Eliot Pister, the long-time Vancouver-based songwriter/producer, certainly knows about producing under pressure. Having nearly completed a seven month, self-inflicted songwriting fundraiser called the 30 Week Challenge he has mastered the skill of turning inspiration into finished product. During the 30 weeks he has written, recorded and released to his fan base, a song-a-week for public scrutiny and comment, and eventually, purchase.

Of course, after 15 years of operating a recording and post-production studio called Greengate, Eliot had a lot of musical influence from which to draw. Combining rhythmic and lyrical textures a John Mayer or Jason Mraz with the lush arrangements and rich vocals of seasoned Adult Contemporary artists, Eliot writes songs that run the gamut from radio-friendly pop and uptempo guitar anthems, to playfully jazzy or dark-themed soundtrack pieces. His songs focus on the intricacies of relationships on one hand, while hitting the lighter side of post-adolescent life on the other, many with a sharp wit Dennis Miller would envy.

Beginning as a professionally-trained recording engineer from Columbia Academy of Arts some 17 years ago, he’s been behind the board on well over 100 artists’ projects. As a producer, Eliot has in his career, recorded and produced for artists as varied as Carolyn Dawn Johnson (Arista Records), Mike Carew, The Non as well as dozens of ethnic artists from around the world. He has also scored soundtracks for independent films such as Hitching Home and Madagascar Pink.

Now, with a renewed focus on writing for Film and Television, Eliot Pister brings a considerable amount of skill and experience to the table. He says, “I believe I’m uniquely suited to writing for the TV/Film arena; given my writing, production and engineering background. To be able to deliver a highly professional-sounding product on a tight timeline, you need to draw on all of these skills. Hopefully my work demonstrates that.”

Two-time Grammy-nominated producer Frank Fuchs (Whitney Houston, Billy Braggs) agrees, “Eliot has a solid sense of melody, and definitely knows how to deliver a good hook!”. Berkeley College of Music’s Pat Pattison puts it even more simply, “Great songwriting. Great production.”