Speakers
Thomas Heher has been active in the cultral sector since 1996 and is now working for several companies as a consultant in music business and marketing, as well as a music and film curator. He developed the concept for Waves Vienna – Music Festival & Conference and is, as the director of the festival, in charge of programming and marketing. Previously Thomas worked as chief editor at pop culture magazine TBA and was co-founder of pop culture magazine The Gap and the literature magazine Volltext. He also used to run the viennese record label P.A.M. Records and collected lots of experience while promoting concerts, readings and film screenings.
Mariusz is the founder of beehype, a music website run by 100+ music journalists from all over the world and featuring the best acts from their local scenes. He also works at Polityka, the leading weekly magazine in Poland, as the editor-in-chief of the magazine’s mobile app.
Oskar Strajn is Booking Manager at ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), Europe’s largest live music industry event based in Groningen. Currently he is also involved with The European Border Breakers Charts, an airplay & streaming chart responsible for tracking upcoming European music talent. In the past, he worked as a radio DJ, music editor, journalist, and booker.
Tomek Waśko is working in music business since 2008. Head of marketing in Go Ahead, one of the biggest concert agencies in Poland. Founder and promoter of Enea Spring Break, the most important showcase festival in Poland now in its sixth year.
Sasha Varenitsa is a founder of Mnogo Vody agency. Alina Pash, alyona alyona, Cepasa and Cape Cod - just a few emerging artists among many others who work with this agency. Using examples of his artists, Sasha will share details about proper music project launch, offline and online strategy and hype control.
Volodymyr is a member of organizational comitee of Leopolis Jazz Fest, producer of LAURA MARTI and Jazz in Kiev projects. Leopolis Jazz Fest (Alfa Jazz Fest till 2017) - international open-air jazz festival, which is annually held in June in Lviv (Ukraine). Jazz in Kiev works from 2007 and aims promotion of jazz culture in Ukraine via concerts, special events, media and more.
Sergiy Martunyuk represents Bandershtat festival, that takes place in Lutsk since 2007. In 2018 there was 63 bands and 14 000 attendess from Ukraine, Belarus', Poland, Germany, China and other countries.
Andrey Nedvedskiy (Showtime Event Logistics, UA)
Andrey Nedvedskiy is the founder of Showtime Event Logistics. Company specializes in logistical services for Ukrainian and foreign companies for mass events. Among company's projects in 2018 is equipment shipment Chempions League UEFA in Kyiv, M1 Music Awards ceremony, as well as logistical support of Ukrainian concerts of Deep Purple, Milky Chance, BRMC, Jamiroquai, Skillet, Chemical Brothers, Placebo, Benjamin Clementine, Hurts, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Kaleo, Tove Lo, Imagine Dragons, the Vaccines and others.
Yevgeniya Ustinova (Musu, Ptakh_Jung, Panic Ape, Pyryatyn, UA)
Yevgeniya Ustinova is the founder of agency for music creation for movies and arts called Musu, manager of Ptakh_Jung and copywriter at Ragnarok. Previously she worked as a copywriter at Fedoriv, BBDO, Havas, Y&R.
Andrey Kiritchenko (NEXT sound, UA)
Andrey Kiritchenko is a person known among experimental music fans as author and contributor of various critically acclaimed projects, founder of Nexsound records, producer who has contributed his significant share into the development of electronic music scene in Ukraine.
So far he collaborated with Francisco Lopez, Kim Cascone, Martin Brandlmayr (Radian, Trapist), Anla Courtis, Jason Kahn, Jeff Surak, Saralunden. in 2006 nominated by Qwartz Electronic Music Awards in categories Discovery and Most Promising Artist, awarded in category Discovery. In in 2007 participates in Ukrainian exhibition on the 52th Venice Biennale; in 2008-2009 curates Ukrainian magazine for contemporary music – Gurkit. Director of NextSound – international festival for advanced music and digital arts.
Vlad Antonov (icecream promo, UA)
Vlad Antonov is the founder of icecream promo. They don't like to call themselves a concert agency, but it was they who worked on concerts for artists like Poshlaya Molly, IC3PEAK, Tommy Cash and others. They claim that Ivo Bobyl, Pavlo Zibrov and Oleg Vinnyk will be famous worldwide soon.
Anna Mahan'kova (Don’t Stop PR Agency, UA)
Anna Mahan'kova is a PR-strategist, ex-leader of "External promo" on TET TV-channel. She works in the advertising field for more thatn 15 years: from producer's assistant at production company to strategist for national companies, analytics and consulting. Co-founder and director of PR-agency Don't Stop. Specialized in event marketing and PR of artists.
Katerina Skurydina (Don't Stop agency, UA)
Katerina Skurydina was previously known as an editor of TV-shows, lifestyle and music media. Has 15+ years of working in media and 5 years in PR. Since 2014 she's the co-founder of Don't stop PR agency. So - yes, the amazing promo of Onuka's album “MOZAЇKA” and series of Vagonovozhaty's interview were her job.
