Meet Daniel Goodman, Storyteller and Toronto Artscape Foundation Launchpad Bursary Recipient
Toronto Artscape Foundation Launchpad Bursary recipient, Daniel Goodman is a storyteller, first and foremost. Whether he is working on writing, design, event management or music projects, crafting stories is at the root of everything he does as a creative entrepreneur.
As a storyteller, Daniel has a varied background. He was the Arts and Culture Correspondent from the University of Toronto Mississauga for their tricampus The Varsity newspaper and magazine, deep diving into the city’s culinary scene and film festival circuit; he interned at Arts & Crafts Records producing release content for their artist roster and working on the Field Trip Music Festival. He worked with Sean Brown and team at NEEDS&WANTS as editor-in-chief and co-art director alongside Andrew Rohoman.
In September, 2019, Daniel was awarded a Toronto Artscape Foundation Launchpad Bursary, where emerging and established creatives are offered the opportunity to take advantage of educational supports, tools, resources and space at Artscape Daniels Launchpad to take their business to the next level.
“Being in charge of your own business can get lonesome, so having that sense of being connected to a larger community both accelerates your growth and emboldens you in asking for feedback, collaborating with others, diminishing your ego, and letting a humble curiosity take the wheel,” explained Daniel.
“The wide array of talented people and the networks they link to [at Artscape Daniels Launchpad] has given me a sense of belonging and synergy that not many things have been able to emulate so far, or to afford without steep prices and barriers to entry.”
As a creative entrepreneur, he has embarked on a number of projects with record labels, advertising agencies and startups providing identity creative strategy and direction. At Launchpad, Daniel wants to complete a total overhaul and visual rebrand of The Hyphenate, his creative strategy and solutions company over the length of his bursary. He has also been working on a newsletter and podcast experiment called Making Matter that examines what it means to live a creative and fulfilled life.
Recently, Daniel Goodman gave back to the Launchpad community by contributing to the RBC Launchpad Music Entrepreneurship Program, offering guidance to over 60 talented musicians and aspiring managers.
“Because I both create my own music and work on the more technical side, it’s extremely uplifting to learn alongside and offer mentorship to young artists that are trying to break in and develop their voice,” explained Daniel. “They inspire me to be better.”
Since Artscape Daniels Launchpad closed to ensure the health and safety of its members, Daniel has been actively tuning into the free daily programming offered through Launchpad Learning Online during the pandemic. The workshops help him to remain connected to the creative community while maintaining the physical distance required during the pandemic.
“The [Launchpad Learning Online] workshops offered have made me feel a lot less alone, and inspired by different perspectives,” recalled Daniel.
Despite these setbacks, the pandemic has also not slowed Daniel down. Over five weeks this spring, Daniel collaborated with a talented team to put on the Homebody Music Festival, which was livestreamed on YouTube Live via StageTen over six days this past May. The festival featured more than 50 artists and covered a cross-section of pop, alternative, R&B, soul, country, hip hop and more. All proceeds from the festival went to three donations partners that are doing essential work during the crisis, including Meals to Heal which provides frontline worker support and sustenance; Jack.org, which offers mental health support for youth and knowledge surrounding how to support those struggling to maintain their mental and emotional health; and Unison Benevolent Fund, which grants disaster and economic relief to working musicians.
The festival was a resounding success, but as a thriving creative entrepreneur, Daniel is sure to top this experience with many more.
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Keep up to date with Daniel at @bydanielgoodman or @thehyphenate.co on Instagram. You can also subscribe to his Making Matter newsletter at makingmatter.substack.com.
