<![CDATA[ Music by Zaid - News]]>Sat, 14 Nov 2015 20:39:08 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Square Enix Collective - 2015]]>Fri, 02 Oct 2015 02:11:55 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/square-enix-collective-2015Grand Arc Designs launched a campaign on the Square Enix Collective during E3 Week 2015. We finished with a very positive 86% approval rate once it was all said and done. If you want to take a look at all the details, check out the website: http://collective.square-enix.com/projects/135/memories-of-aeldaria

Also, remember to check out www.GrandArcDesigns.com for continued updates. Kickstarter is coming THIS MONTH - OCTOBER 2015!
]]><![CDATA[Newspaper Story - Feb. 2015]]>Mon, 18 May 2015 02:42:21 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/newspaper-story-feb-2015Don't know how this didn't get linked sooner, but better late than never? Check out the story at Cleveland Daily Banner online HERE. Story has been copied and pasted below in case it is no longer accessible and/or has been archived.

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Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2015 8:32 am
WILLIAM WRIGHT Lifestyles Editor

When she left Cleveland with her husband, Reece, and moved to a small town in Illinois in February 2013, Myriam Diaz Rutland did not know what the future held or the opportunities that awaited her.

The Cleveland High School graduate who holds an art degree from Cleveland State Community College and a B.S. in business administration from Tennessee Wesleyan College, had landed a job with Cleveland’s own Create and Celebrate Studio off Georgetown Road, sold her artwork at the Southern Comfort Furniture Store in Bradley Square Mall and at Red Ribbon in downtown Cleveland and worked as a sales rep at the Banner. But 20 months after she married the love of her life, the couple agreed to leave the Volunteer State and start a life together in Illinois.

“We left Cleveland for Reece to pursue another writing opportunity in Illinois,” Myriam explained. “He gave Tennessee a shot for me, so I needed to give Illinois a shot for him. I’m not gonna lie — it was tough. I left lifelong friends and my family in Cleveland. I had thought Cleveland was small until I saw this place. Cleveland is huge in comparison.

“I had been job-hunting in Illinois for two months before I left and I still didn’t have a job lined up. I didn’t have the school or church connections to help me in the job search. I didn’t have friends to get me out of the house. I probably did my share of hair-pulling for a while. I worked hard at it though — combing through classifieds in the newspapers, searching online job boards, looking at surrounding towns, and even crashing a few town meetings where I stood up and made 30-second pitches about my skills while trying to network and asking for help in locating a job. I eventually landed a retail management job toward the end of May in 2013.”

According to Myriam, the retail job allowed her to get to know some of the locals in her town as well as in several of the surrounding towns since she worked at different stores.

“I made friends with my co-workers, my employees and several of the regulars,” she said. “With a little time, I started to finally feel like I was becoming part of the community.”

In September 2013, Myriam said a friend from high school contacted her about doing vocal work for a video game design company that he had founded.

“Being the nerd that I am and always having wanted to be involved in the voice acting/video gaming field I jumped at the opportunity,” she recalled. But Myriam, a multitalented and savvy businesswoman, saw greater potential in the startup company than her simply doing “voice overs.” She said she stepped up to take on more responsibility with the company and was later named vice president by the company’s original founder.

“We became partners as we moved forward with a new company name: Grand Arc Designs. We officially incorporated in July of 2014,” she said. “I’m technically the VP, human resources manager and one of the main voice actresses. I help take care of the management and HR aspects — reviewing resumes, portfolios, interviewing and hiring, helping with the ‘legalese’ of it all, and making sure we have all our ducks in a row while setting up and running a corporation. I’ve dabbled with nondisclosure agreements, contracts, and annual reports. I’ve had to help with random concept sketches and art, and I’ve gotten to tweak and record a song for the original soundtrack that will come out with our first title.”

Scheduled for a 2016 release, the company’s premier title, “Memories of Aeldaria” is an epic 3-D high-fantasy, action adventure video game. Full release is coming in March, according to Myriam, who says she is excited to be a Sony licensed partner on the project.

“We applied via Sony Computer Entertainment’s Partnership Program that can be found online via their site. After submitting our games design documentation, verification of incorporation status, and other documents we were moved along in the process to signing an agreement with them. This partnership program allows us access to development tools for their platforms and allows us to publish titles via their digital marketplace. If this title is successful, then that will cement us as a company. It will also lay the groundwork for us to be able to bring in more talent and launch future titles.”

In addition to being a vice president, assistant creative director, human resources administrator and voice actress with Grand Arc Designs, Myriam has a full-time job with the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

“I’m an employment security program representative,” she explained. “I get to help people look for work. Funny, because I always said that looking for work was a job in itself. It’s a pretty good feeling to be able to point people in the right direction, give them job leads, refer them to jobs, and help them create resumes that reflect their skills and qualifications. It’s a better feeling when they come in smiling to let me know they were hired!”

While some people may feel overwhelmed by the workload and dedication required to launch a new company while helping people prepare for and find the right job, she thrives off the challenges of life and is her happiest when she’s reaching for the stars.

“I plan on staying with IDES and continuing my work with Grand Arc Designs,” she said “I’ll be recording both music and dialogue as we move forward for our premiere title, but I’m sure the management and corporate responsibilities will increase as we get funding. I’ve also started talks with someone about some videography work, so there’s an overhaul of my YouTube account and artist site in the near future which will keep me hopping. I think at this point it’s becoming more and more important as Grand Arc Designs gains more publicity. The sky’s the limit — and I’m reaching for it.”

