Michael Chappell - CEO, Culture Counts

Michael is the CEO of Culture Counts (TM). A Chartered Management Consultant with a B.Econ (Hons) from UWA, Michael spent five years working in market and property research before beginning a career in Management Consulting in 1991.

Michael has an extensive association in the Arts sector. He is the former Chairman of PVI Collective, a West Australian Contemporary Arts organisation. Prior to this, Michael served as Chairman and Board Member for West Australian Ballet.

In 2011, Michael developed Culture Counts, a system for evaluating any investment or activity that has an economic or social impact for individuals and the community including cultural centres, arts events or festivals and business precincts. The metrics have undergone extensive research, consultation and academic validation in Australia and the UK.

Michael has over 20 years of economic policy and strategy consulting experience, augmented with formal training in Corporate Strategy Development through Stanford University and postgraduate qualifications from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is the founder and Managing Director of Pracsys Economics, a national firm or urban economists represented in Western Australia and Victoria.

Hannah Fox - Director, Supple Fox (Creative Producers for Dark MOFO, Mona)

Hannah Fox is one half of Supple Fox, a creative partnership who develop, curate and design social, artistic, live experiences and installations, founded in 2008 by Tom Supple and Hannah Fox. 

The company’s portfolio of work has spanned a variety of self initiated projects and roles including Artistic Associates at Melbourne Festival, Creative Associates for Dark Mofo, Head of Design for UK based creative agency Lavish, developing performance concepts for high profile musicians and visual artists as well as consulting and providing art direction for independent artists and curatorial services for Festivals and Arts Institutions. 

The company has earned a reputation for its unusual approach of taking all sorts of performing arts out of traditional venues and creating new contexts for staging and presenting work including in nightclubs, on Ferris Wheels, in cupboards, in swimming pools, on top of cars, and on boats. Their work has crossed a broad spectrum of outcomes, from painting hundreds of sheep in candy colours for Latitude Festival in the UK, to programming parkour runners at the Tate Modern and community based events such as a Jim Henson Muppet Theme extravaganza featuring all Melbourne musicians to raise funds for a primary school. 

In the last couple of years, Supple Fox have made a move into developing their own art installations.  Their Ferris Wheel of Death installation which involved a 30 piece choir performing on a sound and light altered ferris wheel was presented at Dark Mofo in 2014 and in 2015 they created a large scale immersive sound installation called Bass Bath in collaboration with sound artist Byron Scullin. 

Their continued mission is to forge new contexts for social and artistic experiences that are authentic, challenging and sometimes even enjoyable. 

Photograph is by Jo Duck - http://www.joduck.com/ 

Brendon Ellmer - General Manager, Perth Concert Hall

Dr Richard Walley OAM - Working Director, Aboriginal Productions and Promotions

Dr Richard Walley OAM is a Nyoongar man of the South-West regions.

In 1978, along with three other Aboriginals, Richard formed the ‘Middar Aboriginal Theatre Group’. Middar, in its lifetime took the Nyoongar culture to 32 different countries around the world.

Richard has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal and two honorary doctorates for his contribution to the promotion of Nyoongar Culture and the Arts.

In 2010, Richard received the ‘Citizen of the Year’ Award in the ‘Indigenous leadership’ category of the Celebrate WA Awards.

Richard is a Working Director in his family owned and operated business – Aboriginal Productions and Promotions, which has been in operation for over 25 years.

A fluent speaker of Nyoongar language. Richard continues to push boundaries, whilst always focussed on the bigger ‘community’ picture of Culture, Arts and Environment.

Peter Tullin - Co-Founder, REMIX Summits, Board Member, Museums Victoria & Grande Experiences (The Lume), Author, 'The Immersive Revolution'

Creative entrepreneur & Co-founder of REMIX Summits - further details and full bio →