Gold Coast Music Network

Gold Coast Music Network (GCMN) has played a pivotal role in the significant transformation of the city’s live music landscape since forming in 2015. Since that time, GCMN has engaged thousands of emerging artists and music businesses and is the go-to organisation for music industry stakeholders seeking connections, resources, local insights and support.

Their Project: GCMN will present an all-ages music festival celebrating the brightest homegrown talent soundtracking our City. This inclusive festival highlights the depth and diversity of the local music scene, providing a platform for artists to share their uniquely Gold Coast sound and bringing the community together to enjoy the music that defines the spirit of our City.

Photo: Simone Gorman-Clark

IKONIX

IKONIX is a Gold Coast-based team specializing in immersive content creation and large-scale event production. With over 16 years of experience and 1,300+ successful events, delivering cutting-edge experiences blending video, lighting, audio, and architecture.

Their Project: IKONIX will create an immersive light installation merging projected lighting, environmental data and guest interaction to be experienced in June over 3 weekends during WONDER at HOTA.

Lann Levinge

A Kombumerri man with a passion for music creation, film making and language development, Lann is deeply immersed in the heart of the Coast’s indigenous cultural and creative arts field. Lann is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, film maker, producer, production manager and creative designer.

Their Project: Lann will collaborate with internationally renowned First Nations superstar artists and local young to create a multi-instrumental soundscape as part of Wonder. The funding will also support live performances by local youth artists at HOTA featuring storytelling, movement and cultural engagement.

The Big Kids Production – Goldy’s

Since its inception, Goldy’s has delivered standout events, showcasing artists and performers across the Gold Coast. Respected by their peers and with a history of collaborating with world-class creatives, the Goldy’s team brings a wealth of talent, passion, and professionalism to every project. Their working ethos is grounded in kindness, inclusivity, and a shared commitment to elevating the queer community through exceptional artistic experiences.

Their Project: The team at Goldy’s will produce an exciting event of wonder and glamour collaborating with world-class creatives and talent, for an exclusive performance party on the forecourt of HOTA’s outdoor stage as part of WONDER Festival in June 2025.

Fibra Entertainment

Fibra Entertainment’s arts practice is centered around creating immersive and transformative experiences through music and culture. With a focus on Brazilian music, Fibra has successfully curated and produced large-scale international tours that integrate music, storytelling, and cultural exchange and are leaders in promoting Brazilian music and culture in Australia.

Their Project: Fibra Entertainment will celebrate Brazilian music and culture, headlined by an internationally acclaimed Brazilian artist who will be announced as part of Wonder 2025. A unique collaboration that brings together global talent and the Gold Coast's vibrant Brazilian artistic community. This will be an exclusive South-East Queensland performance on the Outdoor Stage at HOTA. This will be more than a concert, this is a Mid-year party under the winter stars!

SELVE

Selve are a 6-piece Gold Coast rock band led by Jabirr Jabirr frontman Loki Liddle who are renowned for their bombastic live performances, compelling musical narratives and adventurous arts projects.

Their Project: Selve will be creating a multi-medium launch event collaborating with a symphony of artists s including leading local First Nations contemporary dance company and a local media agency to create an immersive visual World Premiere production at HOTA as part of BLEACH* Festival 2025.

Selve Media Image - Credit Josh Tate

Melissa Spratt & Tal Fitzpatrick | BLEACH* Festival

Melissa Spratt (she/her) works primarily in fibre-based art with her practice extending to various mediums including painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and installation. However she is most known for her finger-knitting techniques where her work is concerned with immediacy and attunement to sensations.

Tal Fitzpatrick PhD (she/her) works in the field of craftivism, employing craft as a medium for activism and collaboration. Her works tackle complex social, political and environmental issues, drawing inspiration from her own experiences, and from collective conversations with her community. Tal employs textiles to create intricate wallhangings, quilts and banners that tackle challenging topics and emotional landscapes.

Their Project: The EGC Arts Funding will support a large scale visual art collaboration by Melissa Spratt and Tal Fitzpatrick PhD that uses the comforting nature of textiles to explore how art can soften our experience of public space. This socially engaged project seeks to shed light on how art might create moments of gentle sensorial reprieve. The work will be created in conversation with community through the process of a facilitated workshop that involves conversations and craft-based skills sharing.

Merinda Davies

Merinda Davies is an artist and curator whose multidisciplinary practice—encompassing performance, video, installation, and conversation—explores the structural inequalities embedded in our societies. Drawing inspiration from the environment, human and more-than-human relationships, and the potentialities of future imaginaries, her work challenges prevailing systems of power.

Raised on Bundjalung Country in Northern NSW, Merinda now lives and works on Kombumerri Country in the Yugambeh region of South East QLD. Her solo and collaborative projects have been featured in exhibitions and commissions by organisations such as The Condensery, Movement Art Practice (Ōtautahi, Aotearoa), The Farm/TanzZeit (Berlin), For the Wild (California, USA), Moreton Bay Regional Gallery, Arts Northern Rivers/Lismore Regional Gallery, HOTA - Home of the Arts, Metro Arts (Brisbane), Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), Blue Mountains Gallery, City of Gold Coast, Outer Space, and The Walls Artspace.

Their Project: Merinda Davies will co-curate a public programming over 11 days as part of BLEACH* Festival engaging a line-up of live performances featuring top-tier local, national and international artists to be presented at the HOTA Gallery.

