Bell Media and renowned Canadian artist and creative powerhouse Sol Guy today announced their partnership on the creative hub and artist incubator, DAIS. A launchpad for the development, production, and distribution of landmark content, DAIS’s key pillars are short-form web series, music, and radio.
“We are very excited to partner with Sol and strengthen our relationship with content creators,” said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. “We’re thrilled with what we’ve seen so far and look forward to leveraging the Bell Media megaphone to help take select projects to the next level.”
“The opportunity to partner with Bell Media and develop world-class projects is extremely exciting. Their platform ecosystem is unparalleled, like a sandbox of creative possibilities, and we intend to bring the best artists in the world there to work, collaborate, and play,” said Sol Guy, founder of DAIS. “Randy Lennox has always believed in artist development being the key to long-term success. These are changing times and Bell Media’s commitment to adapting by supporting the artists who will shape our future is extremely inspiring.”
DAIS’s mandate is to develop projects in Canada that can be brought to the world stage while expanding Bell Media’s millennial audience. DAIS has already forged several strategic partnerships and is working with creators across multiple cultural sectors. Examples include:
- a development partnership with rising star Ezra Miller (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them);
- a four-part series, Movement Art Is (M.A.I.), to be co-produced with CNN-backed short-form content production house Great Big Story, based on “Color of Reality,” which marries dance with visual art and socially relevant narratives;
- a partnership with recording label and artist management group Pirates Blend/Sony Music Canada and also with Cadence/Universal Music Group to co-develop musical talent;
- a four-part music-video series with Canadian electronic group A Tribe Called Red to be broadcast on MUCH, W5, and iHeartRadio Canada;
- a partnership with award-winning incubator The Remix Project to collaborate on video production in support of democratizing education in the creative industries;
- a DAIS-branded digital radio station on iHeartRadio Canada, which debuts later this year, showcasing the best in Hip-Hop, R&B, Soca, and Afro Beat.
DAIS provides a safe space for creators to grow, network and produce. Based in Toronto’s artistic Queen Street West neighbourhood, DAIS has transformed a four-storey townhouse into a multi-functional, vibrant space designed to support the creative process. DAIS provides infrastructure support, inspiration, and a foundation for artists from ideation to production to delivery including: a music studio, digital production facilities, radio/podcast suite, 4K edit room, multi-purpose working suites, and a street-level gallery and performance space.
Additional DAIS projects and collaborations will be announced in 2017.
