Ryan Preiano
Publisher
Agoria Founder
From a young age, I’ve always had an urge to create; whether it be building lego, drawing, or making music, the passion has always been a part of me. Once music consumed my whole life, I felt a calling to launch Agoria Productions.
I began playing in bands at the age of 13, then quickly wound up hosting my own shows, printing my own merchandise, and eventually I even renovated my parent’s basement into a recording studio. As time rolled on, I noticed how many hard working artists were getting taken advantage of by unfair promotion companies, or grossly over paying industry corporations for the merchandising of simple t-shirts. I know what it’s like to be a struggling artist, so I decided to use the tools at my disposal, from my own personal experience built up over the years, to begin helping artists in the local community while keeping their best interests in mind. Following the success of several live events and an increasing influx of merchandise orders, I guess you could say I’ve been pretty busy since Agoria’s conception.
Agoria was founded to be a one-stop-shop; by artists, for artists, 100% hassle free. The goal: provide high quality products and services to other artists or small businesses at an affordable rate without compromising on quality. A large feat, but one the artistic community desperately needs. To this day, I and the Agoria team work endlessly to achieve these standards for the sake of the music. I am happy to say, based on our large number of repeat clients, we consistently meet and exceed expectations.
When I’m not working on music related endeavours with Agoria, I am typically dedicated to creating even more music under the alias Fluffio. However, when I occasionally take a break from music, you can find me cooking in the kitchen, tinkering with my cars or hanging out with my cats.
Jess Bertan
Editor-in-Chief/Lead Reporter
The B-Side Founder
You may not know me now, but if you don’t already, I promise you will. My name is Jess, and I’m the most passionate music journalist hot off the press. If you want to know one thing about me, I’m a natural-born storyteller, and I’m dying to hear yours.
Throughout my adolescence and into my high school years, I excelled in two main talents: music and talking. Music has been there for me my entire life; I took piano lessons from the age of six, then moved on to train at the National Ballet School for nine years. At age 13 I decided to teach myself how to play guitar, which became a lasting element of my high school identity.
In school, I always felt most comfortable in an English class. I’m a sucker for narrative features, where I’m able to combine my prior musical background and my creative writing skills to paint a portrait in words.
When it came time to choose a field of study, Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism was always my first choice! I’ve always had an eclectic music taste, and I get to pursue my ultimate dream job in the field of music journalism.
At the end of the day, I study people. I take a genuine interest in the stories of others. When conducting interviews, I delve into the unconventional questions that no other reporter thought to ask.
The B-Side is a blog dedicated to upholding a professional standard in our coverage of local music. As Chief Editor, Reporter, and fellow music enthusiast, I ask that you please crack open a cold one and sit with me to chat about your art-, and that’s on the record!
Lucas Bustinski
Assistant Editor
Writer/Reporter
Since a 7th-grade future careers assignment, I’ve known that I want to write. I was never quite sure what I wanted to write, and I still haven’t landed on anything yet, but nothing has come as easy to me as writing.
Eventually that drive to write brought me to Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism, where I could write about anyone or anything that had a story to tell. I felt drawn to journalism due to the ever-changing variety of the stories to tell and the methods by which journalists can use to tell them.
Aside from writing, one of my biggest passions has always been music. For me, listening to music has been a way to connect with the past and remember what life was like when I was avidly listening to a song. From hearing my dad play classic rock during car rides, to discovering The Beatles in 8th grade, to diving into the depths of alt-rock when I began university, music has always been a staple in my life. Since 2020 I’ve taught myself to play the bass, which is how I spend a lot of my free time.
If I’m not writing or playing bass, you’ll find me reading, longboarding, walking around my neighbourhood, or vibing with my cat, Cheddar Jalapeño.
Leo “Truffles” Montero
Lead Photographer
Ever since I was little, I’ve found a fascination with photography; how a single moment frozen in time has the ability to drive one or many emotions and interpretations. I had gotten my first camera in my teen years and the rest, as they say, is history.
On paper, I’m a Humber Business Graduate. What gets me out of bed every morning is the urge to create compelling and impactful images, further learning how pictures best suit people, brands, and businesses alike. I am always looking forward to taking on a new shoot or client- this is something I bring to everything I shoot for Agoria and its clients.
Born in Venezuela, raised in Houston, TX and now living in Toronto, I’ve come to experience an assortment of cultures throughout my lifetime. I believe that my exposure to such diverse backgrounds has translated into my photography, giving me the ability to offer different and unique perspectives- welcome to my world!
Greg Burkell
Writer/Reporter
Hello! My name’s Greg and I like to tell stories. Those stories may come in the form of songs or articles or unhinged rants, but the bottom line is that stories are my thing.
I am a lifelong music lover, raised on a diverse yet steady diet of Robbie Robertson, The Flaming Lips, M.I.A and Billy Talent before diving head first into EDM in highschool and then finally being exposed to indie rock in my late teens. All of these genres and artists still influence my taste today.
I spent my highschool years investing my time in music, creative writing and the dramatic arts: performing in plays, writing scripts and making music on my computer in my spare time. In college I focused my efforts on the musical, forming lifelong friendships throughout my time at Fanshawe College’s Music Industry Arts program. During my time in college my friends and I joined forces to form local indie rock band, In A Bag. I also create electronic music through my solo project Kidmakebeat.
There is no greater joy in life than sharing your passions with people who want to listen, which is why I’m so excited to be writing for The B-Side. I hope you all get a kick out of what I have to say.
James Bunga
Photographer/Reporter
My photographic journey got its start when I was in middle school. Initially, I fell in love with street photography and the concept of finding beauty in everyday life-, capturing those precious moments that can’t be described in words.
I’ve always been passionate about music, but my fascination with live shows really began to take off in high school. Here, I was introduced to various different types of music that captivated my interest. I got pretty involved with the Toronto music scene, and every weekend I found myself attending whatever local show was happening in the city. It wasn’t until I started my first year of journalism at TMU that I started photographing music events. I quickly became obsessed with fine-tuning my ability to illustrate live music’s intense energy and emotion in a still frame. Now, I’m continuing this work with Agoria Productions & The B-Side, and looking forward to what the future might bring!
Aside from music photography, I’m also a dedicated cyclist. You can find me doing everything from riding dirt jumps to going on multi-day bike-packing expeditions, always ensuring to document my adventure along the way on-camera.
Nick “The Slick” Mokrzewski
Writer/Reporter
Raised in an artistic family, I’ve never had much problem expressing myself whether it be through music, writing, or comedy.
My passion for writing was discovered while completing my Post-Secondary studies at Seneca for Radio Broadcasting then a BFA in Film Production. While in school I had the chance to become the News Editor for the school’s newsletter. I’m driven by learning about, creating and celebrating art and I am happy to bring that to Agoria Productions writing for The B-Side!
Writing about music is second nature to me, as I’m a musician at the core. I started at the age of nine singing classical and musical theatre. A few years later, at the age of 13 I then started playing guitar and bass which led me to form my first band. Since then, I’ve had the honour to work on varying projects with many of Toronto’s talented musicians. Currently, I front my own indie-rock-shoegaze project Whisper Gang and am a musician in Fluffio’s RPC.
Away from the pen and off the stage, I am a big sucker for watching and critiquing films, going to concerts and an avid consumer of coffee and chocolate.