MTNS MADE: Building Sustainable Creative Hubs Through Collaboration

Born in Scotland and now resident in Sydney, Stuart has been at the intersection of culture, technology and media for over twenty years, as a director, producer and marketer of innovative creative work. Fiercely passionate about the development of new audiences for music, arts and culture, he works as an independent consultant for clients such as Sydney Opera House, Museum Of Contemporary Art, TEDxSydney and Art Gallery of New South Wales, and earlier this year founded the creative content startup, Lovely.

Stuart previously co-founded the award-winning digital agency The Nest in 2010 with his wife, producer and designer Robyn Buchanan. Together they ran the company for four years before negotiating its successful sale to an international design agency. As director of The Nest, he engaged a portfolio of blue-chip cultural clients such as Sydney Festival, MONA, Biennale Of Sydney, SBS, Australia Council For The Arts and many more. In 2013 the company was named as one of the Top Ten Forces & Faces in Australian Design by the renowned national design magazine, Design Quarterly. Stuart has presented at many cultural conferences and events in recent years (notably at Ubud Writers Festival and Sydney Writers Festival), lectured at AFTRS (Australian Film Television & Radio School) and continues to run a sold-out series of Masterclasses for The Guardian.

He is currently Chair of Underbelly Arts and was a founding member of Sydney independent radio station FBi Radio and Executive Producer of the inaugural Creative Sydney Festival (latterly Vivid Ideas). Stuart has also worked as a broadcaster for the last twelve years, presenting programs on Sydney’s renowned FBi Radio, ABC Double J and the Community Radio Network, and creating a number of original podcast properties. He also promotes experimental, avant and outsider music as founder of the Australian record label Provenance.

Amanda Byrne is Head of Marketing & Events at Scenic World Blue Mountains, Australia’s most visited privately owned tourist attraction. Over the past few years she has repositioned the 70 year old brand through the Feel Small Again campaign, creating a stronger personal connection with Australians and achieving a 25% increase in domestic visitation over the past year.

Previously Amanda worked as Programs Marketing Manager for online travel company World Nomads, developing community engagement programs like the World Nomads Travel Scholarship program in partnership with National Geographic Channel. She also has extensive event, marketing and management experience having worked for iconic Australian arts brands such as Sydney Festival & Sculpture by the Sea.

Julie Paterson is a painter, printmaker and designer of textiles. Her design and fabric-printing business, ClothFabric, features designs inspired by the local landscape, printed in small batches by hand in a shed in her backyard. What on the surface might sound like a small lifestyle business is actually a significant Australian design success story – over the last 20 years, Julie has created innumerable collections, sold through her former retails store in Darlinghurst, and now through Ascraft in Sydney and Melbourne, and has been featured in publications such as Habitus, House & Garden and Country Style.

To cap off her anniversary year, Julie published her first book, Clothbound with Murdoch Press – a beautiful artifact that showcases her creative process and the story of her work to date.

Kelly Heylen is the Creative Industries Cluster Manager with Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise (BMEE), the region’s peak economic development agency. In 2013 BMEE initiated the Creative Industries Cluster to facilitate collaboration within the creative industries, and in 2015 commissioned MTNS MADE to promote the region and its world-class creative talent.

As Cluster Manager, Kelly facilitates local collaborations, manages the MTNS MADE brand and explores new markets and opportunities for Blue Mountains creative professionals. Prior to working for BMEE Kelly managed communications for the 2013 federal election for The NSW Greens. She has more than a decade’s experience in communications and project management within the government and non-profit sectors. With a background in professional writing, Kelly understands the creative process and the unique needs of the creative community.

Matt Drummond is an Emmy Award-winning visual effects artist and director, winning the 2014 Emmy for outstanding achievement in graphic design and art direction for the History Channel production Big History.

His debut feature film, Dinosaur Island, has been released in more than 50 countries, a staggering feat for an Australian animated feature that was 100% independently financed. Post-production for Dinosaur Island was completed in the Blue Mountains, and Matt is currently working on his second feature film, My Pet Monster.

Paul Brinkman’s tertiary qualifications include a Bachelor of Secondary Education in Art and Design, a Graduate Diploma in Management (Arts) and a Masters of Management (Arts and Cultural Management) through the University of South Australia. Paul has served as a Museums Australia Queensland Committee member, Chair of QARGD, Deputy President of RPGNSW and is an alumni of Museum Australia’s Museum Leadership Program. As Director and CEO of Cairns Regional Gallery from 2015 to 2011, Paul oversaw extensive renovations and capital works, grew the Collection to over double its previous value and implemented strategies to make it one of Australia’s most entrepreneurial public galleries.

As Director of Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Paul has managed the multi-million dollar construction of the facility and developed and implemented operational and management systems. Paul has curated touring exhibitions to both national and International venues and has extensive experience in managing major visual arts projects such as the acclaimed exhibition Malu Minar: Art of the Torres Strait the first ever international touring exhibition of contemporary Torres Strait Art from a regional gallery, Picturing the Great Divide: Visions from Australia’s Blue Mountains the inaugural exhibition of the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery and the 2014 blockbuster exhibition Brett Whiteley: West of the Divide. Paul is currently the Director of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub, and Braemar Gallery.