Australian Music Week (AMW) is a music, film, and entertainment industry conference event that takes place in the venues around Australia’s beautiful Cronulla Beach, 30 minutes south of Sydney.
The only event of its kind in NSW, AMW is designed for music lovers, artists, and industry professionals as a chance to hear the latest emerging talent, connect, network, and do business together. Australian Music Week conference dates for 2017 are November 1-3, The showcases are open to all genres, with artist applications available from March 14.
Meet the Team
AMW has some of the industry’s most experienced people operating behind the scenes to ensure AMW is a huge success for attendees and stakeholders.
GEOFF TRIO (Festival Director)
Code One / Indica Australia
Booking Agent / Programmer / Label / Management www.codeone.net.au
Geoff Trio has been at the helm of Code One for over a decade.
After studying filmmaking and playing in bands in his youth, Geoff started his 25-year career in the music industry as booking agent. Taking the DIY approach, Geoff is responsible for starting some of Sydney’s most iconic venues including Cronulla’s The Brass Monkey and Newtown’s The Vanguard and serving as creative director for numerous festivals such as, Peats Ridge, Cronulla Jazz & Shiraz, Sydney Blues & Roots and Sounds Of The Suburbs. Geoff has been a strong advocate for the Australian music industry. He has participated in numerous national and international events, including speaking as a panellist at Australia’s Fuse and Big Sound and at international conferences in the USA and Canada, including Canadian Music Week in Toronto.
Geoff’s other ventures include: A touring agency for international and domestic artists like Riblja Čorba (Serbia) and Gregory Page (USA) and a plethora Canadian acts including The Trews, Serena Ryder, Hawksley Workman, Tim Chaisson, Joel Plaskett, Jill Barber and Jeff Martin of The Tea Party.
A management company – Big Daddy Wilson and Folk Uke (Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson); A label & consultancy agency – overseeing booking at 5 venues and organising several key festivals Including Sounds Of The Suburbs; and Managing Director of the full service company Indica Australia, a division of the Canadian label Indica, representing Montreal’s Half Moon Run and Australian artists Hein Cooper and Tora.
Geoff is also proprietor of The Brass Monkey and Cronulla’s famous Mexican restaurant/bar, El Sol.
SCOTT MESITI (Festival Director)
As with a lot of music industry people Scott grew up playing in bands and was fortunate enough to tour and record internationally. Always adopting the independent DIY approach, it was here that Scott learned the basics of the music industry.
Scott was programmer Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie for 10 years since it started in 2005, a 3000 capacity boutique festival, that’s BYO and 50 metres from the beach.
Scott is also director of Cross Section Management which he started in 2010 with Ted Gardner. Cross Section currently manage The Cairos, Zefereli and FloatingMe.
In 2014 Scott started touring company S4 Productions. In it’s first 12 months, S4 has launched pop-up festival Drop In, announced a 10-date UB40 tour and worked with acts such as From The Jam, Michael Franti, The Rubens, Angus & Julia Stone and promoters including Bluesfest Touring and Live Nation. In recent news, S4 Productions has merged with UK-based company The MJR Group and will now trade in Australia as MJR Presents. This major investment and rebrand will help to build stronger links between both companies and the UK and Australian music live and promotion scene.
JAD NAKHLE (Food & Beverage)
In 2002 Jad bought Cronulla’s only exclusively live music restaurant, The Brass Monkey (www.brassmonkey.com.au). 13 years on and it has now become an iconic part of Sydney’s music scene, by continuing to host many internationally celebrated artists, as well as some of Australia’s most famous musical talent and giving up-and-coming young artists an opportunity to break into live music performance.
Jad expanded his interests by taking ownership of the already well-known local Mexican eatery & bar in Cronulla, El Sol Mexican restaurant, (www.elsolmexican.com) in 2006. Since then, Jad has actively developed the business, including introducing a live music element, ensuring its sustained popularity since 1997.
Continuing in his restaurant success, in 2013 Jad opened the Middle Eastern/Moroccan restaurant, Yalla Sawa (www.yallasawa.com.au), in Cronulla. Within its first year, Sydney Good Food Guide named Yalla Sawa in the Top 20 Best Restaurant Openings in 2013. In addition, Yalla Sawa has received several highly commending full-page reviews in Sydney Morning Herald & The Daily Telegraph.
Branching out in his career, Jad is now part owner and Food & Beverage Manager of the laneway festival, Sounds of the Suburbs (www.soundsofthesuburbs.com.au). This festival has been steadily growing, with increased success, for the past two years.
JONATHAN HOWELL (Conference Manager)
Jon Howell is the co-director of Sydney-based artist services company Rhythm Section. Rhythm Section specialises in publishing, artist management, tour bookings, publicity and promotion, and has strong connections in the Australian festival market.
With a focus on rock, roots, americana and blues, Rhythm Section’s current and past clients include Matt Andersen (CAN), The Grahams (US), Joanne Shaw Taylor (UK), Sandi Thom (UK), Cass Eager, Lloyd Spiegel, Nancy Vandal, Chase The Sun, Marshall Okell, Claude Hay, Eddie Boyd and The Phatapillars and more.
In his spare time Jon unwinds by reliving his youth by playing drums in blues bands.
RYAN VAN GENNIP (Marketing Manager)
Ryan Van Gennip has been working in the music industry wearing many hats over the past 20 or so years. Co-director of Australian Music Week (AMW), currently fulfilling the position of marketing manager and production manager for the event.
Ryan is a founding director of the music business Rhythm Section (RSM). RSM has been operating for 5 years now and specialises in tour bookings, PR and Marketing services as well as operating as an international tour promoter.
Before establishing his alter ego as a music business digital nomad, Ryan also has had an extensive career as a studio and touring musician. Performing nationally and internationally with artists such as iOTA, Joanne Shaw Taylor (UK), Chase The Sun, Marshall Okell, Charlton Hill, and Claude Hay to name a few.
