms of the songs we create and how we go about interacting with artists and others in the music business. In 2018 we got confirmation of that when I was invited to be a part of a nomination group for World Music by the Grammy Awards. Through the virtue and quality of the work I created in Precision, the Recording Academy that puts on the biggest award show in music, invited me to come and deliberate with fellow musicians to determine the nominees in that category. It gave me a sense of accomplishment, and it motivated me to keep being on par with these peers and scholars of music.
What sets us apart as well, is the fact that Precision is the only Caribbean brand that hosts workshops, five in total thus far, which teach all of our techniques and trade secrets used when we make and deliver music. We open things up and teach fellow producers, students, artists, anyone who wants to learn, full insight, and a look into every step of our process. This for us, is a way to ensure that not only do we grow, but we sow the seeds for growth and improvement within the entire Caribbean music industry.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
While many may consider me lucky that I was born into a family who created music, and at an early age, I knew I wanted to become a producer, I think I created my own luck. Working hard, sacrificing time, and a personal life to make my company into what it is today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.precisionglobalmusic.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/precisionprod/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrecisionProductions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrecisionProd
Image Credit:
Mikey Marcano
Olajuwon Scott
Shannon Britto Photography
Katharine Nicole Magsaysay
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