The Great Escape 2019: International Delegates

Grid of faces of international delegates

The Great Escape 2019: International Delegates

Meet the people we've invited to this year's festival in Brighton

The Great Escape festival is back once again from 9 – 11 May 2019 for another jam-packed programme of new UK music. We’ve invited music industry people from all over the world to join us in Brighton, on the south coast of England, to soak up the sounds on offer and discover the best new bands and emerging artists! Year after year, our guests make connections and discover artists that they later go on to work with at festivals around the world. Previous delegations have gone on to work with British acts like Blue Lab Beats in Morocco or Kero Kero Bonito in Indonesia, to name just two.

 

The Great Escape 2019: Meet Our International Delegates

If you’re at The Great Escape 2019 and would like to connect with our delegates then why not get in touch? We’ll also be online via Twitter throughout the festival.

DIEGO KNOBLOVITS, Argentina

Coordinator of Artist’s Development and Counselling Area, 432 Hertzios

Diego is a producer based in Buenos Aires with ten years of experience in the music industry. He was involved in different roles and activities both in the public and private sector. He is currently heading the area of Development and Counselling in 432 Hertzios, the music company he also co-founded. His main activity is the management of musical projects and live events production. His role includes the design of the work and production plans for different artists: planning their shows and their participation in tours, festivals and markets. The artistic projects he manages include Juana Molina, La Delio Valdéz, Julio & Agosto and Mariana Paraway. He also held positions as artistic curator and general producer in venues such as Ciudad Cultural Konex and for the Argentina National Ministry of Culture, and for events like MICA (Argentina Cultural Industries Market), Lollapalooza Festival and the Youth Olympics games.

 

VICTORIA FERREIRA, Argentina

Venue Manager / Event Programmer & Producer, La tangente (venue)

Victoria is a journalist, venue manager, events producer and programmer based in Buenos Aires. She received her degree in Communication and worked for eight years (2008-2015) as a writer and editor for DMAG, a fashion, lifestyle, music and art magazine. She made her way into the music industry first by getting in touch with artists, bands and DJs as a reporter and interviewer, later as a producer and host of the Wednesday nights at local bar Río Café, and finally got completely immersed in the vibrant cultural scene of Buenos Aires by becoming the show programmer at La Tangente, the venue where she´s been working since its opening in 2015. Her everyday job consists on being up to date with the most relevant acts in the city and booking them, as well as inviting well-known artists to the stage, coordinating the venue’s and band´s staff, and ensuring all production aspects of the shows she books.

 

DIEGO FABIO MARQUES, Brazil

Artistic Director / Music Producer CoMA Festival

Diego is a music producer and artistic director at the CoMA Festival and has worked in the music business since 2004. Alongside his responsibilities for CoMA’s line up and working as part of the team responsible for its conference, Diego produces albums, shows and other festivals. As a music producer he works with emerging Brazilian artists such as Scalene, Trampa, Dillo, Hover and Bella Scheneider. In 2016, Diego was awarded a Latin Grammy for the album Éter by the band Scalene in the category Best Portuguese Language Rock Album. He has acted as Festival Curator for Festival CoMA, I Have More Discs That Friends, Rock Without Borders and others.

 

FABIANA BATISTELA, Brazil

Director, SIM-SP / Semana Internacional de Música de São Paulo

Fabiana started her career as a music journalist in Bizz magazine. In 2002 she founded Inker Cultural Agency, a project and communication company for music. The company has brought more than 100 international bands to Brazil in 16 years, and in 2013, she founded SIM SÃO PAULO: THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC WEEK OF SÃO PAULO. It is the largest music convention in Latin America that takes place during five days in the city of São Paulo, and has become a reference for professionals from all sectors of the music industry, artists, and journalists from Brazil and other countries to meet. The themes covered in the event focus on the new music market and the conference aims to highlight and discuss new ideas and concepts that are transforming the world scenario, and stimulate the constructions of networks. It presents more than 70 panels, around 200 concerts in 25 different music houses in the city, speed-meetings and meetups. In 2017, SIM received 2,500 accredited members from all over Brazil and 21 countries, in addition to having an audience of 30,000 people circulating through all events for five days. In 2018, Fabiana was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year prize by the Women in Music event.

