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Local singer strives to increase exposure

On the heels of a brand new music video, a budding country music artist is hoping to break into the big time. Erin Haley travelled to Toronto for several days in the first week in May to shoot her first music video since recording her album.

On the heels of a brand new music video, a budding country music artist is hoping to break into the big time.

Erin Haley travelled to Toronto for several days in the first week in May to shoot her first music video since recording her album.

“My mom, who manages me, and I have been trying for years and years to get a grant, which is like $30,000 from Country Music Television, to make a video,” said Haley.

As time passed with no word from CMT about the grant, Haley and her mom decided to take matters into their own hands.

“My album was sitting there for a while, and we didn’t want it to go to waste, so my mom came up with an idea to call the guy who did all the graphics on my album because he’s got a lot of contacts. We figured he may know somebody who could do a video for a decent price,” said Haley.

The idea paid off.

“He said we needed to do a video right now. He was renting an apartment to one guy back in Toronto who owned a film company – Muddy York Films – and he thought he could probably talk him into doing something that would be really affordable for me,” said Haley.

That got the ball rolling for Haley. A firm date to start production was nailed down only a couple of months after the idea was conceived.

“We thought we were going to jump on it right away but it took a couple of months to get everything sorted out so I could fly down to Toronto and shoot the video,” said Haley.

Haley had always set her sights on making a video, but it was the generous help that she received from selfless supporters in her life that made the dream a reality.

“For me, every penny counts, and for people to help me like they have is huge for me. I want them all to know how thankful I am for all their help. All the support that came through really sped up the process,” said Haley.

After arriving in Toronto, Haley met with producers at Muddy York Films to discuss which song would be made into a music video.

“The guys at MYF went through all the songs on my album looking for a great storyline. They had to pick something that hadn’t been released to radio yet, or my chances of getting played on CMT would become none. We picked a song that we could work with,” said Haley.

The whole process took about three days, from the preliminary meetings discussing possible video ideas to wrapping up shooting. All of the actors involved in the production were based out of Toronto, including Edmonton Eskimo receiver Brad Smith, who played the role as Haley’s cheating boyfriend.

“She has a great voice. We were shooting for two days and all you ever get to hear is the song being blasted in the background, and it either annoys you or you really get to like it. By the end of shooting, everybody on set was belting out the song. She is a really nice girl and great to work with. She has a great head on her shoulders for someone with as much talent as she has,” said Smith.

Now that the video is finished, Haley looks at the finished product with a sense of accomplishment harmonized with a dash of modesty.

“I showed my goddaughter who’s known me since she was born and her brother and she said ‘is that you auntie? I can’t believe that’s you.’ I kind of feel the same way looking at the video. It’s funny hearing a kid say that, and here I am feeling the exact same way. I have to admit though it was really hard to act,” said Haley.

To check out Haley’s video Don’t Think I Won’t visit:

http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=SGq3yLDnHsA.

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