]]><![CDATA[Game Developments]]>Sun, 17 May 2015 21:24:12 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/game-developmentsThings are moving right along with Grand Arc Designs. We've got our FORUMS up and running, so definitely head that way and sign up so you can get the full details of what's going on before they're released via social media. We've unveiled our primary character, her 3-D model is complete, and animation has begun on the project. Our tech demo is underway! We're also working on a Patreon campaign where will be hosting several campaigns via Fantasy Grounds for a 6~12 month campaign. Players will have an opportunity to play through the prequel story to our upcoming title "Memories of Aeldaria". Check  out the forums for all the details! Follow us on Twitter @GrandArcDesigns and stay tuned for more updates.

Until next time!
]]><![CDATA[Happy New Year!]]>Thu, 01 Jan 2015 18:10:31 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/happy-new-yearIt's been more than a little while since I dabbled with the site, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to give a shout-out for New Year's day. Several things have been going on which have kept me pretty busy. I started a new job with the State of IL in October 2014. Been getting acclimated and settling into my new position there. I've also been staying busy with the video game company.

In said video game company news: Grand Arc Designs is now officially incorporated. Our website is now live at www.GrandArcDesigns.com. You can also follow the site on Twitter @GrandArcDesigns, on Facebook /GrandArcDesigns, and even look up our company page on LinkedIn. We've also got some investment options for those of you interested on Angel.
We released a teaser trailer on Christmas Eve, so make sure you check it out on our main website. Make sure you wear your headphones! ^0^  (Not my voice on the trailer, though I will be contributing to the vocal team on the game.)

In music news: I've got a few recordings set side. Partnering up with a friend to help me get some files put together and I'll be releasing those periodically throughout 2015 on my YouTube account.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2015!!!

]]><![CDATA[Developments]]>Thu, 03 Jul 2014 02:01:18 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/developmentsAll sorts of crazy and wonderful things happening in the last little while. Aside from putting in a lot of hours at work, I've started to become more and more involved with the Indie Game Company that I'd been collaborating with since September of 2013. I'm stepping into some big roles and hope to be doing some great things in the future. Hoping to become incorporated be end of year 2014 or early on in 2015. Kickstarter projects are in the works and will be released to the public once we make sure everything is copyrighted correctly.

Stay tuned for more updates as they develop!  \^_^/
]]><![CDATA[Keeping on Keeping on]]>Wed, 09 Apr 2014 21:02:23 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/keeping-on-keeping-onHey peeps,
Nothing too crazy going on aside from the normal. I made some updates to the Free Downloads page and made several more songs available. Also touched up the music page. Got two songs up on YouTube in the last few weeks and uploaded another Chrono Cross request today. Was hoping to do some video recording for the next few videos this week but part of the crew got sick with a stomach bug that's been going around so hopefully we'll get back on track and do some recording next week.

Speaking of videos - I got to do a little acting for a friend's senior college film class. I've never acted before (and I'm not saying I'm any good at it either) but it was a lot of fun! I was a little scared to touch the $3k camera... so many buttons! The video isn't up yet, but you can check out Syd's Sherlock Holmes Fan Video (Below) or Syd's YouTube Channel.
]]><![CDATA[Musical Composer: Maverick Arrow ]]>Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:16:43 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/musical-composer-maverick-arrowFellow YouTuber and friend, Kevon, is back on the scene after a bit of a hiatus after an unfortunate incident wiped out years of musical works. However, he's back and ready to pursue a full-time composing career after recovering much of his lost data. Please check out his YouTube channel: Maverick Arrow, and show your support by liking his new compositions, subscribing, or leaving him a word or two of encouragement in his comments. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
]]><![CDATA[Post Podcast Debut]]>Sat, 08 Mar 2014 03:41:05 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/post-podcast-debutWhew! What a rush! Had a great time recording the podcast over two lunch hours this week. Also had a nice surge of visitors to the website yesterday on its air date. Thanks so much for everyone's support! Been getting some feedback on the Facebook page as well, so that's always good news. I was told I'd have to come visit again on the show - which I'd be happy to do again. Any avenue to get myself out there, right?

Got a few other things in the works, but I'll update as they develop. Stay right here for more updates and be sure to follow me if you aren't already:

Twitter: ZaidArtist
YouTube: ZaidArtist
Facebook:  facebook.com/ZaidMusicStudio

Peace out guys!  \^_^/
]]><![CDATA[Podcasting Debut]]>Fri, 07 Mar 2014 04:08:48 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/podcasting-debutPicture
Hey everyone!

I was a guest on a podcast by the name of Nerds United yesterday and again today. We've compiled a nice little podcast about an hour long filled with a little info about me and a lot of talk about music and video games. Greg, my host, was also kind enough to plug in a music cover I did of Small Two of Pieces, from the original Playstation RPG, Xenogears. Also got a mention in for an up-and-coming video game production company that's still in the works, but whose Kickstarter project will be launching soon and who I'm involved with in the production of some of their music.

You can check out all the excitement HERE. (http://jitterymonkey.com/nerdsunited/)  Make sure to follow the podcast for more possible guest appearances from yours truly. You can also like their Facebook Page. (https://www.facebook.com/nerdsunitedshow)
]]><![CDATA[Video Collabs]]>Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:50:26 GMThttp://www.zaidmusic.com/news/video-collabsWorking on getting a few songs planned out for the future YouTube videos.  Have several ideas for NINE songs at the moment. Hoping to work out an upload schedule... aka more than a one time thing! :) Keep your fingers crossed! Was hoping to be working with one friend, but things haven't been working out, so instead I'm looking to another friend who's got a few connections. Gotta keep this thing going forward one way or another! I'll keep working on video ideas as I start recording more song covers.  ]]>