 

MARCELO DAMASO DE ARUJO, Brazil

Director / Programmer, Festival Se Rasgum

Marcelo is a music festival and venue programmer and a former journalist. Since 2006, he has been organizing the Se Rasgum Festival in Belém, where over 300 bands have played, including Brazilian and international groups. He plays bass in a band called The Baudelaires, and guitar with the singer Ana Clara. He is a partner-owner of Ziggy Hostel Club in Belém, a venue dedicated to music and arts. As a journalist, he has written and edited several articles about music and arts, and he was the editor of a magazine about the music from Amazonia.

 

PAOLA FIANDANESE WESCHER, Brazil

Artistic Director, Popload / Booker

Paola Wescher has worked in the music industry for more than 16 years and is a member of Popload, one of the main music platforms in Brazil that includes: Popload News – a website with daily news from the music world (led by journalist Lúcio Ribeiro); Popload Gig – international shows that take place almost every month throughout the year; Popload Festival – a one day festival that presents national and international bands to an audience of more than 17,000 people per year; and Social Popload – an initiative that connects NGOs with volunteers in exchange for gigs and the festival’s tickets. She is also responsible for producing and creating all brand activation that takes place at Popload Festival. In addition to promoting and producing her own shows, Paola acts as booker for bands and festivals in South America, with brands such as Heineken, Spotify, Diageo, Ray-Ban, Nubank, TNT, Banco do Brasil, Multishow, Secretaries of Culture in São Paulo, Curitiba and Belem, among many others. She has promoted bands in South America such as: Lord, Nick Cave, LCD Soundsystem, The XX, Iggy Pop, Weezer, Pixies, Wilco, Phoenix, Sigur Rós, The Libertines, Tame Impala, Cat Power, MGMT, Belle & Sebastian, Chet Faker, John Legend, The Roots, Franz Ferdinand, Metronomy, Eagles of Death Metal, Spoon, The Hives, 2ManyDjs, Ratatat, Breakbot, Beach House, The Kills, Devendra Branhardt, Unknow Mortal Orchestra, The Breeders, Teenage Fanclub, The Drums, Mudhoney, Feist, The Lumineers, Warpaint, Kings of Convenience and many others.

 

LILY TAN, China

Marketing Manager, Split United

Over the last 10 years, Lily Tan has helped put together hundreds of tours for international artists in China (from Owl City to Godspeed You! Black Emperor), been part of the core organising team for six music festivals (Black Rabbit, Echo Park, Wood + Wires, Wooozy Weekender, JUE | Music + Art, and Concrete & Grass), created compelling music projects for some of the world’s leading brands, and developed deep insights into the indie and underground music industries in China and the broader East Asia region. As the ticketing lead for some of the most significant rock, alternative and electronic music tours throughout China, she has a keen sense of what works on the ground, and how to generate buzz for alternative and counter-culture events in the country. From her unique position as both music fan and music analyst, Lily identifies emerging artists with breakout potential in China, and helps outsiders navigate the country’s complex music landscape. 

 

