Enriching the world with Indigenous culture by indigenizing the global music industry.
The NDN Talent Collective is a non-profit arts service organization that supports the development of Indigenous performing artists. Our project-based services and free resources & tools empower sustainable, self-sufficient music careers through business administration, grant writing, strategic planning, consultation and logistical services for recording, touring, marketing and other artist needs.
Staff
Sage Paul, General Manager
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Sage Paul, General Manager
General Manager
Sage Paul is a highly motivated, inspired and versatile arts administrator and artist. During her decade-long employment at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival leading the events and communications, Sage oversaw the programming and presentation of all music and live performance projects and all communications, including publicity, marketing, outreach and digital initiatives. In her artwork, Sage is influenced by cultural and traditional knowledge, weaving history, philosophy and community. Her work has been shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario (2009), Harbourfront Centre (2012), The Royal Ontario Museum (2013) and the Woodland Cultural Centre (2014).
Sage is a leader in and advocates for the Indigenous arts community; she is the co-founder of the Setsuné Indigenous Fashion Incubator (www.setsuneincubator.com), currently sits on the Board of Directors as Secretary for Native Women in the Arts, is the General Manager at the NDN Talent Collective and manages Anishinaabe musician, Leonard Sumner. Sage is committed to the development and celebration of Indigenous music, art and fashion.
Board of Directors
Guillaume Decouflet, Chair
Ehren Thomas, Vice Chair
Gaurav Sawhney, Treasurer
Denise Bolduc, Secretary
Ian Campeau
Elwood Jimmy
Jared Leon
Cheryl Link
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Guillaume Decouflet, Chair
Chair, Board
Guillaume Decouflet is an artist manager for A Tribe Called Red, Boogat and Bonjay and works out of the Craft Services management company. Guillaume was previously one of the main producers of the Pop Montreal music festival, where he managed a team of 2 to 50 people. His responsibilities included day-to-day admin, overviewing show production for up to 200 shows in 5 days, immigration processing, artist booking, translations, submission processing, bookkeeping, grant writing and many other tasks. Focusing on forward-thinking world or alternative music in non-English or French languages, Guillaume also produced a college radio show that spawned a fairly successful blog and digital record label. It was as a radio host and label manager that Guillaume started working with A Tribe Called Red in 2011 by commercially releasing their first single.
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Ehren Thomas, Vice Chair
Vice Chair, Board
A founding member of A Tribe Called Red and The NDN Talent Collective, Ehren Thomas (Cayuga), aka Bear Witness, produces video installation and screen works, as well as does audio inhalation, video editing and video production. He is the recipient of four APCMA’s, a Juno Award and the Emerging Artist Award from the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. He exhibited his solo show The Only Good NDN at the Sydney Festival in Australia.
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Gaurav Sawhney, Treasurer
Treasurer, Board
Rap Albums. Wrap Sarees. Gaurav Sawhney went to business school, sold soap for a corporate outfit, cut off his tie and now he sells rap records and Indian wedding dresses. As the manager of Shad (Juno-award winning emcee and host of CBC’s q), Gaurav helps facilitate and administer the business side of the creation.
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Denise Bolduc, Secretary
Secretary
Denise Bolduc is an accomplished creative director, producer, programmer, speaker and arts consultant recognized for her involvement across disciplines with local, national and international multi-disciplinary activities. She has held a number of leadership roles such as Arts Program Officer for both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, Artistic Director with the Harbourfront Centre and Artistic Director/Co Founder with the Aboriginal Music Project. She has been a guest spreaker, presenter and host of numerous events, is a faculty instructor with the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and a consultant/mentor to numerous artists, arts leaders and organizations.
Internationally, Denise has programmed work and spoke at various festivals including a performance engagement titled, Tri-Nations Women in Concert & Story at the prestigious Sydney Opera House (Australia). Invited by renowned artist, Moana Maniapoto, Denise participated in a creation development retreat focused on Indigenous Worldviews. Recently, she presented as a guest speaker at the Transforming Ethnomusicological Praxis Forum at the Limerick University in Ireland. In 2014, Denise was recognized as an established Creative Director/Producer and chosen by the Department of Foreign Affairs Australia and Canada's High Commission to attend the International Arts Market (APAM) and other performing arts events within Australia. She received the SOLID Arts Leadership Award (SOLID Festival, Australia 2014) and the Toronto Aboriginal Business Women's Award in 2009.
Notable projects she has produced / creatively led include: Songs in the Key of Cree Cabaret (Retrospective of the musical compositions by Tomson Highway), Maadaadizi/Summer Journeys (Art Relay Finale, PAN AM Games 2015), Dances on the Water (Harbourfront Centre), ImagineNative Festival's 15th Anniversary GALA Awards & Celebration, Thunderbird Marketplace (Industry feature, One of a Kind Show, Toronto), Songs from the Post Mistress Cabaret & CD Release (works by Tomson Highway, Toronto), Buffy Sainte Marie IN CONCERT (Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto) and as founding Artistic Director/Producer of the Planet IndigenUS Festival.
