OUR CREW

MATT O’CONNOR - CEO/ industry mentor/course creator

Matt O’Connor has worked in the entertainment industry for 30 years globally and locally. Over his career, he’s been fortunate to have worked with some of the biggest acts in Australian & NZ Music.

Matt O’Connor has an enviable reputation for discovering, nurturing, and developing new talent including but not limited to Cog / The Beautiful Girls / Harts / Sparkadia / Meg Mac / SAFIA / Shihad / Magic Dirt / Thirsty Merc / Savage / The Occupants / Disco Montego/ Kulcha.

His career has covered all the sectors of the entertainment industry including writing, producing, mixing, A&R, label management (both indie and major), contract negotiation, publishing, artist management, music synchronisation, brand placement & development, marketing strategies, music licensing, and distribution.

OLIVER MARLAN - course creator

Oly Marlan is an experienced educator in audio engineering, sound design, and music composition. With a career that spans both the creative and technical realms, Oly has left an indelible mark on the music industry, working with a diverse array of rock, pop, and hip-hop acts. His contributions have graced the works of internationally acclaimed artists like Azealia Banks, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, K.I.M. from The Presets, Kirin J. Callinan, Dos Enos, and the legendary Australian band itself.

For a decade, Oly has impressed himself in the field of audio education. His passion is to ignite the creative spark in the next generation of audio professionals. Oly Marlan's journey through the music industry is not only a testament to his technical skills but also to his unwavering commitment to nurturing the talents of tomorrow's audio pioneers. With his extensive experience and profound understanding of the industry, Oly imparts invaluable knowledge and mentorship, shaping the future leaders of sound.

Recently, Oly has returned from an enriching period of residing in the vibrant heart of New York City. There, he immersed himself deeply in the live music and events scene, gaining fresh insights and forging connections that further enrich his already impressive body of work.

BACKSTAGE CREW

NIC RODWELL - Administration Officer

Nicholas Rodwell has a Bachelor of Contemporary Music and extensive experience building independent music projects from the ground up. From composing and performing music through to producing content, managing music departments for major independent radio (4ZZZ), managing bands and indie record labels (The A&R Dept), Nicholas has an intricate knowledge of music’s trajectory through digital and terrestrial mediums.

MIA MARCUS CLARKE - Student Wellbeing Support & Counsellor 

Mia is a certified practicing counsellor and an active member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Post-Graduate Diploma of Counselling, and a Master of Counselling, alongside numerous accreditations in mental health crisis intervention, intimate partner and family violence counselling, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.

Will Courtwood - Musician/Audio Engineer/Educator

Will Courtwood started his musical journey at the age of 10 and has gone on to a career performing live, producing multiple bodies of original work in the studio, being a session guitarist, studio assistant, live sound engineer, and teaching and assessing in the vocational field over the past 15 years. 

Will completed a Diploma of Music in 2023 and is currently undergoing a Bachelor of Audio at SAE Creative Institute, Sydney. With extensive experience in live music performance (solo and band), songwriting, music production, and mix engineering, Will uses his acquired skills and knowledge to deliver engaging, fun, creative, and captivating classes at OCA. 

eshaan malhotra - Community & content coordinator

Eshaan Malhotra is a digital content and branding strategist who has worked across the Australian music and entertainment space as a social media manager, assistant publicist, artist, and creative lead. He has provided creative and digital support to brands and companies including Achieved Music, Paper Planes PR, Sweat It Out and more, bringing a sharp visual identity and voice to every campaign.

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

  • GEOFFREY MAGLONZO

    Geoffrey has been involved in the music industry for over 10 years, first beginning as a guitar teacher and then as a booking agent for Artist Network, organising tours for acts such as John Williamson, Wendy Matthews and Glenn Shorrock.

    Currently, Geoffrey works for international music publishers Wise Music as Creative and Synch Manager who represents a lineup of amazing songwriters such as William Barton, Minnie Riperton, Anoushka Shankar, Philip Glass, Ngaiire to name a few.

    Geoffrey is an active musician and composer currently performing and producing as Astro High and has collaborated with artists such as Phil Fresh, SPVRROW, Inquisitive Minds and Esky among others. 

    Part of the vibrant Western Sydney music scene, he is also a member of the pop-rock outfit The Great West, which performed at the Parramatta Lanes and Fringe Festival.

    He continues to be part of and love the music community, whether that is writing, producing or helping out the next generation of talented songwriters.

  • ANNE MAREE WILSHIRE

    A singer, songwriter, musician and teacher, Anne Maree helps emerging artists, singers and songwriters to find their unique voice and style. 

    Her work helps artists to identify the “hard to pin down things” that keep them stuck, so they can access their vocal and emotional flexibility to deliver and perform at their best, whether live or in the studio.

    Beginning as a classical pianist and violinist she studied Voice and Jazz at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has also studied and worked in media, writing, film and TV production and song writing with Pat Patterson, Profession at Berkley College of Music, USA.

    Anne Maree has been helping emerging artists find their unique, authentic voice for more than 25 years. With her intersection of experience across music and business, she helps her students master their voice, so they can move into whatever performance identity is required of them. Using current vocal and song writing techniques, she ensures their repertoire amplifies their authentic voice and is sustainable when regularly gigging and touring.