ROSS MILES, China

Artist Manager and Agent, Scorched Asia

Ross Miles is a booking agent, artist manager and music promoter at Scorched Asia, and the driving force behind Wooozy.cn and the Wooozy Dimension stage at the Concrete & Grass Music Festival. He has over 12 years of experience at the frontlines of underground music around the world, and over half a decade in China. Ross moved to China in 2012, and has worked to build Scorched Asia into one of the most significant names in pan-Asian touring and management. His tours have included artists like Julia Holter, Tricky, Mumdance, Princess Nokia and Craig David – a repertoire spanning an eclectic range of genres and styles, but always good music by artists at the top of their game. He’s also worked with Koreless, Oneohtrix Point Never, A$AP Ferg, Rico Nasty, Little Simz and Young Fathers, among others, for the Wooozy Dimension stage at Concrete & Grass. For the 2017 edition, he worked with the pioneering UK online radio NTS Live to curate a stage. He’s also partnered with Deezer to create custom playlists and booked artists for every major festival in the region, including Clockenflap, Sonar, Fuji Rock and others. Ross manages a number of exciting young Chinese artists, including Howie Lee and Scintii, and has taken the emergent sound of young China to festivals and showcases in Europe, UK and beyond – most recently at the China Changing Festival at London’s Southbank Centre.

 

MAUREEN NOE, Germany

Head of Office, Musicboard Berlin

Maureen Noe is the Head of Office at Musicboard Berlin, a state-owned funding institution for pop music in Berlin. Before this she has worked in sync and marketing at Budde Music and in the field of communications and event management in various arts, music and urban development projects. She holds a master’s degree in Arts and Media Management from Freie Universität Berlin.

 

ANIRBAN CHAKRABORTY, India

Director, Rock Street Journal

As founder, manager and vocalist of the iconic electro-rock band Orange Street from 1994–2007, Anirban Chakraborty has toured through Europe playing at major festivals. Since then, Anirban’s career has seen him move into music production and composition of advertising films for over a decade, with successful campaigns like “Tata Tea – Jaago Re” and getting nominated on Mirchi Awards for the song “Mar Jayian” in the feature film “Vicky Donor”, directed by national award winning film-maker Shoojit Sircar and further getting mentioned by Bollywood heavyweights like Shankar Mahadevan for his songs on the feature film NH10 directed by Navdeep Singh. However, his passion for indie-music has always remained an important part of his life, and he is now Director for the Rock Street Journal and was festival director for the week long INDIA MUSIC WEEK editions from 2012-2015 that spanned 25 venues, 3 cities showcasing 50 artists (domestic and international) and hosting a 2-day music conference inviting 150 delegates in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy. He is committed to discovering new talent and helping to nurture and support the independent music scene. He also consults as A&R advisor and music supervisor for talent management and music publishing agencies in India and abroad.

 

TENMA, India

Musical Director / Musician / Founder, Madras Records / Casteless Collective / Madras Medai / Art'd Entertainment

Tenma is a strong voice and music advocate for creating an inclusive independent music community in the South India Arts scene and wider cultural landscape. An Indian music producer, composer and musician with over 13 years’ experience in various musical projects and acts including: The Madras Indie Collective – a non-profit initiative for the promotion of arts and its eco system in Chennai; record label head and co-founder of Madras Records and Art’d Entertainment; Festival Director and Curator of Madras Medai 2018; band leader, Music Producer and Musical Director for India’s Largest World Music Ensemble Band, The Casteless Collective; film composer for Irandam Ulaga Porin Kadaisi Gundu (The Last Atomic Bomb from World War II).

 

NIALL BRADY, Ireland

Social Media Manager & Assistant Booker, Homebeat

Niall works in marketing and as a promoter, specialising in arts and events. Niall’s former roles include Marketing Executive at the National Museum of Ireland, Marketing Assistant at Body&Soul music and arts festival and as a social-creative and copywriter at Maximum Media. Niall has previous experience in film and television production and has worked in production roles for Disney Australia, the BBC, and RTÉ. At Homebeat, Niall works in marketing and as an assistant booker. Niall joined the team in September 2018 and has worked on multiple events ranging from intimate showcases to large-scale shows. Niall has also taken on the responsibility of the marketing for Another Love Story, an Irish music and arts festival celebrating its sixth year this August.

 

JACOPO BETA, Italy

Head of Booking, Linecheck festival / Futurissima / Hangar Booking

With over 18 years of experience in the music industry, mainly in the live and booking sides of the industry, Jacopo is now head of booking at Linecheck festival – the main showcase festival in Italy – as well as at Futurissima, a new 360 label-management-booking-publishing company started in Milan in 2018, and also at Hangar, the small boutique agency he founded in 2017.

