ABOUT US

The team behind Mana Music & Media has been in some of the most important rooms in the music world. Our collaborators include an Olivier Award winner and Tony and Grammy nominee whose orchestrations have shaped some of Broadway's most celebrated productions — Come From Away, Motown The Musical, Memphis, Addams Family, Back To The Future and dozens more. A Tony-nominated, Olivier-nominated composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans three decades and seven Grammy Award-winning albums. A world-class vocalist, pianist, and recording artist based right here on the Big Island whose voice has traveled far beyond the islands.

And at the center of it all: our founder, Michael Surprenant — Berklee-trained drummer, record producer, mix and mastering engineer, and filmmaker with 30+ years in professional music, including sessions and stages alongside 20+ Grammy-winning artists.

We built Mana so that independent artists and island businesses could access this level of craft without needing a label, a major budget, or a flight to New York. The pedigree is real. The studio is here. And every project we take on gets the same standard we'd hold a Broadway opening night or a Grammy submission to.

New York & Hawai'i-based. World-class by design.

OUR STORY

Sarah Bethany, Michael Surprenant and Bryan Crook have been playing and creating music for their entire lives. Their talents combine with an eclectic team of artists and enormous pool of sought-after musicians to produce world-class music in their private recording studios in Hawai'i and New York. Their deep friendship and understanding of the creative heart and mind is the foundation of their approach to making music. Come be a part of the Mana Family! Aloha!

OUR TEAM

Michael Surprenant

Since founding Mana Music & Media in 2010, every album Michael produced has either won or been nominated for awards, including Contemporary Acoustic Album of the Year, Jazz Album Of the Year, and Engineer of the Year. Michael has produced, engineered or mixed for Marvel Studios, Lucas Films, Sony Pictures, Skywalker Sound, Disney, Viacom and over 200 independent artists. He produced songs for a multi-platinum selling songwriter and played live or in the studio with over 20 Grammy Award winners, including Delfeayo Marsalis and Donald Harrison, He is known for bringing the best out of artists in the studio and being able to produce music in virtually any genre.

Sarah Bethany

Sarah B has extensive song writing and studio experience. She recently had her song Speak Easy featured in the opening scene of the hit ABC show "The Company You Keep". In addition to producing her own music, she also loves co-writing and empowering other artists, especially women and indigenous peoples, to make their dreams a reality. Sarah's voice and playing have been heard on radio stations around the world. Her passion to create fresh, inspiring music is what drives her.

Bryan Crook

Bryan is an award-winning composer, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist and producer for Broadway (Book of Mormon), television (Smash) and film (Ice Age 4). His work has been featured in Grammy, Tony, and Olivier award winning productions. He is honored to be an orchestrator for Motown the Musical and Back to the Future the Musical working alongside the Great Alan Silvestri and songwriting legned Glen Ballard. He has produced music in some of the world's most famous recording studios.

Ku'ulei Perreira-Keawekane

Ku'ulei is a powerful young Hawaiian artist, soulful singer, and multi-instrumentalist. In addition to her love and passion for making music, she also serves as our cultural advisor. She provides a crucial piece to our work in Hawai'i; ensuring that cultural sensitivity guides our productions. Ku'ulei brings a distinctive musical style and background to our team and loves creating music. She recently had two songs in the Top Five at Five on our most popular Hawai'i radio station.

August Eriksmoen

August is a Grammy nominated producer and award winning orche- strator. His music has been heard by millions from his work on the Billboard Music Awards, film and TV, to award winning Broadway shows including: Come from Away & Bright Star. August recently orchestrated songs for the hit TV show Only Murders in the Building with Steve Martin and Martin Short. His world-class studio chops of more than 10 different instruments can be heard on hundreds of records spanning many genres.