How do you make a tour a success? What connections need to be made? What promotion strategies need to be in place?
Music Victoria, in partnership with City of Greater Geelong, Folk Alliance International and Port Fairy Folk Festival will moderate a FREE event to give you insights into the world that is International Touring.
The panel features industry leaders in their respective fields. Hear the battle-stories from publicists, managers, promoters, label-owners and bands and how they navigate the international touring circuit.
Panelists are:
Cat Leahy (The Booking Stable/This Way North)
Carolyn Logan (Penny & Logan PR/Management)
Aengus Finnan (Folk Alliance International)
The Maes
Heidi Braithwate (Riot House)
Dale Packard (Music Victoria)
Cat Leahy:
Cat Leahy is a woman with many projects on her plate! She runs The Booking Stable – a boutique Music Agency launched in Melbourne in 2009, providing a range of booking and management services such as gig and festival bookings, tour planning, industry advice. She has worked with artists such as Liz Stringer, Sal Kimber, Turin Breaks (UK), Ruth Moody (CAN), The Eastern (NZ). Besides the industry stuff, Cat also has over 20 years of experience as a session musician, currently banging the drum for her international touring two-piece
Carolyn Logan:
Penney and Logan have been operating in the entertainment industry for over thirty years as producers, publicist, marketing and management. They have promoted and produced literally hundreds of shows and have a broad experience and understanding of how to strategize to sell tickets, music and to raise artists profile. Their current MgMt Clients are Alice Skye and Fenn Wilson and they produce the Paul McDermott & Gatesy Go Solo show.
Heidi Braithwaite
After previously working for an independent record label and as a band manager, Heidi founded her own publicity company, Riot House Publicity, in 2006. The agency has since expanded to include two other staff members, and continues to work with a varied roster of artists and festivals including Alex Lahey, Marlon Williams, The Jezabels, C.W. Stoneking, The Cat Empire, and the Beyond The Valley and Grapevine festivals. Heidi joined the board of Music Victoria in 2018 and is a member of the AICD. Through her years working in publicity, she has developed skills in media relations, crisis management, and image development/management. After 15 years in the music industry working in record labels, management companies and as the director of her own publicity consultancy, she brings a breadth of knowledge and experience from a marketing and PR background.
Aengus Finnan
is an Irish-born Canadian artist, educator, and arts administrator. Currently he serves as the first non-US Executive Director of Folk Alliance International based in Kansas City. Prior to this role he was the Touring and Audience Development Officer for the Ontario Arts Council in Toronto, was a Program Manager for Community Futures, was the founding Artistic Director of the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, served as the Board President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (now Folk Music Ontario), and taught music in the Arctic. He spent 10 years as a touring singer-songwriter and released 3 acclaimed albums.