 

CHRISTOPH STORBECK, Italy

Freelance Consultant / Artist Manager / Director of Striker Entertainment

Christoph Storbeck is the head of the conference programme at Italy’s leading conference Linecheck. He also manages indie-folk songwriter Fabrizio Cammarata from Palermo, Sicily, the dark-western outfit XIXA from Tucson, Arizona as well as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah from Philadelphia. Christoph also takes care of international relations and logistics for the award-winning indie-rock tastemaker festival Ypsigrock, Castelbuono, Sicily. He has booked tours, tour-managed and promoted concerts in Italy and abroad, represented labels and co-ordinated releases internationally. Christoph was German-born and raised but has been a frequent traveller to Italy for almost 20 years and was a founding member and representative of the Music Managers Forum in Italy within the IMMF.

 

DANIELE RUMORE, Italy

Founder of Homesleep Records / Director, Covo Club, Bologna

Born in Ancona in 1977, Daniele Rumori has been working in the independent music industry for 20 years. He has lived in Bologna since 1995, where he founded Homesleep Music (widely considered by the Italian press to be the best Italian independent label) and worked as its artistic director until 2009, releasing bands like Giardini Di Mirò, Yuppie Flu, Julie’s Haircut, Fuck, Cut and Midwest. He has been one of the directors and the music curator of Covo Club since 2004, one of the most renowned indie music clubs in Italy. Covo hosts around 100 bands every year, from local to international acts. Despite its 250-person capacity, the club has hosted bands like Mumford & Sons, Franz Ferdinand, The XX, The Libertines, Mogwai, Portugal The Man and Beach House. Covo has also hosted many bands that have played at The Great Escape Festival over the last few years including Black Lips, The Go! Team, Gang Of Four, Johnny Flynn, Metronomy, Mystery Jets, Noah & The Whale, The Joy Formidable, The Pains Of Being Pure At Hear, Blood Red Shoes, Broken Social Scene, Everything Everything, Japandroids, These New Puritans, Villagers, Band Of Skulls, Pond, TOY, We Are Scientists, Drenge, Deap Vally, Mac De Marco, Parquet Courts, The Orwells, Wolf Alice, Albert Hammond Jr, Fat White Family, Gengahr, Slaves, Blossoms, John Grant, Shame, The Amazons and IDLES – to name just a few of them! Under Daniele Rumori’s direction, Covo Club has extended its range, promoting concerts in churches, theatres and other clubs. From 2011 to 2015, he worked as the artistic director of Bolognetti Rocks, Bologna’s most important music event of the summer season, which hosted among others Julian Casablancas, Billy Bragg, Anna Calvi, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ty Segall, Kurt Vile, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Deerhunter, Glen Hansard, Johnny Marr and Wire.

 

MARIA QUINTIERI, Italy

Artistic Director, Ausgang s.r.l. / MONK

Maria is a member of Ausgang s.r.l., a company that deals with artistic productions on the Roman territory and that manages the multicultural space, MONK. For more than ten years she has been working in music. Maria took her first steps in music as a manager of small bands. She took care of festivals and exhibitions in Italy and, for a time, in Shanghai. Maria also occasionally works as a tour manager for Italian and international bands and she collaborates with some festivals as a stage manager and production manager. For four years Maria has found her home in MONK where she mainly deals with programming. MONK is music in all its forms: theatre, dance, expo, food experience, families, markets, festivals, but above all a place to create and give space to new projects.