     Anne Maree’s professional career includes performing in Sydney Jazz venues, R&B bands, and touring around Australia and overseas performing in Festivals and Clubs.

    Her CD of original songs “Light” is a mixture of electronica and nu-jazz, on which she sang, played and co-produced.

GUEST EDUCATORS

  • ALEXIE GLASS-KANTOR

    Alexie Glass-Kantor is a curator, cultural producer and advocate for the arts. She is currently the Executive Director of Artspace, Sydney, supporting the commissioning of contemporary art, publishing initiatives, and research residencies for artists and curators. Since 1999 she has been active as a curator across independent spaces, collecting institutions, museums, biennials, art fairs, and festivals, working with artists across generations to commission and develop collaborative projects nationally and internationally.

    Glass-Kantor is the Chair of the Contemporary Art Organisations of Australia and is currently serving on boards including: Board Director, Museum of Contemporary Art & Design, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, Manila; Academic Board, National Art School, Sydney; Jury Member, Advance Global Awards; and Council Member, Sydney Culture Network.

  • HELENA HO

    Helena Ho is an A&R Manager at EMI Music Australia. Approaching 10 years working across the music business, she has extensive experience across artist development, management, touring, events and festival marketing.

    Helena is dedicated to amplifying gender and cultural diversity, within the behind-the-scenes of recordings and live industries. Whether it be writing, listening, or making TikToks about it – Helena is a fierce champion of the music scene in Australia, and abroad.

  • DAVID GUGLIOTTA

    Highly experienced and qualified music professional, with a demonstrated history of working across many sectors in the Music Industry. Skilled in Music Production, Songwriting, Composition, Artist Development, Artist Management, A&R, Business Development, Live Performance and Events.

    David has mentored and guided many young artists early in their career including Michael Clifford (5 Seconds of Summer), Georgia Denton aka Gia Vorne (Singer, Songwriter, X-Factor finalist), Emma Mylott (Vocalist, All Together Now Grand Finalist, X-Factor Team Kelly) and Carley Austin aka SIILA (Singer, Songwriter, DJ and Producer with over 3M streams on Spotify).

  • SYDNEYMUSIC

    Joe Hardy and Caitlin Welsh are SydneyMusic.net - part gig guide, part analytics, part grass-roots activists

    Joe is a recovering tech and media leader, having worked for or with just about every major broadcaster in the country, as well as a bunch of tech-focused startups and scale-ups.

    Joe has also been involved in a number of DIY projects, including as co-founder of The Gate, a live music project that ran from 2010-2013 and started as a regular gig series in his backyard in North Ryde. Prior to The Gate, Joe was (just another) local music blogger at a time when everybody was, and also produced a few remixes and tracks (including the opening track on Gotye's 2007 album Mixed Blood)

    Joe's recently been blogging again, writing some commentary on the music industry. You can read his thoughts over at joe.hardy.id.au

    Caitlin Welsh is a culture writer and editor, with bylines for online and print publications like The Guardian, FBi Radio, SMH, Junkee and Delicious. She is the former Australian editor of Mashable, as well as being on the editorial team of The Brag in its original street press heyday and one of the members of the popular early Sydney music blog The Sandwich Club in the late 2000s.

    Caitlin oversees curation of the SydneyMusic playlist, commissioning of SydneyMusic's editorial, DJs as Secret Breakfast, and is the lead curator in Joe and Caitlin's curation and booking agency side hustle Cupholder Industries.

  • MAX DOYLE

    Max Doyle is an accomplished Australian photographer, whose name is synonymous with striking fashion imagery and delicate portraiture.

    In his long-established career, Max has worked between London, New York and Australia, and has captured the faces of many well known performers, including Billie Eilish, Emily Ratajkowski, Travis Scott, Keith Urban and Margot Robbie.

    Max draws from a vast range of creative inspirations, and he is able to produce expertly tailored campaigns for any client, as seen in his broad portfolio which includes commercial campaigns for Country Road, Cotton On, Alice McCall, Wrangler, Calvin Klein, Lee Jeans, Pandora and Supre.

    As well as being a consistent contributor to Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle Magazine, Bazaar Man and Oyster, among others, Max is the founder and editor-in-chief of Doingbird Magazine, an independent art and photography magazine, loved and respected for its unguarded approach to culture, fashion, and celebration of freedom.

  • TONY CVET

    Tony has been involved in the music industry for 30+ years wearing various hats from guitar player all the way to Music Production in which he holds a Masters in Recording Arts degree from Macquarie University.

    As a guitarist he studied with Lou Cash (Johnny O’Keefe) and Ike Isaacs Stephane Grapelli. Has had the honour of teaching stand out guitar players such as Serg Dimitrijevic (Earth Wind & Fire) and Chris Kamzelas many artists in the Australian Music Scene.

    As a songwriter, producer and mix engineer, he has achieved gold status in record sales exceeding 35,000+ copies and has accrued both top 10 and top 20 chart hits for a variety of recording artists and record labels such as Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music. He has had the opportunity to work with various household names such as Delta Goodrem, Tiffani Wood, Rebecca Cartwright, Robyn Loau, Erana Clarke, Sophie Monk, Kaylan and many more.