Creative Connectors

Aubrey Williams is the Event Director of Backwoods Festival held at Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, US. In this Creative Connectors episode, Aubrey takes us on a journey from yoga changing her life and how this brought her to the workshop space at festivals, a pivotal part in her path to becoming the Event Director. She shares how festivals acted as therapy for her and her partner and the magic they h...

Chris Williams is the Marketing and Programming Manager at Noisily Festival held in Leicester, UK. In this Creative Connectors episode, Chris takes us on a journey from his involvement in Glade Festival, through his decade in marketing and how he landed at Noisily Festival. He chats about his double life organising free raves whilst also working for the UK government and gets into the nitty-gritty...

DJ Fish Eye is a Psytrance DJ, producer and co-founder of Intermind Records. In this Creative Connectors episode, we chat about his DIY days and the beginning of his connection to music and creativity. We delve into the barriers and blessings of knowledge sharing, identifying he was in the wrong career and his love for creativity. He speaks passionately about the utopian nature of the dancefloor a...

Karen Bryant is the Chief Executive and Creative Director for Midsumma Festival which is held in VIC, Australia. In this Creative Connectors episode, Karen sheds light on the unique approach to Midsumma which provides an opportunity to choose your own festival adventure across 22 days and their ongoing work in mentorship and community development. She shares her journey from theatre directing and...

Jared is the Creative Director for Skydance Festival which is held in NSW, Australia. In this Creative Connectors episode, Jared talks us through what brought him and the founders to create a festival on top of a mountain post covid. We delve into the impact that other events like Burning Man and Subsonic had on his perceptions of challenging societal norms and breaking the mold through collective...

Flufee is a Conscious Showman who is involved in the creation and organisation of Shindig Festival in the UK. In this Creative Connectors episode Flufee takes us on a wild and wonderful journey of how his life became entwined with events, performance and creative expression. He discusses the impact substances and key books had on his life path, how he ended up joining the circus, got the name Fluf...

Felix Beltran is one of the Directors of Parallel Festival which is held in Spain. In this Creative Connectors episode, Felix talks about the influential experiences and festivals that inspired him and his co-directors to develop something of their own, the key role festivals play in helping us to navigate life's challenges and the importance of giving back and respecting the local community....

Melissa Carey is a multidisciplinary artist from Perth whose art has been shown at multiple festivals across Australia and beyond. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode, Melissa takes us through her journey from the corporate world to full-time artist and the realisation she had around sharing her gifts. She discusses her love and drive to encourage others to tap into their creativity, how t...

Ryan Wilmot is music producer and Director of GMC Events a UK live event production agency, specialising in festivals, music and extreme sporting events around the world. Some of the projects Ryan's involved in include Shindig Festival, The Common at Glastonbury, Circolumbia, Shambala Festival and Arcadia to name a few. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode Ryan discusses the impact the acid...

Donna Sparx is Head Hoop Honcho at Hoop Sparx, which offer hula hoop classes, community, courses and beyond both in and outside of festivals. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode Donna takes us through the unusual path she took to running a successful hooping business, the role festivals played in this journey and how she had dreams of a different circus-related journey.  Discover a ne...

Boaz is a Photographer whose work has taken him to many festivals in Australia and internationally. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode Boaz shares his journey in discovering photography as a form of expression that changed his life. He delves into how he formulated a career around festival photography after studying anthropology, the importance of being able to step away and simply enjoy...

Marc Pascal is an Australian Light Artist who works across many festivals through ambient lighting, lasers and installations. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode Marc shares his path from being a creative child to now helping to create the adult playgrounds we know and love. We explore his early encounters with Rainbow Serpent, how Burning Man was his catalyst to create whatever he could c...

Grigori aka VDMO is an International VJ (Visual Jedi) and founder of VJ Union. In this Creative Connectors podcast episode Grig talks us through his journey from event producer to artist, what it means to be a Visual Jedi and everything that goes into creating digital work that's live and represents the moment you are experiencing. We explore trends in technological shifts and how these have drama...

