Founded and directed an independent record label representing the local underground music community of Toronto in a fast paced cultural production environment.Curation: Released 52 albums by 33 roster artists with a mandate to highlight and support unrecognized and underrepresented songwriting talent.Production: Led art direction and graphic design of album artwork; prepared pre-production work for press-ready printing and audio files; solved logistical issues related to inventory, contracting, royalties, and distribution; sourced and deployed capital to maximize opportunities for artists.A&R: Led strategy for long term career goals with diverse roster of artists; reviewed and negotiated legal contracts with artists, rights holders and distributors.Community Engagement: Articulated a vision for business activities centering community in music and art-making including the foregrounding of local artists within their communities and allyship with artist-led initiatives such as proceeds being donated to local charities; fostered a tight-knit community of artists founded on mutual respect and equity based profit sharing; led engagement with constituents including artists, producers, managers, event spaces, collectives, and consumers.Communications: Developed and implemented outreach campaigns (newsletters, print advertising, social media); collaborated with publicists; performed copy editing (press releases, album descriptions).Reporting and campaigns: Prepared, filed and maintained archive of internal work processes for all key business operations including annual accounting, royalty statements, payroll, invoicing, and internal archives with regular reviews; grant writing and reporting.Front End Development: Led art direction, graphic design, and web development to build user interface for public-facing activities (e-commerce, order fulfillment, email list); developed internal project management system.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com

Founded and led a boutique creative agency that at various times operated as a record label, artists’ book publisher, graphic design agency, print shop and bindery for custom books and album packaging, print broker, and creative project consultancy. Print Production: Operated print production processes (offset, risograph, bindery, foil stamping, die-cutting) with in-house equipment specializing in album packaging (CDs, vinyl) and short-run books; coordinated with printers and suppliers to deliver complex print projects on time/budget; performed art checks to ensure files met specifications.Community Engagement: Liaised and educated clients on which print processes were best suited to their project; worked as client advocate when managing commercial printers.Production: Freelance graphic design and packaging design services.Curation: Published 3 artists’ books and 16 albums; presented at international art book fairs (NYABF).Event Production: Organized performances and book launches for various roster artists.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com

Supervised music selection and consulted on vinyl manufacturing on multiple special edition vinyl projects for a designer cannabis housewares company founded by actor Seth Rogen and producer Evan Goldberg.Curation: Collaborated with the Product Development and Founder teams to develop concept-driven vinyl products and define the brand’s “sound” identity; curated playlists of licensable songs.Project Management: Led review process on track selection; built workback schedules; designed project spreadsheets to monitor progress as tracks moved through production stages Production: Collaborated with designer on final artwork; led review process for proofs of the print and vinyl discs.Music Supervision: Liaised with various record labels in US, EU and UK (Daptone, Secretly Canadian, Stones Throw, Concord, Now-Again Records, Beggar’s Group, Colemine, Fat Possum, Mr Bongo, Raster Noton) to negotiate and receive assets.Financial Management: Managed overall vinyl product category budget.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com

Alex's personal practice is currently focused on exploring abstract sound design, gridless rhythmic structures, experimenting with Web3 distribution models for music/sound, and developing a mutli-speaker sound installation for a speculative aviary in collaboration with his partner.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com

Reporting to the Curator, responsible for technical implementation and installation of contemporary art at multiple distinguished cultural institutions including The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Mercer Union and Art Museum at the University of Toronto.Stakeholder Management: Collaborated with installation teams, curatorial teams, directors, external contractors, shippers and exhibiting artists in video, sculpture, sound, and installation to realize large-scale contemporary art exhibitions in highly stressful situations under tight budgets and time constraints.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com

Led an artists’ books imprint that printed all of their releases in-house at Standard Form. Curation: Selected and collaborated with 2 editors to release 15 books and 6 posters by 24 artists.Event Production: Selected to present at international art book fairs including New York Art Book Fair, Los Angeles Art Book Fair, Tokyo Art Book Fair, I Never Read (Basel), Libros Mutantes (Madrid), Expozine (Montreal), Index (Mexico City), Toronto Art Book Fair; coordinated all travel, accommodations, and material shipping.Print Production: Operated all printing and binding equipment to manufacture limited edition runs of each project.Reporting and campaigns: Grant writing and reporting for project and travel grants; managed social media and publicity campaigns.Front End Design: Designed all promotional materials and website.For more case studies, visit: alexdurlak.com