Artist’s Mother and Child CD Chosen for Madison & Mulholland’s Ultimate Nominee Gift Bag for the Stars
HOUSTON (February 2006) -San Antonio singer-songwriter Paige Stroman’s CD of lullabies, Mother and Child, could soon be in the hands of Hollywood’s elite A-List movie stars.
Her 10-song project on the Lullabyland label has been selected for inclusion in the fourth annual Madison & Mulholland’s Ultimate Nominee gift bag. The gift bag – considered the top “swag bag” by Variety magazine – will be distributed to Oscar nominees at an exclusive pre-Oscar party at the Haven, a mansion in Beverly Hills. This year’s M/M gift bag will honor the top-10 women in film. The Academy Awards will be presented on Feb. 25.
“It is so exciting to have this opportunity to share my music and these relaxing lullabies with other women whose paths have included the pursuit and realization of a dream, as well as the joys of motherhood,” said Stroman, whose Mother and Child CD won a Silver National Parenting Publications Award in 2002. “With the current baby boom in Hollywood, and motherhood a new focus amongst celebrities, my CD is a gift bag item that speaks to each new celebrity mother 's need to care for and connect with her child. I completely relate to the creative process of those in the film industry and their career goals.”
The Lullabyland Mother and Child CD was nominated for inclusion in the M/M Ultimate Nominee gift bag by VisioNet’s Women’s Channel President Erin Siggard. An official invitation was received in Stroman’s behalf during a women’s networking event in Long Beach, Calif. The gift bags are filled with delicious, sexy and novel products dedicated to acknowledging small business owners and creating awareness for trendy but eco-friendly products.
Stroman’s own experiences as an only child of a loving mother are integrated into the gentle melodies of her Mother and Child CD. After years of songwriting and pursuing a recording career, she found herself close to giving up on her dream. She decided to take a chance by asking a simple career-related question on an "ask the expert" web site. A life-changing answer came from Canadian producers Terry McManus and Jack Richardson – the result is her album of original lullabies. The 2001 recording sessions were deepened with added emotion on the first day of recording when Stroman learned that she was now singing to her own child, Matthew, who would be born later that year.
The Mother and Child CD, which was produced by Richardson, has been featured in the Sepia Photo Baby's First Christmas and Baby's First Easter packages for two years in more than 175 malls across the country. Sales of the CD and a subsequent second lullaby album, Christmas Lullabies to Create Memories, have exceeded 20,000 over the past 18 months with limited regional marketing and publicity. Mother and Child is the only lullaby CD featured in The Sleep Lady, an on-line store owned by Kim West, a children's sleep expert and author of Good Night, Sleep Tight.
VisioNet TV will play a major role at this year's pre-awards festivities at the Haven. The newly launched broadband TV channel will enable consumers to view and buy products during re-occurring shopping segments. The network is teaming with Madison & Mulholland to telecast events for Haven-based Hollywood events.
“Being included in the Ultimate Nominee gift bags gives me the inspiration to keep on pursuing my dreams,” Stroman added. “Being an entrepreneur is a bit like putting a puzzle together, but not knowing what the end result will look like. This opportunity is just one more piece of my dream puzzle!”
A former student of the Berklee College of Music, Stroman began her music career as a contemporary Christian artist in Nashville. Just prior to recording Mother and Child, the artist discovered she was pregnant. The news added emotional vulnerability to the project – she was singing to her own child for the very first time.
In 2005, Stroman developed a “magical place” on the Internet called Lullabyland. The web site, http://www.lullabyland.net, gives weary travelers on the parenting journey a place to enjoy musical messages of love, hope and peace.
From the first tape recording at 5 yrs old, to the 5th grade production of "The Wizard of Oz", voice lessons, piano lessons, her studies at The Berklee School of Music, to meetings in Nashville, to hotel jobs in Las Vegas, to retail and call-center jobs, Paige has walked down her own "yellow brick road" to find that her "dream come true" was really in her own backyard.
After years of chasing the dream, Paige found herself gaining experience in fields of business that appeared to take her away from her dream. An opportunity to dive in again was afforded to her through a website that connected her to "the expert" who would eventually land her in the world where all of her dreams would, like Dorothy who she had played so long ago, really come true. Terry McManus, who had toured with Mister Dressup, the Canadian equivalent of Mr. Rogers, answered the question on Paige's heart.......was there anything out there for her in the world of Children's music and Lullabies?? After hearing the rough demo sent to him by Paige, Terry saw the potential. He passed the demo along to fellow professor, Jack Richardson, a big-time rock producer in the 70's. Now in his seventies, Jack teaches Music, Production and Engineering at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and produces 3-4 projects a year.
One week before going to Canada to go into the studio, Paige found out she was pregnant! The news added to the whole recording experience. It added emotional vulnerability, for now Paige was singing to her own child for the very first time. Matthew was born in December of 2001 and Paige's husband, Bryan, was called up to active duty in February of 2002. Everything was put on hold as Paige waited for Bryan to return from the war. Wanting for their son to be surrounded by love, the Stromans looked for a more family-oriented place to raise their son, and selected San Antonio, Texas after Bryan was deactivated in February of 2004. Bryan's parents moved to Canyon Lake, about 45 minutes away from Bryan and Paige. Building new houses, Paige, Bryan and Matthew live in one, Paige's parents live next door and Paige's grandmother and uncle live next door to her parents. Being an only child, Paige never liked having her family too far away and she knew she wanted the same for her son as well. Nothing can ever replace family.
Not long after they settled in, Paige decided that it was time to follow her dream. Paige's mom Diane found an ad about a songwriter's circle at the neighborhood Border's Bookstore. Paige attended the meeting of the Texas Music Coalition and was then introduced her to "Who's Who" in the San Antonio music industry. While attending the annual "I've Made a Record...Now What?" seminar sponsored by the Best in Texas Magazine, Paige connected with President and Founder of Extreme Dreams, LLC., Kathy Douglas. After a consulting session with Paige about bringing to life her vision for a whole line of baby products, which are an off-shoot of her music and writing; Douglas, a manager/mentor to artists in the Texas Music Industry, was taken by the music and vision. That day their friendship and business relationship started to bloom. Kathy's second company, IndieExtreme, now manages Paige's record label, allowing Paige to focus on more of the creative aspects.
In the 2 years since Paige decided to dust off her dream, Paige has written and recorded a second CD, "Christmas Lullabies to Create Memories" which will be available as part of a "Baby's First Christmas" Photo Package that will be sold at over 170 malls this Christmas! You can also find Paige's song, "Baby's First Christmas" on Picture Frames this Christmas as well. Paige has also sold over 25,000 CD's to date! And by teaming up with Erin Siggard of VisioNet, Erin got Paige's "Mother and Child" CD to be invited to be included in the 2007 Academy Award Gift Bags.
Paige is currently writing lullabies for various companies and singing with the San Antonio Symphony Masters Singers. She also serves on their Board of Directors.
Matthew is now 5 years old and Bryan works out at Lackland Air Force Base as a civilian employee. With Paige's visionary ideas, entrepreneurial creativity, drive, determination and resourcefulness are creating Lullabyland as her family surrounds her in her own backyard.
