Paul Van Der Walt / Watermark High
1500 Hancock Street, Unit 524, Quincy,MA
Summary
Versatile music producer, media composer and YouTube educator with a strong background in electronic music production. Committed to continuous learning and staying current with music industry trends. Proactive, gritty attitude and the ability to learn quickly. Passionate about sharing knowledge and further fostering mentoring and teaching skills through strong relationships.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
YouTube Content Creator
Watermark High
Boston, MA
10.2022 - Current
- Creates YouTube tutorials on music production using various hardware samplers (Akai MPC, Sonicware Lofi 12 XT, Polyend Tracker+ etc) as well as some software highlights.
- 2000 subs / 200 000 channel views.
- Sponsored videos by the likes of Polyend.
Music Composer
Freelance
Boston, MA
11.2015 - Current
- MA in "Professional Media Composition" from the University of Chichester in the UK.
- Signed to the highly regarded synch licensing platform, Musicbed.
- Released 2 EPs, 2 singles and an album since 2019, as a composer.
- Scored debut feature documentary, "Sustainable Nation", in 2019.
- Scored a web 3 art exhibition called "Hong Congo" for talented illustrator, Karl Schulschenk, in 2024.
- Soundtracked marketing for brands such as the Boston Bruins, Microsoft, adidas, Fila, Absolut Vodka, Samsung, Cadillac and many others.
Music Producer / Artist
Watermark High
Boston, MA
04.2012 - Current
- Released 9 EPs, an album and around 20 singles since the inception of this beat making / electronic music project.
- Watermark High's discography currently has almost 1.2 million Apple Music and 450 000+ Spotify streams.
- Performed at many of South Africa's leading electronic music festivals including the Cape Town Electronic Music Festival and Oppikoppi, as well as numerous clubs throughout the country. Not actively performing currently.
- Signed to the highly regarded synch licensing platform, Musicbed.
Music Production Tutor
Johannesburg, Gauteng
03.2015 - 03.2016
- Tutored 2 private students who got weekly one on one music production lessons, over a year.
- Focused on Ableton Live and mixing. Taught them the software, provided feedback and basic mentoring on everything from their arrangements and sound selection to mixing.
- One of these students (Clark Cables) ended up signed to a future bass label and racked up over 500 000 streams across 3 singles. Happy with the small role played in that.
- Not something actively pursued at the time, but ended up loving it.
Co-Founder, Senior Video Editor & Audio Post Production Head
The Now Museum
Johannesburg, Gauteng
09.2009 - 09.2015
- Part-owned and operated this video production company.
- Worked as both a video editor and project manager and also handled all audio post production.
Senior Video Editor & Sound Engineer
Missing Link
Johannesburg, Gauteng
01.2007 - 08.2009
- Primarily worked as a video editor but also helped to establish the company's (then new) recording studio, doing voice over recordings and audio production.
Education
Master of Arts - Professional Media Composition
University of Chichester
Chichester, United Kingdom05-2023
Short Course Certificate - Game Audio And Sound Design
School of Video Game Audio
Canada01-2018
3 Year Diploma - Motion Picture Production
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South Africa1 Year Certificate - Small Business Management
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South AfricaSkills
- Electronic music composition and production (Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, Reason etc)
- Sound design
- Mixing
- Other than various software DAWs and plugins, experienced with various hardware samplers and synths
- Deep interest and openness to collaboration, teaching and mentoring
- Passionate about sharing knowledge about music production and technology
- Capable of collaborating effectively with teams
- Music fan with eclectic knowledge of various (electronic) music sub genres
- Good organization, time management and communication skills
- Good at project research and analytical thinking
- Adaptable and flexible
- Fast learner
Accomplishments
- Completed my MA degree in "Professional Media Composition" with merit.
- I was the top/featured student of my Wwise Implementation course group, at the School of Video Game Audio.
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Afrikaans
Native/ Bilingual
German
Elementary
Affiliations
- Dog dad
- Hockey fan (Let's go Bruins!)
- Gamer
- Collecting music, especially CDs, cassettes and vinyl.
Timeline
YouTube Content Creator
Watermark High
10.2022 - Current
Music Composer
Freelance
11.2015 - Current
Music Production Tutor
03.2015 - 03.2016
Music Producer / Artist
Watermark High
04.2012 - Current
Co-Founder, Senior Video Editor & Audio Post Production Head
The Now Museum
09.2009 - 09.2015
Senior Video Editor & Sound Engineer
Missing Link
01.2007 - 08.2009
Master of Arts - Professional Media Composition
University of Chichester
Short Course Certificate - Game Audio And Sound Design
School of Video Game Audio
3 Year Diploma - Motion Picture Production
Tshwane University of Technology
1 Year Certificate - Small Business Management
Tshwane University of Technology
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