Yuriy Smalius (Vagabond Spekter, YOKODO, UA)
Yuriy works over 15 years in music industry as an artist, producer and sound engineer. He worked with the Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli on the Vagabond Specter album as co-producer in 2018. Yurii studied in the program "Mix with the Masters" in 2015 and 2018 driven by Grammy-winning Andrew Scheps and Tchad Blake. He has been recording, mixing engineer and co-producer for Pianoboy from 2011. Has experience of recording from rare ethno instruments to orchestras and choirs, yet still focuses more on rock, indie, jazz and pop music.
Filipp Dobrov (Robustfellow, UA)
Filipp Dobrov is the founder of Robustfellow Prods. His background: four international editions of Robustfest, concerts of Weedeater, Mars Red Sky, Rideau and over ten events all over Ukraine under the brand of «Robustfellow».
Vlad Fisun (Fun2Mass, UA)
Vlad Fisun is a DJ, journalist, music expert and brand consultant. His recent projects for Radio Aristocrats and Atlas Weekend festival, countless parties and music events are as recognizable as editorial management of Afisha and Playboy magazines so far. Currently, Vlad is focused on his DJBuro management and cooperate with marketing agencies as global brands consultant and inspirational officer.
Sergio Mega (CTS Records, UA)
Sergio Mega is a DJ, producer and musician. He is also a founder of music label and recording studio CTS Records. His professional career started from 1997, he released 4 albums and over 150 singles on vinyl, CD and digital, participated in international festivals and conferences dedicated to electronic dance music (ADE, WMC, SEEME and others). Since 2009 he teaches a number of subjects connected to music and sound engineering at the National Academy of Culture and Arts Managing Staff. In 2018 he defended a PhD thesis on electronic music at the Kyiv Conservatory.
Liliya Lazareva (CTS Records, UA)
Liliya Lazareva is the director of the CTS Records label. She's a professional art manager and one of the leading experts in modern international copyright and publishing in electronic dance music sphere. She runs CTSchool, the school of sound engineering and arrangement, curates the contest "The Best Track in Ukraine", the mission of which is to promote Ukrainian electronic music worldwide.
Lesya Klochai (ex-Melnitsa CA, Soloviy, UA)
Lesya Klochai has an experience in PR for over 10 years. Currently she's more focused in startups and IT industry in general. Loves attention and sticky toffy puding. Saw Merlin Manson in person and wasn't afraid of him. She never used her professional benefits to make a selfie with a star. So don't be like Lesya.
Robin Havbring (Westside Music Sweden, SE)
Robin Havbring is a key player in the local/regional exporting initiative Westside Music Sweden (WMS). The independent platform consists of 24 music companies based in and around Gothenburg and aims at getting west Sweden more present in the international music scene. Since its inception WMS has attended and placed artists such as Sarah Klang, The Bongo Club and Pale Honey at numerous festivals and conferences as Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg, FOCUS Wales, Cherry Rock Melbourne, Zandari Festa Seoul and Festival Marvin Mexico City. Even though focused on pushing artists out of its area WMS also holds its own club festival called VIVA Sounds, which invites speakers and artists from a range of countries. Besides his work with WMS Robin is also active as promoter with the crew Up The Punx, doing DIY punk rock and hardcore music shows in Gothenburg.
Dmytro Avksentiev (KOLOAH, UA)
Producer, musician and DJ Dmytro Avksentiev is one of the most noticable acts of the electronic Kyiv scene. KOLOAH is popular because of Groove Operator party series, his other project Voin Oruwu, along with performances Strichka, Promin', Ostrov, several European showcases and other events.
Ihor Kandabarov (Impul's Fest, UA)
Ihor Kandabarov is an organizer of one of the biggest festivals of the Eastern Ukraine called Impul's Fest. It yearly takes place in Kharkiv. Besides, he works as a manager of music projects and soundproducer.
Roman Grygoriv (Porto Franko, UA)
Roman Grygoriv is the founder and president of Porto Franko. It is an International festival of modern performing, visual & media arts which is hosted by a Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk that is lost on the border of feuding empires and parallel epochs. Each and every arts event of the festival is aimed at re-discovering the city and its potential for development of art projects and creative economy as a whole.
Svyatoslav Roman (Sviat Promo, UA)
Svyatoslav Roman is the founder of a concert agency called Sviat Promo located in the Western Ukraine and specialized in support of the emerging Ukrainian bands.
Mikki Ghallas (Module Live, UA)
Mikki Ghallas is a musician, sound producer, founder of promo-group Module Live, previously - organizer of the educational projects for musicians Successful Artist Talks, curator of Plivka and Kontrapunkt.
Olha Chertkova (Top Media Communication, UA)
Olha Chertkova is the CEO of Top Media Communication that worked with dozens of Ukrainian and foreign artists. She did promotion for two albums and tours for Boombox in Ukraine, Baltics, Israel and Poland; promoted concerts of Imagine Dragons, Franz Ferdinand, Foals, The Kooks, Bastille, Alt-J, Borns, M-83, Twenty One Pilots in Ukraine, along with Burning Doors in Kyiv in 2018 and a rebel Boombox concert on the administrative control of Crimea in the summer of 2018.
