Kemic Smothers began practicing Entertainment Law in 2002. Born and raised in New Orleans, working in the entertainment industry is merely a natural state of being. Kemic’s background as a musician includes clarinet and bass clarinet in the orchestra.

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Kemic is an 8-year Army veteran where he served as a Combat Medic and Licensed Vocational Nurse. In 1998 he graduated from Southern University at New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a focus on early childhood development, and a minor in Criminal Justice. Kemic earned his Juris Doctor degree from Southern University Law Center in 2002. While a student at SULC Kemic founded the Health Law Society, a student organization created to allow exploration and legal opportunities within the professional healthcare community. He also served as 2001-2002 President of the Student Bar Association.

 

As a practicing attorney, Kemic has done legal work with numerous independent record labels and artists in film, television and music, and negotiated contracts with such industry heavyweights as BET, MTV Networks, TVT Records, Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment, and the Oxygen Network. Other entertainment industry endeavors include music festival productions, artist/band management, event promotions, artist development, and strategic marketing.

 

As the Chief Operating Officer of OAKSway Entertainment, Kemic is responsible for contract drafting, review, and negotiations. Kemic also handles the legal and business matters concerning artists, booking, tour coordinating, and promotions. OAKSway manages the business matters of our artists by maintaining strict focus on their overall brand. OAKSway Entertainment has partnered with the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation’s Bringing Down The House artist development program.

 

Kemic Smothers is the founder and Executive Director of the New Orleans Media Arts Institute, an organization focused primarily on cultivating professionals within the music industry. Launched in 2015, NOMA I is an entertainment industry small business development company designed to improve the capacity and business acumen of New Orleans area small businesses that operate in the entertainment sector.

 

Kemic has served as mentor for the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation and has served as guest panelist on many music industry forums, seminars and conferences. Kemic’s current focus is on developing artists in a digital age wherein the artists have unprecedented autonomy and opportunity, but must also contend with global competition and the constantly evolving potential for disaster.

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Kemic implemented the Music Industry Studies Program at Nunez Community College in Spring 2019. He is currently implementing a 2+2 program of study allowing students to matriculate through two years at Nunez Community College and transfer credits to Loyola University, this completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Industry Studies.