 

MATTEO AGOSTINO, ITALY

PR / Label Co-Manager / Promoter, Costello's / Circolo Ohibò / Sherpa Live

Since 2012, Matteo has been working for Costello’s, a landmark in the Italian independent music scene, especially in Milan. With this agency, Matteo has been managing two main venues up to now: Circolo Ohibò in Milan and Tambourine in Seregno, on the outskirts of Milan. In recent years, working with Sherpa Live (another one of Costello’s brands), the agency has been producing various events for many interesting names in the international music field such as Angel Olsen, Jens Lekman, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Chad Valley, Sleaford Mods, Ought, Nothing, Merchandise, Lee Ranaldo, Pontiak, Crocodiles, Strand Of Oaks, Marissa Nadler, Lust For Youth, Blouse and more. They also produced tours in Italy for artists like Frontier Ruckus, Barbarisms, Astronauts, Nation of Language, French For Rabbits and many more. Moreover, thanks to its talent scouting activity, the agency has organised most of the gigs in Milan for the new big Italian indie artists such as Calcutta, Cosmo, Thegiornalisti, Giorgio Poi, Ex-Otago and more.

 

ROBERTO CAMMARATA, Italy

Founder & Promoter / Booker / Label Manager, FAT Sounds / Candelai / Ypsigrock Festival / Mina Vagante Dischi

Born in Palermo, Sicily in 1979, Roberto is a musician, producer and booker. He is the musical and artistic director of Candelai, a 400-person capacity live club in Palermo and works on the production of festivals like Ypsigrock. He also runs a music studio where he works on productions (recently La Rappresentante di Lista, Omosumo). He is the founder of Fat Sounds and label manager at Mina Vagante Dischi.

 

CHINEDU OKEKE, Nigeria

Founder, Gidi Culture Festival

Chinedu ‘Chin’ Okeke has been a key player in the Nigerian music scene since 2009. He has been involved in talent management for some of the biggest talents across TV, film and music across Africa. He first made a name for himself by securing a multi-year Pepsi endorsement deal for a somewhat unknown artist at the time, Lynxxx. He’s consulted on brand strategy and development for a wide range of brands from Bollinger to Nokia. Since he took a step back from management, he has focused on developing talent. Over the years, Chin has brought an eclectic group of musicians and producers together to form the Collectiv3 who have since released two albums to challenge the status quo and are setting a new precedent for the type of music coming out of Nigeria or that could even make it onto radio. Chin is the co-founder of Eclipse Live, a live entertainment company leading in promotion and production. It is best known for its flag ship property, the Gidi Culture festival which started in 2014 and aims to reach a capacity of 10,000 this year. Gidi Fest represents the progression of urban youth culture in Africa. The festival has featured local and pan African artists, as well as acts from the UK. Chin’s ambition is to bridge the gap between UK and Africa, creating cultural and economic opportunities on both sides. Towards the end of last year, Chin relaunched the booking arm of his agency as Eclipse Booking Agency which is motivated by his vision to see more diverse African artists on international stages.

 

MAHEEN SABEEH, Pakistan

Journalist / Assistant Editor, The News

Maheen Sabeeh is a journalist who covers the Arts in a prominent Pakistani publication called 'the News' with a focus on music. Maheen has been in the industry for over ten years and has a strong grip on the Pakistani music scene. She has been a freelancer for the Express Tribune and Dawn Images which are both renowned publications in their own right. She is familiar with several artists in Pakistani music and tries to feature and showcase as many diverse artists as possible through her work. The artists she has featured in her work are from folk music as well as the mainstream, independent artists, groups, bands, record labels and many more. She has gained a valued reputation in the music sector as an unbiased and discerning independent music journalist. She is connected with almost all of the music artists and is excellent at promoting art shows, music events and bands through her knowledge and mastery of craft. Her achievements include serving on the jury of the prestigious Lux Style Awards on several occasions.

