Toronto’s loss of performance venues and recording spaces due to pandemic shutdowns has meant less spaces for local artists to create, grow, and be discovered.

The solution? Transform the shoe store into the studio. We set up shop in the basement level of the Foot Locker Toronto flagship store, staffed it with experienced engineers, videographers, and up-and-coming producers, and then issued one simple challenge to the city’s young musicians: record a full-length song and music video—in 1 hour. Then we turned what we captured into an official music video series and backed it with paid media to get the artists free promotion and exposure.