Callan Morgan is a large-scale artist and founder of Pelican Studios which brings together artists, designers and technical experts to co-create innovative projects that blend art and technology to benefit the community and environment. In this Creative Connectors episode, Callan shares his journey from circus performance and graffiti art to Burning Man and the pivotal people and moments that help...

Asher Gunzburg is the Director and owner of Alchemy Decor which creates shade sale structures at music events both large and intimate across Australia. In this Creative Connectors episode, Asher provides true insight into the hard graft it takes to make the beautiful sails that protect patrons from the harsh elements. He offers advice for those looking to navigate both creative and festival indust...

Kenny Lemire is one of the Directors of Lucid Space Design who create bamboo structures and art for festivals across Australia. In this Creative Connectors episode, Kenny shares with us how his studies in architecture resulted in him and his business partner Will developing sustainable large-scale structures. Kenny provides great insight into their creative process, the impact Burning Man had on h...

Chris Lath is a sound engineer and Owner/Director of Purple Audio who create premium sound experiences at some of Australia's biggest festivals. In this episode, Chris takes us on his journey from collecting vinyl to becoming a mature-age student and getting his first audio work experience at live music gigs through his uni lecturers. We get into the nitty-gritty of what makes a great sound set-up...

This Creative Connectors episode was recorded live at Interstellar Groove Festival in Victoria Australia, April 23rd. The panel includes Kasey Taylor (DJ and Vapour Records Label owner), Karina Foster (Flow Artist and Performer), Brent Mirams ( Thankyou City ) and Sass Pritchard (DJ and previous music marketeer). In this panel discussion we delve into how they entered the industry, what challenges...

Jacob McMillan is one of the Directors of Sprout and Rootbound Festival in Australia. In this episode we're talking all things green and eco given that's at the core of Sprout and Rootbound which are two festivals which have combined to have an even greater positive impact on the planet. We discuss the influences that spurred Jacob to go all in on his dreams and create a festival with enviro pract...

Lincoln Savage is the Director of Yonder Festival and Brisbane Street Art Festival in Queensland, Australia. In this episode, Lincoln shares his love for creating safe, warm experiences that transport you to a new dimension whilst explaining how the DIY nature of raves and parties inspired him to work in events. Gain insight into his journey with festivals, the challenges in event planning along w...

Josh Keys is one of the Directors of  Hopkins Creek , a multi-day music festival set in a huge crater in country Victoria, Australia. In the first in-person episode of Creative Connectors we come live from Josh's living room and discuss the birth of Hopkins along with its concept of an intimate gathering in an infinite space. Josh delves into his fascination with dance floors and the energy t...

Max Stettner is one of the Directors and Event Manager of  Dragon Dreaming  &  R.E.G.E.N  Festival which is held in NSW, Australia. In this episode, Max provides insight into his journey from punk bands to electronic music and how tree planting has formed such an integral part of his life and the festivals he's been a part of. We delve into the individuals and influences th...

In this episode join Lydia Booth as she shares her journey and passion for festivals through dance, costume design and performance curation. Lydia touches on her early influences including pagan festivals and her love to wiggle, along with her valuable experience living and teaching in Japan. We discuss dance as a form of meditation, the lists that got her through lockdowns and how COVID-19 enable...

Kicking off season 2 with a bang is Matt Bonner, Creative Director of Festival 23 . Matt takes us on a wild journey from growing up in South Africa to the hectic UK rave scene that cemented his love for music and community. Hear about the path he paved as Australia became home, working in film/TV on likes of The Matrix whilst also being involved in forest blockade fundraisers and festivals includi...

Arula Chelsea Kirby is a Musician, movement teacher and sound healer from the US. Arula takes us on the journey of how societal norms took her away from the arts, and a breakdown threw her back into reviewing her joy for expression. In this episode, Arula talks to festivals as an expression of freedom and places of experimentation as well as healing. We cover topics that include imposter syndrome,...