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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-12 Daily Xml
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St Paul's Creative Centre

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:37): Some weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the new creative hub at St Paul's and met with staff of the new Music Development Office (MDO), who kindly gave me an in-depth tour of the building and its facilities. Arts Development Officer Becc Bates and Senior Music Development Officer Karen Marsh were energetic and inspiring hosts who really brought the vision of this project to life.

With its expansive timber cathedral ceilings and Gothic arches, this new co-working space is certainly conducive to inspiring creativity. While the first tenants of St Paul's are mainly music focused, there is interest in building the presence of the broader creative industries there, and I can really imagine the place humming with activity as it continues to develop. Through the diverse mix of groups that will have a presence at St Paul's, the precinct will drive innovation and support specialised education, training, creative exploration and small business development, with the ultimate goal of increasing the local industry's capacity to succeed in a global market.

What is important to note is that this co-working precinct has an industry face and, while it is a government initiative with the appropriate governing processes in place for guidance, the St Paul's Creative Centre will thrive as an industry-led community of artistic and creative minds. Having the new Music Development Office located at St Paul's positions government at the coalface of this community, enabling agile responses to sector needs and continuous assessment of the relevance of the programs and initiatives that we offer.

The MDO is a partnership between the arts and the industry and innovation areas of the new Department of State Development, and has been set up to strategically link artistic exploration and industry development. This encompasses artist development grants initiatives that are currently delivered through Arts SA, and facilitates access to business, trade and industry development programs through the Department of State Development that music industry businesses may not otherwise have previously accessed or been aware of.

One of the first projects of the MDO is the Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program. To have the endorsement of Robert Stigwood himself, through the use of his name, is an honour. This Adelaide-born entrepreneur was one of the most successful figures in the entertainment world in the 1960s and 1970s, through his management of music groups such as the Bee Gees and Cream, and I was saddened by the recent news of Jack Bruce's passing.

This program aims to inspire and support some of our most promising artists and music entrepreneurs through strategic activities and support that connects participating fellows with global industry representatives for professional and artistic development. The first group of artist and industry fellows started in July of this year and so far the MDO has provided live performance workshops with an internationally renowned producer, partnered with the ABC Adelaide Studios and the Australian Performing Rights Association to host a high profile, national song writing project, and presented live performance showcases at the country's largest music business conference in Brisbane.

Selected by an international panel of music industry professionals that included recent Thinker in Residence for Live Music, Martin Elbourne, Adelaide ex-pat musician and producer, Sam Dixon, Laneways Festival owner, Danny Rogers, and the Sound Australia Export Office, the inaugural Stigwood Artist fellows are: TKay Maidza, Jesse Davidson, Bad Dreems, Luke Million and Echo and the Empress. Currently, two of these five artist fellows are showcasing in New York and receiving increasing interest from international audiences and industry representatives alike.

The MDO has set up social media channels to follow the progress of these artists and to encourage the celebration of their successes so that the next wave of emerging artists have local identities that they can connect with and be inspired by. Similarly, the industry fellows have been receiving one-on-one mentoring with prominent national music manager, Stu MacQueen, of Wonderlick Entertainment. The inaugural Stigwood Industry fellows are: management and promotion company, Five Four Entertainment; boutique label, Pilot Records; music manager, Jennifer Greer-Holmes; and music manager, Daisy Brown.

Through the programs of the MDO and the work that we are doing around developing the South Australian music industry through other initiatives such as St Paul's and supporting the establishment of a new music industry cluster, we are showcasing our young talent and creating an environment for growth and one that people will be proud of and continue to be ambassadors for into the future. I also wish to congratulate and send my best wishes to all of the nominees at the Fowlers Music Awards to be held tomorrow night.

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