Brandon Smith’s Bio

President / CEO

A new millennium Berry Gordy with the charisma and drive of a milder mannered Sean “Diddy” Combs and the business acumen of his mentor, the legendary Clarence Avant, Brandon C. Smith with his brainchild Star Factory Artist Development LLC is on a mission to realign the current tenuous state of the music industry by spearheading the game’s next great heyday and churning out as many stars as he can at a time!

Smith, a native Detroiter and graduate of the prestigious U. of D. Jesuit High School, didn’t realize his entrepreneurial destiny early on nor was he musically inclined as a kid, preferring basketball above everything else. He instead started and stopped several endeavors, among them, a six week stint at Davenport University in Dearborn, Michigan where he majored in marketing.  It was while kicking around as a machinist in various automotive factories that he discovered a simple fondness of music might mean something more.  Born of this “ah ha” moment, the handsome and oft animated Smith made a brief attempt as a R&B artist then discovered his passion lied elsewhere.  While continuing to define exactly what his role might be in music he became a Vegas trained, skilled craps dealer at one of Detroit’s major casinos to pay the bills, and on the side began sowing the seeds of what would later turn into Star Factory; coaching fledgling singers out of the basement of his home.  It was also during this time that Brandon stumbled on his gift for songwriting and producing.  Hard pressed to find gainfully employed musical craftsmen willing to give up material for his unknown students, he began creating his own music which thrust him further into the industry and led him into various entertainment circles where he met Peggy Body – an executive with Michael Bivens’ BIV10 Records who was responsible for developing the artists on that label.  Smith took away from that encounter a clearer vision of where he could make his niche.

In early 2005 after being let go from his casino gig, Smith propelled himself into music full time and in May that same year, Star Factory Artist Development was officially born.  Out of an industrial space located in a suburb outside of Detroit, Brandon created a highly charged creative environment where artists of all mediums in the performing arts – singing, dancing, songwriting, and producing – could come together and not only commune but could develop and hone their crafts through rigorous training with Smith and other instructors proficient in music and dance.  He gradually expanded SFAD’s curriculum to include stage presence, studio etiquette, media training, songwriting, music production classes, and he catered to the youth by offering kids performance summer camps.  He also extended Star Factory’s facilities to host auditions for major recording artists such as Salt-N-Pepa, NeYo, and Fabolous who were looking for local talent to bring aboard their worldwide tours. And last year he introduced a growing favorite series of boot camps – eight to twelve week intensive programs in dance, artist, production, and music industry mogul training.

Like all native Detroiters constantly aware of the ghost of Motown past, Brandon Smith began threading together the talent that came through Star Factory’s doors, put his marketing cap on and singled out artists he could personally mold and promote through the company.  He garnered success with local artists Jig (a choreographer who’s performed with Missy Elliot and Gnarls Barley), Pen Pal (a songwriter signed to Clarence Avant’s publishing company who’s written for The Game and Chris Brown), and most recently Princeton (an R&B crooner with street buzz who had a local hit with a song entitled “Get Her Number Part 2”).  Encouraged by the success of Jig, Pen Pal, and Princeton, Smith is now grooming an all girl R&B group called BOI, and working with a 17 year old “churban” rapper/producer named Drew32.

Smith continues to write songs under the alias of “Squeeze” and has penned tunes for Trey Songz and the Backstreet Boys and has worked with platinum selling producers such as Troy Taylor and Bei Maejor.  He’s currently in the lab creating music for a Dominican-American male Pop-N-B quartet out of New York City called Tha Heights.  His passion however, continues to be with developing Star Factory’s brand and cultivating the talent in his backyard.  “I love helping people who have a passion” he says, “it fuels me and inspires me as do Bible scriptures, vivid colors, great conversations, memories, and positive energy.”  And when asked how he sees himself and his company progressing he answers, “ I want Star Factory to be the McDonalds of music dreams with branches in all of the major entertainment markets where people from all over can come and realize their dreams.”