 

NICOLAS OMAR DIOP, Senegal

Co-Founder, Deedo

Nicolas is the co-founder of Deedo, a socially engaged African music-streaming app, targeting markets in emerging countries and diaspora communities. Launched in November 2017, Deedo is already available in France, Senegal, Mali, Côte D’Ivoire and Gabon. It offers nine million tracks and the catalogue will be growing very soon. Straight on Deedo’s front page, you’re in Africa, with artists from the whole continent and the Diaspora featured on the homepage. In 5 years, Deedo will be launched in 28 countries in total including 19 West and Central African countries, 6 European countries, the USA and Canada; becoming a major actor of Pan African Music streaming. His aim is to address the 3 other regions of Africa : East, North and South. Deedo is available on iOS, Android and Web-player. Nicolas is also a rapper going by the name of ‘Nix’ and started his solo career in 2003, releasing his first studio album Black Crystal that had huge success in the French-speaking countries of West Africa. Since then, he has released seven other musical projects and received 14 nominations and six awards in Senegal. He has also collaborated with renowned artists such as Disiz, Oxmo Puccino, Wyclef Jean, Jerry Wonder, Daara J Family, Omzo Dollar.

 

TOM CAIRNES, SIERRA LEONE

Freetown Futures, Executive Director

Tom was born and raised in the UK and has been living in Sierra Leone for the last 15 years. During the day he manages ManoCap, an impact investment business focused on supporting and growing local companies in West Africa. He also helped to set up, and is currently the chairman of, the Welbodi Partnership, a charity that supports childhood and maternal health in Sierra Leone. Finally, he has long been involved in the music industry in Sierra Leone, founding the annual Freetown Music Festival and promoting a range of live musicians aiming to establish themselves locally and in the region.

 

KEVIN FOO, Singapore

Director / Artist Development / Business Development, Foundation Music LLP

Kevin is a seasoned music industry professional with more than 15 years’ experience in the entertainment and talent management industries. He has a proven track record in identifying, producing and developing music talents from Southeast Asia, and effectively creating international export strategies. Kevin started his music journey as a producer and engineer in 2003. In recent years, he has been successful in developing artists through the music management agency he co- founded, Foundation Music LLP, which currently manages artists like Linying, Charlie Lim, Evanturetime, Jesse Ruben, Maricelle, brb. and The Steve McQueens and is the booking agent for a selection of other local and regional acts. He has also booked and managed tours for these key acts, resulting in some breakthrough platforms for these artists at Summersonic (2015, 2016, 2018), SXSW (2017, 2019), Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Melbourne Music Week, BIGSOUND Festival, Zandari Fiesta, Brisfest, OzAsia and many others. As the co-founder of Independent record label Umami Records, he has played a crucial role in Artist Development, as well as the distribution and promotion of the music of artistes like Linying, Evanturetime, brb., Theodora, Nicco Homaili, Martin Baltser, The AZN Sen$ation, Phoria, The Steve McQueens, Evanturetime, Campfire, Oya Paya, HubbaBubbas, General Lee, Maricelle and many more. Umami Records also releases key international Indie acts like Phoria (UK), Oya Paya (UK), Martin Baltser (DK), Oriental Cravings (AU), Aquila Young (AU) and many more. Kevin is also currently a NOISE mentor (since 2017), a SHINE Talent Development Program Mentor (since 2017), a Baybeats Budding Band Program Mentor (since 2018) and a Council Member of The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO).

 

LEE YIN WEI, Singapore

Assistant Manager (Sector Development) National Arts Council, Singapore

Lee Yin Wei is an Assistant Manager with the Sector Development team for Music at the National Arts Council (NAC). As an erstwhile musician, he got plugged into Singapore’s independent rock music scene in his teens, accruing experience in areas such as marketing and stage management over more than a decade. Yin Wei joined the NAC in 2017, and is currently part of a team formulating and implementing music policies and programmes, with the aim of inspiring people and connecting communities through music, putting Singapore on the global map in the process. Yin Wei has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the National University of Singapore.

 

MARCIA TAN, Singapore

Managing Director / Festival Producer, 19Sixtyfive Pte Ltd

Marcia Tan is 19sixtyfive’s founder. She serves as the head of the music and arts company and oversees the 19sixtyfive brand implementation in all its various forms. Marcia started 19sixtyfive in 2003, and steadily carved her own path through the local entertainment industry in Singapore. She is most well-known for executive producing five editions of Laneway Festival Singapore, where more than 100 indie musicians were booked. Her efforts have energised the regional indie music scene. In her publicist role, Marcia has also led the company to launch sold-out shows in Singapore for Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes, Muse and Metallica.

