A pair of South Okanagan promoters are going head-to-head in the running to win a Canadian Country Music Award.

Pentictonsa国际传媒檚 Jim Cressman, president of Invictus Entertainment, is vying for back-to-back wins. Summerlandsa国际传媒檚 Paul Biro is hoping to bring home his first CCMA award. Both are nominated for the Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year category and will find out Sunday who the winner is.

Cressman has won the award numerous times, most recently in 2016 and 2014.

sa国际传媒淚 feel great. Ultimately industry awards are partly a popularity contest among the membership and a by-product of daily rituals and habits in your work life. My team and I are always growing, learning, and striving to add more value to the clients we work with and that mandate is noticed by the membership, who are kind enough to recognize and reward us for it,sa国际传媒� he wrote to the Penticton Western News in an email Thursday while en route to Country Music Week.

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The four-day industry and fan event is happening in Saskatoon, Sask., ending with the two-hour awards ceremony.

In addition to his personal nomination, Invictus Entertainment Group is also up for Booking Agency of the Year and Management Company of the Year.

sa国际传媒淭hey all have meaning. I like to win Management Company of the Year because I get to see Louis Osa国际传媒橰eilly deliver a great speech, or Agency of The Year, because Rob Cyrynowski gets up to speak and accept the award. So cool to see those guys who have aligned their vision with mine to build this brand. Winning Talent Buyer/Promoter of the Year is substantial too, because the award itself is named after one of my mentors, Ron Sakamoto. Theysa国际传媒檙e all an honour,sa国际传媒� he stated.

A number of the artists Invictus represents are also up for awards including Aaron Pritchett, Brett Kissel and Dan Davidson.

Pritchett and Kissel are both nominated for Male Artist of the Year while Davidson is up for Sirius XM Rising Star.

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Kissel is also up for several other awards including Country Music Program or Special of the Year, Interactive Artist or Group of the Year, Video of the Year for I Didnsa国际传媒檛 Fall in Love With Your Hair, Single of the Year for Cool With That and Songwriter(s) of the Year for the same tune who he co-wrote with Ted Hewitt and Phil Osa国际传媒橠onnell.

sa国际传媒淚 met Brett Kissel when he was 12 years old on the steps of the Macdonald Hotel in Edmonton in 2004. He was just putting his name out there and introducing himself to people in the business. He was forthright, professional, humble, confident, articulate and had a great pitch. I was blown away by his charisma and character. I remember saying, sa国际传媒榢id, if you can sing half as well as you present yourself, yousa国际传媒檒l be a massive star.sa国际传媒�

Biro spent most of his career in Calgary, then moved back to the South Okanagan about nine years ago. Hesa国际传媒檚 originally from Oliver. Besides the Promoter of the Year award he is up for the company he works for, Sakamoto Agency, and several of its artists are up for a number of other industry awards.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檇 be lying if it wouldnsa国际传媒檛 be fun to have one those,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 think I have a spot in the house. It would probably go right on the dining room table. Or maybe it would be better at the front entry.sa国际传媒�

The award is named after his mentor and partner Ron Sakamoto, one of the biggest names in Canadian Country Music. Sakamoto won the Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year award so many times in his career they finally just named it after him.

sa国际传媒淩on Sakamoto has 50 years in the business. Hesa国际传媒檚 a great mentor, just an incredible guy to work with, great insight into the business,sa国际传媒� said Biro.

Birosa国际传媒檚 received nominations from the CCMAs for Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year at least three times in the last decade. His career in the music industry spans 25 years.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 always huge. Itsa国际传媒檚 always an honour to be nominated. Win or lose. Itsa国际传媒檚 kind of like, you feel like itsa国际传媒檚 an honour to have your peers recognize you,sa国际传媒� he said.

Although hesa国际传媒檚 got his fingers crossed hesa国际传媒檒l hear his named called Sunday, he said hesa国际传媒檚 most excited and nervous for the artistsa国际传媒檚 he works with.

Sakamoto Agency represents Washboard Union, which is up for Group or Duo of the Year and Roots Artist or Group of the Year.

sa国际传媒淚 can remember the first day I met them on the streets of Nashville. Now, to the fact they are on an awards show. They won a couple awards last year and having just gone through the paces with them over the last year and the last four years, itsa国际传媒檚 been incredible,sa国际传媒� he said.

Sakamoto also represents Northern Alberta country sensation Aaron Goodvin who is up for the Sirius XM Rising Star award. Goodvinsa国际传媒檚 debut single Knock on Wood was a Top 40 hit and was followed by Top 10 smash hits Woman in Love and Lonely Drum.

sa国际传媒淭wo years ago no one knew who he was. Itsa国际传媒檚 incredible to watch this journey,sa国际传媒� he said.

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Biro was part of the team tasked with putting together the Rockinsa国际传媒� River Country Music Fest in Merritt this year. The festival is nominated in the Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year.

sa国际传媒淲e were able to get Willie Nelson to that this year,sa国际传媒� he said.

Biro said it was always his goal to return to the South Okanagan.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a fantastic area to live in. That I get to do this job at this level from the Okanagan Valley is just killer. Itsa国际传媒檚 outrageously awesome.sa国际传媒�

Sakamoto Agency is also up for Booking Agency of they Year.