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History of BTGP
Beyond the Gate Productions
was founded by Damen Perry (born and raised in Pomona, California) to originally serve as an outlet for his own music and
art, after deciding that the independent route was where he belonged in the music scene. Damen (a multi-instrumentalist, recording
engineer, producer, artist) grew up in a musical environment and after graduating from a recording school in Los Angeles at
18, he began working in some of Hollywood's top recording studios (doing everything and anything needed from scrubbing toilets
while interning to mixing and recording on SSL and Neve consoles) and working with some of the industry's top leaders from
producers and artists (Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymez, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Motley Crue, Poison, SX-10, Dwight Yoakum, RBX, Warren
G, Nate Dogg, Angie Stone, Sheila E., Tito Puente, The Outlawz, just to name a few...) to marketing executives and A&R
reps.
While developing his own musical style and art, he found that signing on with a major label was not the best route to showcase his music/writing talents because of the amount of creative control he would lose in the process. Damen believed that his experience as an artist, as well as his experience from working in recording studios and record labels could benefit not only himself but other artists. Knowing that he could do more than "just be an artist," he decided to start his own production company and Beyond the Gate Productions was born shortly after and is currently based in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, east of Los Angeles.
While developing his own musical style and art, he found that signing on with a major label was not the best route to showcase his music/writing talents because of the amount of creative control he would lose in the process. Damen believed that his experience as an artist, as well as his experience from working in recording studios and record labels could benefit not only himself but other artists. Knowing that he could do more than "just be an artist," he decided to start his own production company and Beyond the Gate Productions was born shortly after and is currently based in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, east of Los Angeles.
In 2006 through 2007, Damen took on the role of a film publicist to
help spread the word on the independent film, "The Still Life" which was written, directed and produced by Joel Miller and scored by Dizzy Reed of Guns n Roses. Working on "The Still Life" was a great opportunity for Damen and allowed him to use some of his grassroots marketing techniques to bring a great
amount of exposure to the film. The art film, "The Still Life" has won several independent film awards, has received numerous positive reviews from critics and has been
screened all across the US with the largest screening in Hollywood, California at the world's famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Damen
now looks to build on his previous film experience and one day direct, write, score and/or produce his own film
under Beyond the Gate Productions.
A strong believer in lifelong learning, Damen continued
to stay enrolled in college and take classes that he felt would increase his knowledge base. He now holds a Certification
in Recording Engineering, an AA degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences, an AS degree in Business Administration and
a BS in Business Management (he is currently working on his California Real Estate Brokers License). In the "professional"
world; Damen is the office manager, webmaster and director of marketing for a property management company that specializes
in community associations.
Due to circumstance, Damen recently took some
time off from Beyond the Gate Productions. He recently got married, moved, bought a house and while
at the same time some of the BTGP artists themselves were going through their own ups and downs personally.
All these factors caused a delay in production and made it hard to set up a routine recording schedule for
a period of time. The downtime was filled with Damen working on his professional career in real estate and property
management which as he stated, "was a good break for me, working in the creative world all the time causes me to
stray away from reality and lose touch...Even though it is a dangerous place for me, I love being 'beyond the gates' and often
feel if I go too far, I won't make it back...I may not want to but I know I need to." Now that he is more financially
stable outside of music, he plans on expanding Beyond the Gate Productions and is anxious to get
back into the studio.
Damen recently quoted the following in regards to where BTGP is at and will be, "Not relying on the money generated by BTGP to pay my bills has now allowed me the freedom to grow the BTGP philosophy and projects more naturally without having to worry about financial pressures, I am at the point now where I trully feel I can create and focus on the art. I can make $0 from BTGP and be perfectly fine or I can make $100k, I am cool with it either way now and that is how true art is meant to be. The people want something real, something raw, something honest, something uncensored and not designed to please the status quo...the people feel how I feel and we just need something. This new freedom of mine allows for me to be creative without boundaries and that is where real success can and will be found...it's beyond the gates somewhere and I am going to find it and bring it for everyone to enjoy and feel inspired again...that is my dream."
Damen recently quoted the following in regards to where BTGP is at and will be, "Not relying on the money generated by BTGP to pay my bills has now allowed me the freedom to grow the BTGP philosophy and projects more naturally without having to worry about financial pressures, I am at the point now where I trully feel I can create and focus on the art. I can make $0 from BTGP and be perfectly fine or I can make $100k, I am cool with it either way now and that is how true art is meant to be. The people want something real, something raw, something honest, something uncensored and not designed to please the status quo...the people feel how I feel and we just need something. This new freedom of mine allows for me to be creative without boundaries and that is where real success can and will be found...it's beyond the gates somewhere and I am going to find it and bring it for everyone to enjoy and feel inspired again...that is my dream."
BTGP
looks forward to releasing new material in 2012 and looks to be visible in the local art community by setting up
shop at local street faires and exhibitions to showcase paintings, poetry, music and other forms of art with the intention
of one day soon opening up the first BTGP Store in Riverside County, California with others to follow.
BTGP also intends on getting more involved with political activism, social issues, fundraisers and animal
rights. Damen said recently, "In my time away from the scene I have seen the industry grow very stagnant, I have
seen world issues go unrecognized in the music community, political issues go unrecognized and many local bands simply fizzle
out and this whole time I have had so much music and art just slow roasting in my mind to the point where I can't take it
anymore. First, I am going to release a CD that is more hip hop influenced and it will be a solo project. I am going to give
it out to everyone for free...I have so much I want to say artisically that I would rather focus on getting the music in people's
hands rather than focus on trying to get people to buy it...they will come around for the next one to buy but the next CD
released is free, BTGP will pay your tab on this one. It is a way of saying thanks
for still being down with Damen Perry and BTGP...here is a token of our appreciation. After that we
are going to release a What Remainz CD and just do our best to stay true to the creative forces and the people
who support us. We are just getting started!"
"Evolve, Express,
Enlighten"