 

TSE WEI KOK, Singapore

Deputy Director (Sector Development) National Arts Council, Singapore

Kok Tse Wei is the Deputy Director for Performing Arts and Music at the National Arts Council (NAC). He believes that music has the power to transform lives and should be accessible to people from all walks of life. Over the course of more than a decade, Tse Wei has published stories as a music journalist; worked with New York City-based organisations such as Jazz at Lincoln Centre, the League of American Orchestras, and Spaceworks in various capacities, from communications and marketing to research; and taken on a range of roles at the NAC, from PR to arts education and youth arts. Currently, Tse Wei leads a team of passionate individuals to formulate and implement music policies and programmes, with the aim of inspiring people and connecting communities through music, putting Singapore on the global map in the process. Tse Wei has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University in New York City.

 

GABRIELLA PEPPAS, South Africa

Festival Director, Zakifo

Gabby is the founder and creative backbone of Durban consultancy company, Ilifindo. Gabby is one of the passionate pillars behind the annual Interpret Durban event (Durban’s biggest collaborative art/music gig), Project Sandman, The Durban Sandcastle Contest, the Non Profit, Durban Spoke and Director of Zakifo Muzik Festival.

 

WEBSTER KASONGO, South Africa

Promoter / Manager, Elite Events

Webster Kasongo is a Zambian artist manager and events promoter based in Lusaka with sound knowledge of the entertainment industry with respect to management, events and PR. He is a sought after consultant for festivals and shows, many of which have included international acts. He has managed and grown the careers of several top rated Zambian DJs including Sebastien Dutch, Dj Drill and Ms Selfie (one of few female Zambian DJs). His stern and focused style of management has seen him trail blazing in the entertainment industry with the recent boom. He has positioned himself as a one stop solution provider for all arts management, guidance and advisory services. His vast knowledge and consistency of show and artist management equip him to handle difficult tasks that are faced in the day to day running of the arts business. Constantly learning and looking for scalability opportunities, Webster is on track to take on bigger and more complex challenges and levels of professionalism.

 

NYAMBURA MUNGAI, TANZANIA

Festival Director, Ongala Music Festival

With over 15-years working closely with musicians primarily from East and Southern Africa, Nyambura has been involved in creating programs that concentrate on music development of the artistes via workshops, master classes, cross border exchanges, performance opportunities and sharing of knowledge. She has worked & volunteered her skills in various festivals across the region and outside of the continent, through her work with Jeunesses Musicales International and Music Crossroads International. Nymabura assists in artist management, builds up profiles of musicians in the region and curating the shows. She co-founded and advocates initiatives which raise awareness of the environment and conservation. Currently Nyambura is working with the team of Ongala Music Festival, which is a tribute and celebration of the music and spirit of the renowned musician, Remmy Ongala. She is responsible for the overall structure of the festival, working hand in hand with the festival team to ensure that we create a unique festival experience. Nymabura is also involved in networking and developing a communication strategy that gets the vision across.

 

HERMAN KABUBI, UGANDA

Arts Market and Festival Programmer, Bayimba Festival

Herman Kabubi is an Arts Market & Festival Programmer, Arts Consultant, Arts Coordinator, Curator and a performance Poet under the name Slim Emcee (UG) the poet. He is the Director Programmes at Bayimba Cultural Foundation based in Kampala, Uganda, where he programmes a number of events throughout the year. These include Amakula International Film Festival, DOADOA – East African Performing Arts Market, Bayimba International Festival of the Arts, Kampala International Theatre Festival and the Bayimba Honours. He is also consulted on programming other festivals and events within Uganda as well as the entire East African region. He is currently working on the 6th edition of DOADOA which will be graced by various stakeholders with in the performing arts sector all over the world.

