Zack Werner

Zack Werner
Zack Werner in 2007.
Born	Isaac Werner 1960 Winnipeg, Manitoba
Occupation(s)	Record producer, talent manager, entertainment lawyer, musician
Notable credit	Canadian Idol

Isaac "Zack" Werner (born 1960) is a Canadian artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager.^[1][2]

Early life and education

Born in Winnipeg in 1960, Werner attended the St. John's-Ravenscourt School. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from the University of British Columbia.

Musical career

Werner moved to Toronto and joined local rock band The Ringing. The band, managed by Gary Pring (Glass Tiger), secured a development deal with Capitol Records.^{[citation needed]} Werner formed the group Thick As Thieves and relocated to Los Angeles. The group opened for Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam and negotiated a distribution deal through BMG.^{[citation needed]} When the band broke up, Werner returned to Toronto and signed a development deal with MCA as a solo-artist and worked with producer John Punter (Spoons, Japan).^{[citation needed]}

Werner is a founding member of Canadian country rock band Haymaker, founded in 2007.^[3][4]

Management career

Werner practiced Entertainment law with the firm Sanderson, Taylor (now Sanderson Entertainment Law), where his clients were The Philosopher Kings, Chris Smith Management, Sky, Ron Sexsmith and Sass Jordan. During his legal career Zack presented showcases for record companies that were among the first exposure for k-os, Rascalz, Sarah Harmer and Finger Eleven (then known as Rainbow Butt Monkeys).

In 1997, Werner founded Venus Corporation with Beau Randall.^[5] The company offered artist and producer management and a record label, Venus Records, in partnership with EMI Canada. Werner managed the artists Esthero, Down With Webster, Skye Sweetnam, Tara Slone, Patricia O'Callaghan, Simon Wilcox, Robin Black, Lindi Ortega, Joel Parisien (Newworldson), Doc McKinney, The Johnstones and James Robertson. The firm also managed both winners of the TV series Rock Star, Lukas Rossi and J.D. Fortune.

Canadian Idol-present

From 2003-2008, Werner was one of the judges on Canadian Idol (in which capacity he appeared on a 2004 episode of Corner Gas).^[6][7][8] He was also a judge on the 2003 one-off performance show, World Idol.

In 2011, Werner formed Zack Werner Idol School providing vocal performance training and mentoring across Greater Toronto and producing live concerts.^[9][10][11] The students included Interscope Records recording artist Ren, Eurovision Song Contest semi-finalist Peter Serrado and up-and-coming singer/songwriter Mikalyn Hay. In 2013, he played a small role in the film Catch a Christmas Star.^[12]

In 2016, Werner moved his Idol School to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.^[13] In partnership with The Telegram and NTV (CJON-DT), he produced a province-wide singing contest for three years, Sing NL.^[14][15] He also created a pop youth performance group KidZrock NL^[16] and produced and managed records by artists Madeline Salter^{[17][18][19][20]} and Abigale. Werner also returned to playing live with a long-term residency at Erin's Pub, and as a member of retro jam bands Groovy and, with Wade Pinhorn, Brad Jefford and Boomer Stamp, The Atomic Dogs.

In 2021, Werner returned to Toronto to work in business development/affairs in the digital rights and music publishing industry.^[21]

References

1. Pettibone, Steve (August 27, 2009). "Coup for ROCK 107, landing Zack Werner". The Trentonian. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
2. Papamarko, Sofi (January 28, 2009). "Zack Werner's Windfall". E! Online. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
3. Leperre, Bruce (August 2, 2008). "New Music: Haymaker: Wrong Place, Right Time", Winnipeg Free Press, p. C4.
4. "HAYMAKER featuring Zack Werner". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
5. "Venus Records About". venusrecords.ca. Venus Records. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
6. "Corner Gas (2004–2009) Full Cast & Crew". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
7. "Zack Werner - National Speakers Bureau". Nsb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
8. McGinnis, Rick (December 18, 2008). "Canadian Idol judge Zack Werner on show's hiatus: 'It's the worst possible message'". Metro. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
9. Eckler, Rebecca. "Life after Canadian Idol for Zack Werner, 2013". macleans.ca. Macleans Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
10. Whitnall, Catherine. "Idol School Live launches at Academy Theatre, June 2013". mykawartha.com. Kawartha Lakes This Week. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
11. "IDOL SCHOOL THANKSGIVING CONCERT, Oct 2013". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
12. "Catch a Christmas Star (2013 TV Movie)". imdb.com. IMDB. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
13. "...Zack Werner moves to St. John's...Sept 2016". saltwire.com. Saltwire Network. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
14. "Sing NL – Season 3". ntv.ca. NTV. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
15. Gosse, Keith. "Singing her heart out at SingNL | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
16. Bartlett, Geoff. "Making our own Mini Pops, Feb 2018". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
17. Waterman, Andrew. "20 Questions with singer-songwriter Madeline Salter of St. John's | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
18. Waterman, Andrew (2020-08-03). "Madeline Salter". The Telegram. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-07 – via PressReader.
19. Madeline, 2020-07-30, retrieved 2024-02-07
20. pubhtml5.com. "2020 | August 23–29 Newfoundland Herald, 25-26". Pubhtml5. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
21. "Canadian Music Exec and Idol Judge Zack Werner Joins LyricFind, Apr 2021". cashboxcanada.ca. Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2021.

Further reading

• Merrin, Tara (June 3, 2007). "'Idol' judge attacks American rival". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.