Adam is Music Promoter and Festival Programmer at The Great Escape, a festival known for showcasing 500 emerging artists across 30+ venues in Brighton and a pop-up festival site in Brighton Beach. It's one of the leading places to discover new talent in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages. TGE is also attended by music industry professionals who are on the hunt for the next big thing. featuring a conference with panels, debates, keynote speeches, and networking opportunities.  

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As Global Vice President of A&R at Downtown Artist & Label Services, Bryan leads the signing of artists and labels for distribution and services. Downtown offers music distribution, marketing, project management, and funding, supporting emerging and established talent in achieving commercial success while retaining control of their rights. The roster includes artists like American Authors, Colbie Caillat, and TV Girl, as well as labels like Alzada and Kurate.

Caitlin-Finn Ballard is a live booking agent at ATC Live in London. Ahead of her current role, Caitlin studied sound engineering, played in bands, and worked in various frontline music jobs. Caitlin started her booking career at Solo Agency, advancing to assistant, then booker, and eventually agent at ATC Live, where she brought artists like The Dandy Warhols. Her roster is diverse, including 23 artists, 70% of whom are female or non-binary, such as Temples and Poppy Ajudha.  

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Chris Douridas is among the premier musical tastemakers in the world. He began his career as music director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic, at the Los Angeles NPR station, KCRW-FM, one of the most progressive radio stations in the US. His career spans A&R roles at Geffen and Dreamworks Records, hosting PBS's Sessions at West 54th, and creating Sessions at AOL. Douridas was also a Creative Programming Consultant for iTunes. His film work includes American Beauty and the Shrek series. He continues to champion the best new artists from around the world on his weekly KCRW radio show, and at School Night, his new artist live showcase series in Hollywood, Nashville, Toronto, London and Sydney. 

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Daisy Goodwin is Head of A&R at Heavenly Recordings and one half of Heavenly Jukebox DJs. She hosts two monthly shows on Soho Radio, where her passion for discovering new music shines through. Daisy is known for her keen ear for talent and her role in curating and promoting music that resonates with a broad audience, making her a key figure in the music industry. 

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Jackie Palazzolo is a Music Supervisor based in Los Angeles, overseeing Esports Music Supervision at Riot Games. She also contributes to various projects for Riot's acclaimed games League of Legends and VALORANT. Previously, she led Music Supervision at VICE media, working on various Emmy-nominated series. With over a decade of experience, Jackie has also consulted on films and series for HBO Max, Netflix, and Showtime. Her expertise spans a wide range of media, making her a versatile and sought-after professional in the industry.

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James Minor is the VP of SXSW Music Festival, which is celebrating its 39th season in 2025. SXSW Music is the largest music festival of its kind in the world, with 1244 acts from 59 foreign countries performing at 65 venues in 2024. With over 25 years in the industry, Minor has worked in artist management, tour booking, and talent buying for venues in Austin and NYC. He's a strong advocate for emerging talent and has spoken at major conferences worldwide, including Primavera Pro and MIDEM. His leadership at SXSW continues to elevate the festival as a global platform for music discovery. 

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Joyce is one of the concert promoters of Ancienne Belgique, a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one of the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts. Joyce's passion for music is reflected in her collaborative projects with local and international artists, as well as her involvement in various music festivals and cultural events. As a community-driven entrepreneur she also advocates for more diversity and representation in the music industry (on, behind, and off stage). 

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Karl Fowlkes is an internationally recognized entertainment lawyer, entrepreneur and music business professor who has negotiated groundbreaking deals in the entertainment industries while remaining committed to disruption and new media. Building his own practice – The Fowlkes Firm – he’s negotiated over $60 million worth of deals for artists, athletes, music producers, joint ventures, innovative record companies. In addition to building The Fowlkes Firm, Karl is an equity partner in EVGLE LLC, a full service recording, publishing and venture company home to chart-topping artist Blxst.  