 

EUGENE KIBETS, Ukraine

Promoter, Happy Music Group

Eugene has been a concert promoter since 2006 and is the founder and manager of HMG (Happy Music Group) concert agency. Past projects include working with Korn, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Onyx, East 17, Red, Henry Rollins, Skin, Everlast, Monarchy, Balthazar, Fink, God Is An Astronaut, Lee Scratch Perry, Uriah Heep, Godsmack, Steven Wilson, Morcheeba, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Crystal Castles, Nothing But Thieves, Rick Wakeman, Swans and Psychic TV.

 

KATERYNA MALIUKOVA, Ukraine

Concert Director, Masterskaya, Ivor Dorn

Kateryna Maliukova started her career in the music industry from doing PR campaigns for Ukrainian artists like Boombox and TNMK (2010), organizing club parties and events (2011), and providing local touring for international acts like Sophie Ellie Bextor and MUSE (2011). In 2012 Kateryna started providing booking services for Ukrainian bands, including Ivan Dorn. From August 2012 Kateryna was offered the position of concert director for Ivan Dorn. During 8 years of collaboration, tours across America, Europe, Russia and Ukraine were held. Local production tours were organized by Kateryna and her team. Nowadays Ivan Dorn is one of the main music influencers in Ukraine. Being a mentor in the The Voice Ukraine, Ivan lighted up with the idea of opening a music label to support young local bands and artists. Ivan Dorn signed YUKO band and Constantine (members of Ivan’s team in The Voice) and supported them for all album releases and music video filming. Masterskaya is the main label for unique musicians from Ukraine and East European countries giving them a stage and support. In 2018 Masterskaya released 80 artists, 46 albums, 12 singles and EPs, 4 compilations of young musicians, held 4 showcases and presented MASTERSKAYA stages on 3 local festivals. Moreover, Masterskaya booked HER band as a headliner for Masterskaya stage on Atlas Weekend (biggest Ukrainian festival). In 2018-2019 Kateryna focused on promoting Masterskaya and Ivan Dorn to new European markets. She visited ESNS in January 2019 and plans to visit SXSW in March 2019 to meet new people and bring new ideas to Masterskaya community.

 

NGUYEN QUOC TRUNG, VIETNAM

Producer / Composer, Monsoon Music Festival / Thanh Viet Production

Quoc Trung has been the most renowned music producer and composer in Vietnam for the last 25 years. He founded Thanh Viet Production in 2008 and has produced an enormous number of projects for the most prestigious singers in Vietnam, and made his own mark from his world-music project: The Road To Infinity, which was inspired by Vietnam’s traditional music. Since then, Quoc Trung has produced high-class concerts and music projects and collaborated and toured in many countries all over the world with other remarkable international artists. In 2014 he founded one of the first international multi-genre music festivals in Vietnam – Monsoon Music Festival, attracting an audience of 30,000, and it continues to grow every year.

 

TRAN HONG QUANG, Vietnam

Business Development, Monsoon Music Festival / Thanh Viet Production

Quang Tran is on the board of directors and Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development of Thanh Viet Production - an established concert, music festival and event production company based in Vietnam. Quang Tran - a Harvard Business School graduate - started his career in the music industry as a bassist and DJ at the same time. He has strong music industry connections in Vietnam, including producers, artists and agencies. With years of experience working with Thanh Viet Production as a business consultant, Quang Tran decided to join Thanh Viet and took the role of Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development. In efforts of developing Thanh Viet as Vietnam’s leading concert and music festival production company, Quang Tran has been involved in various projects of the company, including Monsoon Music Festival since 2014 and Vietnam Airlines Classic - Hanoi Concert (with the participant of the London Symphony Orchestra) since 2017. Under the strategic direction of Quang Tran and Quoc Trung Nguyen, the General Director of Thanh Viet Production, their team has set standards for international music festival in Vietnam. They will continue to adapt and introduce their music festival model across Vietnam with upcoming projects including Sun Sonic Festival in Danang and Ha Long (July – Sep 2019) and Sen Festival (May 2020).