Published 29 August, 2022

A group of Vic music industry participants took part in a 3-day Clock Your Skills bootcamp last week, delivered in partnership with CLOCK.  

The program aims to help music business professionals identify and consolidate their strengths and transferable skills as well as validate their skills at a master’s level, irrespective of any previous formal qualifications.

Read more about the participants:

Danielle Rizk

Pioneering Lebanese Australian DJ, radio presenter and event curator, MzRizk has always had a powerful affinity with music. Raised on a seemingly incongruous yet wholly satisfying sonic diet of Arabic, Boogie, Jazz, Heavy Metal, House, Techno, Hip Hop and just about anything from Rick Dees American Top 40, MzRizk is a self taught, community emboldened, creative chameleon.

 Cutting her teeth with bedroom recordings of her own imaginative radio show, a then child Rizky fell irrevocably in love with the idea of sharing the joy of music with her family, her community and the world. Before too long, the autodidactic DJ MzRizk was born and in 2001 she emerged as Melbourne’s latest DJ initiate, catalysing the beginning of an abundant career that would span the rest of her life. Now, five years into her renowned community radio show Boogie Beat Suite on PBS 106.7FM and with two decades of worldwide DJing under her belt, no one would dare mention the Australian DJ scene without dropping Rizky’s name.

Blaise Sherrie

Blaise Sherrie is a Label Manager within Mushroom Group. Blaise oversees multiple labels including I OH YOU, handling project operations for critically acclaimed, award-winning artists such as Violent Soho, DMA’S, and Jack River; Soothsayer, an electronic leaning label that is home to widely respected talent including Willaris. K and KUČKA; 100s + 1000s, a boutique label that provides label services for artists across a wide range of genres; and multi-Platinum selling group Bliss n Eso.

Kiwat Kennell

Kiwat Kennell is a proud Eastern Torres Strait Islander descendant from the islands of Ugar and Erub and holds a Bachelor of Audio Production from the SAE Institute in Byron Bay. Kiwat has spent the last 10 years on the ground working various roles in the entertainment industry in Naarm (Melbourne) as a freelance Audio Engineer, Producer, and former Owner Operator of Kiwat Kennell Productions. 

Breaking into the scene with his award-winning band Key Hoo, Kiwat has shared the stage with artists such as the late Uncle Archie Roach, Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, Alice Skye and Kee’ahn. Working in large venues and events including The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Forum, Melbourne Arts Centre, Crown Casino Ltd, plus his extensive experience as a music booker, performer and host of various local live music bars over the years, has also provided him with a grounding sense of what the industry is like, from start to finish.

With a focus on community engagement and a passion for First Nations representation in the industry,  Kiwat enjoys assisting artists on their creative journey’s on-and-off stage and aim’s to help strengthen the integrity of performers through guidance and ongoing support, whilst still actively performing in the scene.

Emily Kelly

Emily is the co-owner of Melbourne-based PR-led Marketing company Deathproof. The agency initially specialized in niche heavy music tours and releases (Soundwave Festival, Bring Me The Horizon, Motley Crue, Smashing Pumpkins) but eventually its scope expanded to encompass cultural programs and arts festivals (Darebin, Port Phillip, Moreland, Yarra and Melbourne City Council) as well as a broader palate of musical clients including King Stingray, The Peep Tempel, Parkway Drive and The Chats. 

Deathproof's services have also expanded to encompass events, marketing, production and content collaborations with venues (The Old Bar), comedians (Doug Stanhope), brands(Melbourne Bitter, Victoria Bitter, Goose Island), tech start-ups (Tixel), media titles (NME Australia) and more. 

Throughout her career Emily has contributed weekly columns, features and opinion pieces to Stack Magazine, Beat Magazine, Rolling Stone and Junkee Media titles The Cusp and Faster Louder. Emily currently teaches as a Promotions and Publicity Sessional Lecturer at COLLARTS.

Darren Hawthorne

Born in Sydney, raised in Brisbane & now living in Melbourne live music & the arts in general has played a major part of my life since i was a teenager. Dropping out of art college in the late 80’s and attaching myself to Brisbane’s emerging music scene paved the way for what would be a life-long journey through clubs, bars, venues, muddy fields & airports all over the place.

A career in live tour & production management has been my niche since the late 90’s and i’ve been fortunate enough to work with literally 100’s of acts from all genres - but specifically finding myself at the harder end of the spectrum.Career highlights include being event tour manager for Soundwave Festival from 2004 til 2015 & also running it’s touring arm for the same period.

Jill Shelton

Jill Shelton has worked in the Australian creative arts industry as an artist manager, producer, tour manager and booking agent for the past thirty plus years. In that time she has worked with the late much beloved singer songwriter and storyteller, Archie Roach his late partner and musical collaborator, Ruby Hunter and with the internationally acclaimed trio, Tiddas.

Jill has organized and tour managed countless national and international tours and in more recent years with Archie established the Archie Roach Foundation to create meaningful pathways for emerging First Nations artists. In March this year the Foundation proudly launched the inaugural Archie Roach Foundation at the Port Fairy Folk Festival which offered performance and production opportunities for over 160 First Nations artists.