Doug Deep

Millions of Canadians have made their way across the border in a search for the level of success that is difficult to achieve in Canada. One prime example is that of Vancouverite Musician Doug Milledge or as fans of his band know him, “Doug Deep”. Although his career here in Canada was slowly but steadily building, his move to L.A. in 2001 coupled with a serious need for the talents he maintains, shot his progress through the roof. If you’ve watched any reality T.V. shows over the past 6 years, the chances are that at some point you have listened to soundtracks that have gone through Doug’s artistic hands. It wasn’t instantaneos however. Doug’s climb required a lot of hard workd and a bit of creative red tape manipulation.

Like many Canadian musicians, during the 90s, Doug felt his talents, although allowing for a meager income, were not fully recognized in Canada. Especially after seeing fellow Canadians, including his own brother prosper in the much larger and lucrative market in LA. He would make frequent trips to the music Mecca, fulfilling the odd contract here and there as either a musician or as music editor for broadcast T.V. and Film. “This was O.K.”, says Doug, but his real desire was to physically move south of the border to take full advantage of the opportunities.

Eventually, after solidifying his contacts, Doug was in a position to move down, and he made the move on August 27th, 2001, two weeks before 9/11. Next, of course, the biggest hurdle to overcome was the working Visa issue. Those that live in the U.S. know that American immigration can be slightly less than flexible, but guided by a skillful immigration lawyer, Doug was able to bend the rules a bit. As it turns out, one way of getting permission to work in the US is to be hired as a Management Consultant. The purpose of the Visa is to enable US companies to hire deemed professionals to help existing management get on their feet. Following the advice, Doug and his brother partnered in creating a corporation and his brother then wrote a request for Doug to assist in the management of the company. Doug then got some of his contacts in Canada to endorse his qualifications as an individual capable of doing the job.

He was now free to work one year at a time developing his company by bringing in contracts. The first two years were spent doing just that, but it wasn’t long before he found himself being offered a position as the chief staff member of the Landau Music Group. “Russ Landau is one of the top television composers and music royalty earners in L.A.,” says Doug, “He is extremely busy and I feel fortunate to work with him.” Russ Landau has composed and produced the music for the Survivor series, Fear Factor, Average Joe, Lost, Sea Quest and a whole host of other extremely popular shows. However, before getting the position, he was asked to solidify his Visa status even further. A visa consultant at that time walked Doug through the process of obtaining the coveted 01 Visa -or- the Extraordinary Abilities Visa. “The 01 Visa is what all the big entertainers and athletes down here get. Brande Lindsay, was fantastic! I owe her a great deal for helping me out.” Says Doug. By that time, NBC and a long list of well known business people were more than happy to endorse Doug’s application as someone with truly extraordinary abilities.

We asked Doug about the benefits or difficulties associated with being a Canadian breaking into the LA music scene. “American’s still love to poke fun at Canadians.” He points out. ”Canadians are so nice. Canadians are so friendly. They almost mock us for it. The flip side of it all is that we are also considered trustworthy. I also find Canadians to be free thinkers. Even some of my most respected American counterparts tend to be hung up and regimented by US traditions. I can tell you this, I’ve never been denied work because I’m a Canadian. I guess the only difficult part about being a Canadian is breaking into the independent music scene. It’s a tight group down here and it takes a long time to get to know the people and places.”

The future looks bright for Doug. He seems pretty satisfied with what he’s been doing so far but its apparent that he has a talent that is in high demand. He plans to merge his business in Canada with the one in the US to create a truly multinational company giving him the ability to hire employees that can work on both sides of the border. In the mean time, in addition to the work he does with the band and with T.V. production Doug finds time to help others that are just getting started in the LA music industry.

Doug has worked hard at creating a level of success that is extremely difficult to achieve in Canada and has done so brilliantly. Despite the bureaucracy that US immigration loves to throw around, he has prospered. It’s great to see another Canadian succeeding abroad.
- The Canadian Expat.com