Locals Win Music Video Grants Via Public Records

The winners of 28 individual music video grants were announced yesterday. The $5,000 grants, which were offered by Public Records, with the support of TELUS, were given to teams of emerging filmmakers and musicians who are to put the money towards the creation of an original music video. There were winners from across B.C. and Alberta, from Fort McMurray to Vancouver Island, including two sets of winners from Kelowna:

• Nuuka for their song “Desert,” which will be produced by Reveal Creative.

• Young Sparrows for their song “Wolfman,” which will be produced by Icepick Productions

In addition, Kelowna's Faked Potatoes will be producing a video for, Vancouver band, beekeeper and their song, “Oh Hi!” While, West Kelowna's Icepick Productions is set to produce two videos - one for Young Sparrows and another for Kamloops band, Van Damsel. Futhermore, Vernon's Paperboy along with, fellow Vernonite and filmmaker, Lee Watkins, also earned a grant.

What the Winners are Saying...

Reflecting upon securing a grant, Brandon William Fletcher, of Faked Potatoes, stated “For that kid who used to play "music video" in his backyard back in 1995 it's incredible to think this time around I'm granted the benefit of a real budget. It's so important for companies like TELUS to support projects like Public Records. These ventures inject life into our arts and culture!”

Meanwhile, Anthony Martens, of Kelowna band, Nuuka, was in shock, commenting “Honestly I'm in disbelief. There are so many fantastic bands in BC and Alberta; we're so honoured to be selected as winners.”

Van Damsel, who perform in Kelowna on a regular basis and, as some of you may recall, have been mentioned in this music column on multiple occasions, also scooped $5,000 for their video proposal. The video will be for their song “Communist.” Lead singer Sebastien Ste Marie noted “It feels great to be recognized by the people at Public Records and we are both excited and appreciative for the opportunity they've given not only us, but all the other great artists in BC and Alberta.”

Paperboy, who also play Kelowna often, earned a $5,000 grant for their song “El Scorpiones.” Luke Mortenson, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, creatively exclaimed "Its like were at the fair and the high-school quarterback is giving us one of those oversized plush toys, except its TELUS and they probably just wanna be friends. In all seriousness though, we are very fortunate to now be able to pursue another facet of our creativity with such a splendid and accomplished videographer like Lee Watkins."

The teams will now go about creating their videos. The winning videos will emerge on August 7th where they will appear on TELUS Optik TV On Demand. You can find out more, as well as peruse the rest of the winners, by visiting the Public Records website.

28 pieces of original art will take flight thanks to this project and that is something to celebrate. Congratulations to all the winners, Public Records and TELUS.

You can find Public Records online on Facebook, Twitter and their official website.

Do you want to contact Vince? E-mail him at: vince@welcometokelowna.com or connect with him on Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn. You can also hear Vince play some of Canada's best indie music from emerging artists every Wednesday on the Music City Podcast. You can also catch Vince talking music on CBC Radio West as an on-air music columnist.