Photo: Ellamay Fitzgerald

Troy Wright - Wright Music School

Troy has worked and toured in numerous original projects in Australia and internationally for most of his professional career. He played drums and toured with instrumental guitarist Plini between 2015-2017 and performed on the album ‘Handmade Cities’. He then toured with acts Intervals, Nick Johnston and David Maxim Micic. In 2017 he then did multiple tours in Europe and North America with Australian metal band the Amity Affliction. Troy currently runs and operates a music school and recording studio on the Gold Coast called Wright Music School.

Their Project: This project seeks to bring together 22 drummers to share in a community chorus of a selection of iconic songs to echo and celebrate the story of an iconic Gold Coast concert on the Outdoor Stage at HOTA as part of BLEACH* Festival.

Image By Pees @xpeesx

Film Fantastic - SIPFEST (Shorts in Paradise)

Film Fantastic is passionate about bringing films to life creating unforgettable experiences for both local and visiting audiences. The team provides a platform for emerging Australian filmmakers, offering them exposure and opportunities to connect with the screen industry and supports professional development through educational programs, industry panels, and networking events, reinforcing Queensland’s status as a leading filmmaking destination.

Their Project: SIPFEST, part of the Gold Coast Film Festival, is a premier outdoor short film event celebrating Australian filmmakers. Showcasing diverse genres, it highlights emerging and established talent. Held at HOTA Outdoor Stage, family-friendly setting, the free event attracts film enthusiasts and industry professionals with live entertainment, and a vibrant atmosphere.

With live music, incredible short films, food trucks and bars, this is the ultimate outdoor film experience and best of all IT’S FREE!

Barry Poulter – RW Promotions

Barry Poulter is a versatile professional with a rich and diverse career across multiple industries. After earning his stage and lighting HND in Croydon in 1987, Barry specialised in theatre lighting, sound, production rigging, and set building. He spent 14 years at the Hawth Theatre in Crawley, UK, as the master set builder to major West End shows including Les Misérables, Chess, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. With over 3500 performances to his name, his experience spans opera, ballet, rock concerts, and beyond. Following a move to Seattle, Barry transitioned into property management and founded his own kite company, Kites and Designs by Bazzer. As a world-renowned kite maker, he spent nine years touring international kite festivals, earning multiple prestigious accolades, including two Sky Display awards at the American Kite Association Conference. Barry is now proud to call the Gold Coast his home.

Their Project: Barry Poulter and RW Promotions will partner together to create an interactive cosmic adventure that ignites young imaginations while fuelling passion for science and technology through art, dance, and storytelling. This interactive space installation is where kids of all ages can use their imaginations to transport themselves into the universe.

ART FOR EARTHLINGS

ART FOR EARTHLINGS is a performance collective with a fresh new take on environmental education. Creating fun filled, interactive comedy shows for both children and adults, as well as roving characters and workshops, all dedicated to helping look after this big blue ball we live on! As qualified research science people, they use laughter as a tool to learn. The mission is to excite and inspire audiences young and old to make change in their own lives.

Their Project: Join ART FOR EARTHLINGS and go on a journey to become hunters on a challenge to turn trash into treasure. Every challenge is now more of a battle but it will all be worth it in the end!

Image Credit: Theresa Hall

Elite Media

Natalie and Matthew Ferguson are the creative duo behind Elite Media, an award-winning boutique production company on the Gold Coast. With over 20 years of combined industry experience, they specialise in crafting engaging, results-driven content. Natalie, a skilled Producer and Production Manager, has managed hundreds of videos for a diverse range of clients & industries.
Prior to starting Elite Media in 2014, both Matt and Nat worked as teachers. This experience provided the foundation for their love of working with and creating content for younger viewers.

Their Project: Elite Media will create an exciting online storytelling campaign designed to engage kids and drive visitation to HOTA by inspiring locals and tourists to learn about the family offerings through children’s eyes.

Belonging to the world's best Kustom Car club - the Beatniks, Joel has been a consistent and widely respected figure in the local scene for well over two decades, showing his rolling art all over this great country of ours. Joel Showcasing the kustom culture lifestyle with hotrod sculptures, traditional roof chops and even driving art, owner of Deathwish hotrods - a pre1962 hotrod and kustom shop in Nerang - he brings a wealth of experience and passion for automotive art and culture. Joel has been central to the development and continued success of Kustomville at Cooly Rocks On over the past four years.

Their Project: Funding will support an innovative project that features a collaborative display of custom painting on a classic car during the Cooly Rocks On festival. Local and international artists will come together to create a stunning, one-of-a-kind paint job that reflect cultural themes and artistic expression. This interactive art experience aims to engage and inspire over 155,000 festival attendees, fostering creativity and community pride. Through workshops and live painting demonstrations, participants of all ages will have the opportunity to learn about the art of custom painting and contribute to the vibrant atmosphere of the festival.

Michael McCartney

Michael McCartney is a musician, artist and producer from the Gold Coast. He cut his teeth playing in local acts in local venues, before expanding to play drums for artists such as James Johnston (Aria Nominated), Hollow Coves, San Mei, Darren Middleton (Powderfinger - Aria Winning) and Wolfmother (Grammy winning). Additionally, Michael played drums for the Redtie Corporate band for hundreds of shows across Australia and South East Asia, often as an 8 piece band and was looked to as a band leader. He additionally ran the Youth Music Venture for 10 years in Palm Beach, volunteer teaching hundreds of teens on 'how to play in a band'. Michael produces and releases his own music as a solo artist and this has attracted recording clients, including the afore mentioned James Johnston and Darren Middleton, as well as skilled local talent.

Their Project: For Michael McCartney to organise and facilitate a house band of Gold Coast musicians at the Groundwater Country Music Festival 2025. This project seeks to test this model during this festival and expand on its benefits, including being a deployable asset to the peripheral EGC festivals.