Denise has served on numerous commitees and boards including Native Earth Performing Arts, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the National Indigenous Arts Adminstrators/Leaders and Aboriginal Voices Radio. Presently, she is a member with REEL Canada, the imagineNATIVE Programming Committee, the Fresh Water Foods Association, Forbes Wild Foods and NDN Talent Collective.
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Ian Campeau
Board Member
A founding member of A Tribe Called Red and The NDN Talent Collective, Ian Campeau (Anishnaabe) composes music for the group. He did music composition for the APTN show “Indiens dans La Ville” in 2008 and is the recipient of 4 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards (APCMA’s) and a Juno Award.
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Elwood Jimmy
Board Member
Elwood Jimmy is originally from the Thunderchild First Nation in northwestern Saskatchewan. For over a decade, he played a leadership role in several art projects and organizations in his home province, most notably with centres Common Weal Community Arts and Sâkêwêwak Artists’ Collective. After moving to Toronto in 2012, he worked for a number of film festivals in the city including the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, the aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival, the 8 Fest, the imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival, the Regent Park Film Festival and the Images Festival. From 2014-15, he was the Administrative Director for Red Pepper Spectacle Arts, a community arts organization that works primarily with Toronto’s Indigenous community. As well, he programs for Bold as Love and Ombassin, multidisciplinary collectives that present new works by Indigenous artists and artists of Color throughout the Greater Toronto Area. He has curated exhibitions and events for a number of centres including the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Power Plant, A Space Gallery, Gallery, and the Dunlop Art Gallery, among others. He is currently the Program Coordinator for Musagetes, an international arts foundation that delivers programming in Canada and abroad.
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Jared Leon
Board Member
Jared Leon is a Toronto-based entertainment and media lawyer. Between 2012 and 2015, Jared was the director of POP Montreal’s POP Symposium, each year bringing together a range of the most creative minds in music and art for five days of discussion. Since 2010, Jared has co-published and co-edited the independent art and music print periodical LAURA; LAURA is now distributed from select locations throughout North America and Europe, including ARTBOOK @ MoMA PS1, Printed Matter, Art Metropole, Ooga Booga, BLESS, and Silent Barn. Jared holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature (Concordia University) and a J.D. (Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University), and continues to play in a band called the Nymphets. Jared also sits on the board of directors of Whippersnapper Gallery.
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Cheryl Link
Board Member
Cheryl Link began her career in the music industry at FACTOR (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent On Records) as a Submissions Program Officer meeting independent artists, music industry professionals and gaining knowledge in the different facets of the music industry. Moving from the non-profit sector, Cheryl decided to work with the independent music distributor/label, Page Music and it was during that time she was given a part-time opportunity at BMG Music Publishing Canada. When the part-time position required more of her expertise, she decided to concentrate her efforts in music publishing and it was in this role at BMG where she learned the administrative workings of music publishing, assisted in royalties and income tracking, worked alongside the Creative Manager and the domestic songwriting roster. Cheryl was then recruited to work for indie music publisher Casablanca Media Acquisitions in the role of Manager, Copyright and Creative.
Our Mission
The NDN Talent Collective mission is to bridge the gap between Indigenous performing artists and the mainstream industry by fostering indigenous music, artists and professionals to be export ready; supporting viable careers for Indigenous talent by creating the necessary infrastructure for emerging artists; and growing the visibility of Indigenous talent on national and international stages.
Our Values
Respect
Respect is a fundamental underpinning and core value of the NDN Talent Collective. Respect is achieved in a number of ways, including:
- Respecting the integrity and intention of Indigenous artists,
- Respecting and honouring cultural protocols and Indigenous people and their lands,
- Respecting representation through inclusivity and the “self-identification” of Indigenous peoples,
- Treating people with dignity and generosity to ensure respectful relationships while deepening solidarity amongst Indigenous peoples, and Not perpetuating violence or disrespectful stereotypes.
Indigenous Governance Framework
NDN Talent Collective seeks to uphold an Indigenous governance framework. This means ensuring that behaviours reflect our shared values, collective decision making based on consensus and open communication wherein the interests of the greater good supersede “corporate or monetary” values. Hence, funding and resource decisions will contemplate how and if companies exploit Indigenous communities or territory.
Collaboration
Partnerships are critical to our collective success. We believe that effective working relationships with artists, funding partners, industry and other collaborative partners are the foundation for achieving our vision. These connections are to be based on inclusiveness and strive to create solidarity amongst Indigenous artists and peoples.
Excellence
We strive for excellence by creating a sustainable and accountable organization, ensuring that our processes are professional and transparent, and developing harmonious working relationships guided by our shared values. We commit to creating a workspace that fosters Indigenous staff members and promotes artistic integrity and reliability – reciprocal accountability between our organization and the artists we work with is essential in fulfilling our commitments.