Adam McGowan - Director, Industry Initiatives, Creative Australia

Adam has responsible for leading the strategic development, delivery and evaluation of key workforce development programs at Creative Australia. This includes direction of creative leadership programs and initiatives that deliver on priorities in the Digital Culture Strategy which sets out a vision for a digitally enabled and thriving arts and cultural industry.

Krissie Scudds - Chief Executive Officer, Penrith Performing & Visual Arts

Krissie Scudds has worked across the Australian creative industries for over 30 years. Prior to her appointment as PP&VA’s CEO in January 2023, Krissie spent eight years in the role of Marketing Director. She has a deep understanding of the Western Sydney arts and cultural landscape and its audiences, and is a member of the Western Sydney Arts Alliance Working Group and the Western Sydney Women’s Leadership Network .A strategic leader with specialisations in program development, branding, audience research, communications, digital strategy, marketing and partnerships; Krissie managed Audience and Market Development programs for the Australia Council (now Creative Australia) for over a decade.

Krissie has a long-held passion for helping arts organisations and individual artists deepen engagement with their audiences, and her work spans projects for Opera Australia, ICE (now ACE), Noise, Qantas, Vivid Ideas, the Dictionary of Sydney, Arts Access Australia, Community Cultural Development NSW, CoFA, State Theatre SA and the Sydney Olympic Park Business Association.

David Clarkson - Artistic Director, Stalker & Box of Birds

David Clarkson is an artist, director, producer, mentor, leader and innovator in his field. He co-founded physical theatre company, Stalker and its co brand Box of Birds. Both companies have enjoyed national and international success since they were formed. His poetic, conceptual, image based and highly physical performance work has been at the high end of physical theatre practice and influenced many artists working in this field.

David Clarkson’s works have toured to over 30 countries globally and have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people. David’s work has varied between solo performances, professional ensemble work, installations, community outreach projects and Olympic Opening Ceremonies.

He has been awarded the NSW Rex Cramphorn Scholarship for theatre, the inaugural Create NSW Art and Technology Fellowship and was recently a recipient of an Creative Australia theatre scholarship for his research into immersive theatre and digital arts practice.

www.boxofbirds.net