Zack Werner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zack Werner (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) has had an extensive career in the music industry as an artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. He is also president of Toronto-based Venus Management and Venus Records (distributed by EMI), where he spends his time finding and developing new talent across Canada.
[edit] Career
After receiving a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from the University of British Columbia, Werner moved to Toronto and joined local rock band The Ringing. The band, managed by Gary Pring secured a development deal with Capitol Records.
Later, Werner moved to Los Angeles and formed the group Thick As Thieves. The group negotiated a distribution deal through BMG. When the band broke up Werner returned to Toronto and signed a development deal with MCA as a solo-artist and worked with producer John Punter.
Putting his legal training to use, Werner practiced entertainment law with the firm of Sanderson,Taylor - the pre-eminent entertainment law firm in Canada, counting among their clients such as Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, the New Meanies and Nelly Furtado.
He is also one of the judges of Canadian Idol, where he is notorious due to his harsh and uncompromising criticisms on most auditioners. This often resulted in comparing him with Simon Cowell. On the one time show World Idol, he was the judge representing Canada and Canadian Idol, in which he went as far to criticize Kelly Clarkson, being the only one to do so.
