link to my EPK – https://alfreevesproductio.wixsite.com/my-site-5

Photos of website/EPK for proof of no editing happening after this submission

Supporting commentary for my EPK

The purpose and reason for making my EPK is to showcase my abilities within the creative industries for people to potentially hire me as a freelance player and engineer in different settings, genres and with different people. My EPK structure reinforces this by showcasing my strong suits and what I have already accomplished with freelance work. Additionally, it also shows me what I want to improve on and gain within my work in the creative industries. The website starts off being titled as my name and the things I do, ‘Bass, Mandolin, Engineering’, with some photos of me playing underneath that. This creates a personal brand around me, as well as immediately connecting with the reader by stating and showing what I do. Under that is a short bio, which has a link taking you to the bottom of the page for a long bio. This will keep the readers interested, as having a long bio at the start of your page can take away from the other aspects of it, such as videos, shows, works, etc. At the start of the page, I also have an email link, which means if readers want to contact me, they dont have to go through my whole page to do so.

Personally, despite having a strong gallery of photos and videos, there is not a lot of released music that I play on, and I’d like to be able to showcase more of that within my EPK, as most of the recorded music I play on is from a few years ago and doesn’t thoroughly represent me as a musician. I’d also hire someone to build a website for me, as WIX is good but not the best website builder. My reasoning for this relates to a discussion with my witchi tutor in which he stated that most people tend to pay for websites from coders as they can be easier to navigate and function. Another reason in the future I’d like to move away from using WIX is that they actively encourage AI use, which goes against my personal beliefs.

Branding-wise, I like to use the same photographer, Luke Brenan, especially in the Midlands, to give most of my photos and videos a similar vibe, as I like his style of shots. I also chose to use a headshot as it comes across as professional, as I’ve gone out of my way to get one done. I’m also in a good position, as a lot of the session work I have done, photographers have been provided and have allowed me to use their photographs for things such as my Instagram and other social media platforms. The colour scheme for this EPK is black, light orange, white and red. Together, they come across as quite calm and not in your face, as I didn’t want to shift attention away from the photos and videos I have up on my site. On top of this, I didn’t want to come across as unprofessional by choosing a colour scheme that clashed with photos and didn’t fit my personal vibe or idea that I give across to people.

I believe that Instagram, TikTok, and other social media are a much better way of showcasing your work than an EPK; however, having a well-done website/EPK is also important, and there are a variety of reasons for that. I’ve noticed that a lot of session players include a link to their website in there instagram and TikTok bios. I feel like this creates a two-step system whereby people view your social media, and if they like what they see, they go to your website for more information about yourself and your brand rather than just what they can see on the face of your own social media. Having a well-done EPK also comes across as very professional, as it shows you have put the time and effort into actually creating something to further your career interests. This links into my audience, which is aimed at anyone who might need a bass, mandolin, or studio engineer. I can confidently showcase my ability to play and write within a lot of different genres of music as a freelancer. Despite my appearance as an ‘Alt-Person’, this does not define me, as I can work with a range of different players with different looks and styles, as showcased in my EPK.

My standard field of practice is freelance session playing on bass or mandolin, which personally, I enjoy; however, it can be creatively frustrating as there is not always a lot of chance to express yourself. At the level I’m at, I try to take jobs based on whether I can write and contribute rather than just play other people’s compositions. The work showcased in my EPK, other than in some of my upcoming shows, is all original to reflect that, as I want potential people who hire me to view me as a creative asset, hence the style of my EPK

Having an EPK can bring in more paid work for me, as people can find out more about me personally than they can on my social media pages. I have used the website maker WIX to create mine, which is free to use and to publish your site on, but you have to pay a monthy subscrition free if you want the WIX watermark taken off it. In the long run, this would be more beneficial as it seems unprofessional to have it on there. Most of the photography on my site, I was lucky enough not to have to pay for, as the headshot was from a free photoshoot, and the gig photos and videos were also all free. Copywise, the music that I have used in my videos, I have credits on, so there shouldn’t be an issue with using it. 

Group work and evaluation

The idea for my EPK layout was originally thought out with one of my peers in a Witci seminar, where he proposed the idea of showcasing videos across my years of playing. I refined this idea by choosing my favourite videos I have of myself that showcase my playing abilities. In one of my seminars, I was shown some other EPKs of musicians, allowing me to make mine commercially and professionally styled as I knew what I was aiming for. While chatting with another one of my peers in my seminars, we discussed developing both our EPKs in the future. I’d like to be able to have a WIX membership or someone to make my site so that it comes across more professional to people looking to hire me. Someone also suggested that updating the videos within the next year would be beneficial to the development of my EPK because it would showcase my development and drive to play and create more. Personally, from speaking with others, and as I stated previously id like to have more recorded music out to showcase on my site, as mainly I’m a live player, but id like to transition more into studio playing for better pay. From a personal standpoint, I also feel more inclined towards recorded music as it lasts forever, whereas gigs only happen once, which is a mantra i have held for a long period of time After speaking with my tutor, he recommended some more up-to-date headshots as my style has changed, and it was also a modelling shoot rather than a music shoot that the photo I used came from. A pier also suggested some headshots with my instruments to convey a better idea of what I do.

From conversations with peers throughout the EPK creative process, overall, there are a few things with my EPK I’d like to change; however, I can only do this with time, rather than now. These things include better headshots, more and better videos, and having a website I can pay for rather than have advert banners on. With this reflection, however, I am happy with my EPK. I think it showcases a wide range of things about, and I will likely end up using it to promote my own personal brand and session playing abilities.