Team - MusicNSW

Staff

Laura Murdoch

Laura Murdoch

Acting General Manager
Executive Producer

Laura has worked with MusicNSW as the Executive Producer since 2017, working with the team to deliver all services and programs across NSW. Leading strategic program development for the organisation, Laura has delivered outstanding results and continues to grow MusicNSW’s reach and impact.

A black and white photo of Helen, who is smiling at the camera

Helen Henry

Community & Digital Strategist

Helen leads development and delivery of strategic communications and partnerships to support MusicNSW programs and a thriving NSW music industry. Helen is a talented musician and dedicated communications specialist with a wealth of industry experience. She is driven by a deep desire to foster rewarding careers for musicians, cultivate thriving and inclusive music communities, and drive recognition of the value of contemporary music.

Close up of Kaleena Smith

Kaleena Smith

First Nations Development Coordinator

As First Nations Development Coordinator, Kaleena’s role is to provide direct support to NSW-based First Nations creatives, and connect them to opportunities and resources that will help sustain their music endeavours.

Jane Slingo

Jane Slingo

Acting Government Relations and Policy Lead
Board Member

Jane Slingo has worked in the electronic music sector since 1994. Her career path over the past two decades or so has included working as a promoter, publicist, street press editor, booking agent, tour manager and artist manager.?Jane founded Young Strangers in 2006, a boutique music business providing management services to a small roster of electronic music artists including Set Mo and Sampology.

Since 2016, Jane has been Executive Producer of Australia’s Electronic Music Conference and she is currently on the management board for Music NSW and a member of APRA’s Club Music Advisory Group.

Board Members

Julian Knowles

Chair

Julian Knowles is a musician, producer and senior academic. He has worked in the Australian and UK independent music scenes since the early 90s. One of his bands, Even As We Speak, achieved chart success in the UK and were among a handful of Australian bands to record sessions for John Peel on BBC Radio 1. Following recent documentary and book projects on their UK label Sarah Records, the band reformed for recording and touring, and is currently releasing through Emotional Response (USA) and Rough Trade (UK/USA). As a producer/engineer, Julian has worked with a broad range of artists, including ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Ed Kuepper.

Julian has wide governance experience in the not-for-profit arts sector. He was Chair of QMusic for a 6 year period, working on the development of BIGSOUND towards a flagship national music industry event. He served as a member of the Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts and has since been a frequent peer assessor.

In his academic career, Julian has held a range of senior roles, specializing in the modernization of music degree programs to reflect current industry practices. He has been a Head of School and Associate Dean across 4 universities and is currently Professor of Music at Macquarie University.

Kristy Wilson

Kristy Wilson

Treasurer

Recently appointed MusicNSW Treasurer Kristy Wilson completed her Diploma of Accounting in June 2017. Currently Kristy works as the Tax Manager at film and tv specialist firm Above The Line Accounting and also is a Bookkeeper for music technology start up Jaxsta.

Kristy began her career in finance as the Business Manager for boutique investment company Romulus Management. She then undertook specialist tax training at H&R Block for whom she had completed three tax seasons.

Kristy also brings a wealth of experience working in the music industry where she was National Event Administrator for the Big Day Out (2005-2011), freelance music publicist, and project manager MusicNSW.

Jane Slingo

Jane Slingo

Acting Government Relations and Policy Lead

Jane Slingo has worked in the electronic music sector since 1994. Her career path over the past two decades or so has included working as a promoter, publicist, street press editor, booking agent, tour manager and artist manager.?Jane founded Young Strangers in 2006, a boutique music business providing management services to a small roster of electronic music artists including Set Mo and Sampology.

Since 2016, Jane has been Executive Producer of Australia’s Electronic Music Conference and she is currently on the management board for Music NSW and a member of APRA’s Club Music Advisory Group.

Vic McEwan

Vic McEwan

Vic McEwan is an interdisciplinary artist exploring sound, video and installation. He is a producer and director who is interested in landscape, communities, remote spaces and cross art form collaboration. Vic is the Inaugural Arts NSW Regional Arts Fellow. This involves Vic working as the 2015 Artist in Residence at the National Museum of Australia, exploring human engagement with the landscape.

Vic is also undertaking a major arts/health project in the UK with Manchester University and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital working towards the use of contemporary arts in trauma reduction. Vic has devised, developed and presented a diverse program of past work involving major partnerships with multiple outcomes ranging from flood trauma recovery to interactive gallery installations.

Emily Nichol

Emily Nicol

Emily Nicol is an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander media professional based in Sydney. Working in a diverse range of positions within media, Emily currently produces/presents ‘Making Tracks’, the drive time show on Sydney’s Koori Radio, is a digital producer with NITV, and a freelance journalist with articles featured in such publications as The Guardian, SBS Life, Time Out.

Recently Emily was Guest Editor for a special edition of Time Out Sydney ‘The Deadly Issue’, which was nominated for a Mumbrella Publishing award. Emily curated the first official dedicated Australian Indigenous playlist for Spotify, launched during NAIDOC Week 2017 – ‘Black Australia’ and has been a guest speaker on Spotify Music panel on Diversity and Inclusion in the music industry on a panel for the Inaugural Women in Music Empowerment Day.

Emily is enjoying being back in front of the camera producing and presenting a series of movie reviews for Indigenous Australian films for the Ozflix platform. She is also a part of the Audiocraft conference programming committee, offering a voice for community radio and the diverse voices within audio and podcasting in Australia.

Kathryn Holloway

Kathryn Holloway

As General Manager of Cattleyard, Kathryn continues to work with Groovin the Moo, THE PLOT and pursue her love of management in the music and community sectors with Newtown Festival, NGO’s such as Side Of Stage (CanTeen).

From 2004 – 2010 Kathryn coordinated the 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards project (supporting and giving airplay to the regions up and coming artists) for the Nation’s Broadcaster (ABC). In-between each annual event, she started building her career in publicity by learning from the best in the music PR business and taking on a variety of roles for Gadigal Music and ABC Music with Homebake, Waveaid, Bluesfest, Soundwave and Groovin the Moo rounding out her festival experience.

She has had the privilege of working as a programming assistant at some of Australia’s finest arts festivals – Perth International Arts Festival (2007 & 2008) and Sydney Festival (2010 & 2011).