CV

Michelle O’Brien is a senior arts manager and creative producer for international arts festivals and cultural organisations. Her specialties include curating, programming, project development and management, event production and operations, audience development, community partnerships, artist liaison, communications [including marketing, copywriting, editing, translating, web development, digital strategy, social media, publicity and PR], event photography and documentation.

Over the past several years Michelle has managed and delivered successful events and campaigns for renowned cultural organisations across UK, USA, Australia, Canada and Germany. These include Sydney Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New Forms Festival Vancouver, transmediale festival for art & digital culture Berlin, Next Wave Festival at Brooklyn Academy of Music [BAM] NYC, FBi Radio Sydney, SUPERMARKT Creative Resource Centre Berlin, Digital Art & Sound [DAS] Weekend Berlin, P2P Vorspiel Berlin, and Creative Vibes Records Australia.

Michelle is currently Event Producer for Sydney’s Underbelly Arts Festival, Production Manager for ISEA2013 Sydney [Grobak Padi], and Director of Operations at Vancouver’s New Forms Festival.

Work History

2013 – present: Event Producer | Underbelly Arts Festival, Sydney
2013 – present: Production Manager | 19th International Symposium of Electronic Art [ISEA2013], Grobak Padi, Sydney
2012 – present: Director of Operations & Production Manager | New Forms Festival, Vancouver
2012 – 2013: Creative Producer | SUPERMARKT Creative Resource Centre, Berlin
2011 – 12: Producer & Event Manager | CTM Festival & transmediale present: P2P Vorspiel, Berlin
2010 – 12: Producer & Event Manager | transmediale festival for art & digital culture, Berlin
2011: Consultant, Marketing & Communications | Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), New York City
2011: Producer & Event Manager | Marshall McLuhan Centennial, Embassy of Canada, Berlin
2010 – 11: Producer & Event Manager | DAS (Digital Art & Sound) Weekend, Berlin
2007 – 10: Manager, Digital Marketing | Sydney Festival, Sydney
2009: Digital Marketing Manager | Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh
2008: Senior Press & Marketing Officer | Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh
2006 – 07: Marketing & Development Coordinator | FBi Radio, Sydney
2004 – 06: National Product Development Coordinator | Creative Vibes Records, Sydney

Other Projects

2012 – present: Founder & Manager | The Festival Circuit
2010 – present: Exhibiting Artist & Curator, Berlin
2004 – 08: Radio Presenter & Producer | FBi Radio 94.5FM, Sydney
2006: Event Coordinator & Digital Marketing Consultant | Oxfam Australia

Education

2010 – 13 [expected]: Master of Arts in Creative Media [Media Studies & Digital Cultures] | University of Brighton
2003 – 05: Bachelor of Arts International Studies [Linguistics & Cultural Studies, Italian Major] | University of Technology Sydney & Università degli studi di Ferrara
2000 – 03: Bachelor of Arts in Communication [Public Communications & Sociology] | University of Technology Sydney

Languages

English [mother tongue], Italian [advanced], German [conversational] and French [basic]

Other

Australian citizen | German residency permit & work visa | Canadian work visa