WEBSITES:
www.myspace.com/thewritingcamp
www.myspace.com/erikanuri
www.myspace.com/qudamusic
www.myspace.com/kiddbogart
FOR MTV PLACEMENTS (i.e. The Hills, The City):
http://soundtrack.mtv.com/thewritingcamp
The Writing Camp (TWC a.k.a. The Camp) is a prolific, new go-to crew who is initiating an immense buzz with the quality, personality and seemingly infinite variety of their soulful, meticulously crafted songs. As their sterling individual résumés testify, each member of the trio is a notable individual creator; together they unite as a dazzling force in songwriting. From pop aristocracy to multi-platinum producers, their collaborations define the sweeping parameters of modern music. The Camp, along with Victoria Horn, recently joined with mega-producer Rodney Jerkins to create "Right Here" (Departed) the lead single from Brandy's full length Epic Records debut, Human.
Evan "Kidd" Bogart, the son of legendary Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, began rapping before transitioning into corporate gigs at Interscope and Warner Bros. Records, BAT Management, Casbah Artists Management, and Agency for the Performing Arts, where he aided in the discovery and development of Eminem, Maroon 5 and OneRepublic, among others. When his co-written "SOS", recorded by Rihanna, became a number 1 worldwide smash, Bogart returned to the creative side where he has since penned songs for everyone from Sean Kingston to Britney Spears.
New York-born Erika Nuri spent formative creative time in the musical R&B hotbed of Atlanta before relocating to Los Angeles, signing a co-publishing deal with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' company and garnering cuts with K-Ci & Jo Jo, Chingy (featuring Janet Jackson), B2K, Yasmeen and penning "Fatal" for J. Holiday. After a brief hiatus from the business, Nuri rebounded with an eight week number 1 Billboard hit, the two-time Grammy nominated "When I See You" performed by American Idol champ Fantasia.
David "DQ" Quiñones flawlessly unites his extraordinary conceptual, lyrical and melodic sensibilities with his knowledge of technical wizardry and keenly intuitive vocal production skills. Raised in the Washington, DC suburb of Sterling, VA, he attended Shenandoah Conservatory for music education and opera studies before entering Berklee College of Music with a focus on music production and engineering. His studio résumé in vocal production and arrangements is extensive and DQ has consistently "wowed" the likes of Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, J.R. Rotem, Ryan Tedder and Midi Mafia, to name a few.
Bogart says the inspiration for The Writing Camp evolved from a week when he and Quiñones appropriated a Los Angeles studio and invited a cross-section of friends to create in a relaxed environment. "Afterwards, DQ and I said, 'Writing should be like this every day, a bunch of people getting together and not worrying about their splits or who wrote this word -- order some food and drinks, bounce around and write in a very fun atmosphere. We should start a crew who emulates this type of environment.'" Soon thereafter, fate led DQ to Erika Nuri, introductions were made and a circle of collaborators had begun to form.
In their Hollywood studio dubbed, appropriately, "The Campground," TWC arms themselves with laptops, guitars, keyboards and recording gear on two facing black couches. The alchemy is transferable, as they bring their energies to other locales, cites and studios. "Our songs are blueprints for artists," notes Bogart. "Each artist who is going to record one of our songs is going to breathe their life into it. If that means rewriting the second verse or changing a line in the chorus to make it more personal we're like, 'Let's do it – let's make it yours.' I think the artist feels more passionate when it's personalized. Obviously, the artist has to relate, so we make it exactly like it's going to be."
Although fun is the operative term, TWC maintains a rigorous writing schedule. "We work like we're in Nashville," qualifies Nuri, "from noon on, Monday through Friday." But maintaining their individual personal lives is vitally important, she notes. "You need to have a balance, and you have to experience life in order to have something to write about." Equally imperative for The Camp members is the idea of giving back to the music community, whether through inner city music education or mentoring gifted aspirants. "We're blessed enough to be doing this for a living," says DQ, "And there's enough out there for everybody. "
The screening level for music is so high and that's partly what drives The Camp's ambition -- raising the bar constantly, Bogart adds, "What sets us apart from a lot of crews or writers is that we all come from different backgrounds, passions, expertise, love of music, eras and different parts of the world. We can write everything from pop/rock music to hooks for rappers, or hits for American Idols. We'll give you an acoustic ballad, your sultry R&B mid-tempo, the epic, uptempo dance smash -- all the elements for a record without losing the cohesive thread, because it's the same people writing." And in the project-driven environment that is the modern music business, they also take pride in writing songs from the heart. "We'll say, 'Let's just write a great song for ourselves today,'" says Nuri.
With an upcoming release schedule of pop music's top artists and an ever-increasing list of illustrious campers/collaborators, The Writing Camp is open for business. More than simply amassing a huge catalog of cuts, their objective is to elevate the quality of the popular song with their lyrics and music. "We want people to know we're in this for the right reasons," says Bogart. "The Year of Song is upon us!"
THE WRITING CAMP COLLECTIVE CREDITS INCLUDE:
THREE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
TWO BMI TOP SONGS OF THE YEAR AWARDS
ONE BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE SONG AWARD
ONE ASCAP RHYTHM & SOUL TOP SONGS OF THE YEAR AWARD
ONE ASCAP HEAVY ROTATION AWARD
SONG RELEASES BY THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS:
RIHANNA -- BRANDY -- BEYONCÉ -- THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS -- BRITNEY SPEARS -- KEYSHIA COLE -- SEAN KINGSTON -- FANTASIA -- JENNIFER LOPEZ -- J. HOLIDAY -- BABYFACE -- DEMI LOVATO -- HILARY DUFF -- JESSE MCCARTNEY -- ASHLEY TISDALE -- DONNA SUMMER -- MYA -- THE CHEETAH GIRLS -- VARSITY FANCLUB -- NLT -- JUELZ SANTANA -- THE D.E.Y. -- BLAKE LEWIS -- K-CI & JOJO -- M. POKORA -- PARIS HILTON -- LALA -- RIGO LUNA -- 3LW -- B2K -- HEIDI MONTAG -- JESSI MALAY -- SARAH CONNER -- AND MANY MORE AMAZING TALENTS.
VIDEO'S OF SONGS WE HAVE WRITTEN:
Beyoncé "Halo"
Brandy "Right Here (Departed)"
Hilary Duff - Reach Out - Official Music Video Premiere
Varsity Fanclub "Future Love"