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As a synch agent with Midnight Choir, Kevin collaborates with independent artists worldwide, helping them secure synch opportunities across the globe. With over 14 years of experience in synch, Kevin has successfully placed music for major brands like Apple, Subaru, and Budweiser, as well as for TV series on leading networks and streaming platforms. His diverse career spans working in both the USA and Australia, along with extensive experience touring and releasing albums, giving him a deep and multifaceted understanding of the music industry. 

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Livia Piomelli is a partner and head of A&R for boutique publishing & recording company, Maison Arts. At Maison, she takes a multifaceted hands on approach to creative development. She prides herself in finding talent early on, taking risks in underserved territories and strategically utilizing the team’s vast network to create opportunities for clients globally. Livia has worked with top-tier talent across all genres and co-founded Motion Creative, a nonprofit supporting community-building in underserved areas. Her goal is to uplift diverse voices, create safe spaces for creatives and executives, and A&R records that positively impact culture.

Narayan Wallace is the founder of LUSTRE, an independent record label, music publisher, and artist management company with over 1 billion streams. LUSTRE represents Grammy-nominated artists and operates globally with partners in NYC, Paris, and London. Narayan's primary focus is creative direction, A&R, and artist development. He has a strong interest in the intersection of psychology, creativity, and sustainability. Narayan drives LUSTRE's strategy to support the song-crafting process and ensure strong storytelling and creative marketing for each project. 

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Oskar Strajn is one of the bookers of ESNS – Eurosonic Noorderslag, Europe's largest live music industry event based in Groningen, the Netherlands. He works closely with the Music Moves Europe Awards, the yearly music awards given during the festival every year, as well as the ESNS Radar & Analytics project manager. In the past, Oskar has worked as radio dj, journalist and event promoter. 

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Paul Jones is the A&R Manager at Rough Trade, where he's been for 15 years. He's played a key role in signing artists like Black Midi, Jockstrap, and Warpaint. Paul also manages bands like Shame and Black Midi through Rough Trade Management. Before joining the industry, he was a guitarist/songwriter for Elastica and Linoleum. Paul remains passionate about discovering exciting new music and continues to play guitar daily. 

Sarah Tembeckjian is an independent music supervisor based in Brooklyn with a focus in Advertising. She got her start at dms.FM / Downtown Music Publishing, and later switched sides into music supervision with in-house positions at Vice Media and dentsuMB, a boutique advertising agency. Today, Sarah holds a regular contract position at Apple, while pursuing independent projects in parallel. Sarah’s background is rooted in classical music studies, which informs her approach in seeking music for film. She has an insatiable appetite for music discovery, and is particularly motivated by innovation in music production and composition. 

With background in management, radio and as a DJ, Sindri has been a part of the Icelandic music industry since he was 14. In 2012 Sindri turned to management and ran Mid Atlantic Management until 2018. He managed Icelandic rock stars KALEO until they moved to the USA after signing their first major deal. Sindri has since been involved with a number of major label deals and worked with some of Iceland’s biggest names in music. In 2018 Sindri turned away from management after becoming Head of booking an programming at Iceland Airwaves. At SENA, he is responsible for rhe Corporate Events Team and has lead the work of moving into Esports.

Jule Konrad (she/they) is a booking agent at FMLY, based in Brighton, UK and representing artists from all over the world worldwide excl. NA. They have a background in design and started as an independent gig promoter in London, Brighton and their hometown Hamburg before moving on to becoming an agent. At FMLY, a female-led agency and predominantly female and non-binary live team, diversifying the live space and making it a more inclusive space for everyone, artists and audience stands at the forefront. Jule works with a range of different artists such as Pussy Riot:Riot Days, Thumpasaurus, Teri Gender Bender, Real Lies, CLT DRP, Loose Articles, DZ Deathrays, YARD & more. 

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Tony Kiewel is the President of Sub Pop Records/Hardly Art/Sub Pop Publishing, where he’s worked for the last 24 years. He also serves on the boards of A2IM and WIN. Before coming to Sub Pop he worked for Geffen Records and Dreamworks Records in LA while DJing at KXLU and promoting shows around Los Angeles. For several years he was a member of Seattle’s Music Commission where he worked with the city to address issues the local music community was facing. 

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