Joel Waddell - Alumni Spotlight

Joel Waddell (’04) is a Halifax based producer, engineer and musician. He has been working with artist Rich Aucoin for the past 10 years both live and in the studio. Joel Co-Produced Aucoin’s album “Ephemeral,” which was nominated for several 2015 East Coast Music Awards. They most recently collaborated on shows with the Nova Scotia Symphony. Joel runs a setup at home using Pro Tools and Ableton Live, while also creating his own music and drumming in a rock band called Beauts.

Joel says, “While at OIART there were sections of the curriculum that I took for granted. But since 2004 I’ve pulled notes from every course for each opportunity in front of me. Gaining a broad understanding is what has progressed my career. During my first gig as a boom operator for director Andrew Hines, he asked me to record the score for his short film with Rich Aucoin. Rich then asked for help finishing the recording and mixing for his first EP. From that I began performing drums in North America and Europe and made new friends to collaborate with. Once the ball started rolling I possessed all the skills to keep it moving.



Recently I’ve toured with alumni, Eric Chorostecki (’07, you can see his profile on this page). There is an inherent comfort when working with OIART grads as you can trust that they care about what they do. I think that is because the schools’ instructors make certain that you are present and focused while they challenge you. Achieving great results in high stress, budget focused environments is not easy. The toolbox I left OIART with is essential for the constant challenges I get to face.”