As a kid, Rosie Dennis moved between Pottsville and Murwillumbah on the NSW Tweed Coast but many of her adolescent adventures were played out on the Gold Coast. These days her favourite place on the Gold Coast is Natural Bridge, the spectacular natural rock and water feature in the hinterland. After buildng her arts career in Sydney over the past 20 years, the last six as director and CEO of Urban Theatre Projects, Rosie is loving re-discovering the Gold Coast as CEO and artistic director of Bleach Festival and Placemakers Gold Coast. “Creating new work with and for a place is something I really love to do and has been a part of my artistic practice for a long time.”

For more than 15-years’ Rosie has curated and delivered large-scale cultural experiences with and for a range of stakeholders. She is a well-respected arts leader who is best known for developing and delivering projects in collaboration with diverse social and cultural communities. Her work has contributed to a national conversation about contemporary place-based practice and the role arts and culture plays in building community and liveable cities.

Prior to joining Placemakers* Gold Coast, Rosie was the CEO/Artistic Director Urban Theatre Projects. During her tenure she curated the award winning BANKSTOWN:LIVE, conceived and directed the theatrical triptych, Home Country and directed two documentaries, Bre & Back and One Day for Peace.

Matt is deeply connected to Currumbin Beach and its famed, rivermouth surf break, The Alley. “I check the surf there most days and surf there whenever I can,” says Matt. “I grew up swimming and surfing there, now my kids swim and surf there. It’s a central part of our lives on the Gold Coast.” Matt combines this enviable, coastal lifestyle with an impressive career as a proven leader in the global sports and major event industries, with over 20 years’ experience. He’s held positions at the senior management and executive officer level for state, national and international sporting organisations before segueing to his dream job in the Arts with Placemakers Gold Coast. Matt’s also a recent graduate in Master of Business Administration (MBA) supported by a Bachelor of Business Degree with majors in Sport Management and Tourism and a Post Graduate Certificate in International Sports Law.

Nicole moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast when she was four, where her father managed the Grand Hotel at Labrador, and her family connections to the Coast run deep. After studying in Brisbane and travelling overseas, the pull of the Coast lured her back to pursue her career and raise a family. “I love taking the kids for a surf at Kirra, bike riding along the Oceanway through to Coolangatta and then stopping at Greenmount for lunch is the perfect day out,” she says. Nicole has worked in a range of marketing and communication roles across brand strategy and campaign delivery in the public and private sectors, including not for profits, local and state governments and her own marketing consultancy business. Her role as Marketing and Communications Manager with Placemakers* Gold Coast has seen her deliver two festival campaigns including a collaboration with Festival 2018, the arts and cultural program of the Commonwealth Games in 2018, which attracted over 400,000 people.

Claire moved to the Gold Coast from Brisbane 12 years ago, so is almost considered a local. “I was born and raised in Brunswick Heads so I’ve only ever lived about a 100kms either side of the city,” she says. “The Jellurgal ‘Oceanview Track’ walk is my favourite place on the Coast. It’s a beautiful walk through such a special, spiritual place. Take in the amazing view, hopefully spot a whale or some dolphins and finish up with a dip in Talle Creek.” Claire has over 10 years’ experience working in an eclectic mix of events in a variety of industries including universities, not for profits, craft beer and hospitality. Claire has been at Placemakers Gold Coast for four years and has a passion for large scale, site specific work. Claire graduated from Griffith University with a Bachelor of Applied Theatre in 2006 and returned to complete her Master of Arts and Media in 2015.

Lauren nominates Tallebudgera Creek as her go-to feelgood spot on the Gold Coast. “You’ll find me there every morning getting my coffee from Neptune Kiosk and having a yarn with the guys there, then soaking up some morning rays, reading the news of the day and topping it all off with a swim,” she says.” An afternoon dip at dusk is pretty dreamy too.” Lauren is an emerging arts worker whose skill set includes event management and delivery, social media marketing, philanthropic and sponsorship servicing. Lauren recently completed a placement with acclaimed visual artist and curator Craig Walsh within the arts programming team (Splendour in the Arts) at Splendour in the Grass. Her final year university placement was with APAM as a Programming and Marketing Assistant. Lauren graduated in 2017 from the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a Bachelor of Arts/Arts Management.

Jo grew up in Brisbane and spent most of her weekends on the Gold Coast before the pull of the Coast drew her here full-time. “Our first place was overlooking Tallebudgera Creek and I fell in love with the lifestyle and everyday beach days!” she says. “I then moved to Mermaid Beach which was amazing, being able to walk to the Nobby shops, restaurants and bars. I now live in Elanora which is extremely centrally located so I can still enjoy the best of the Gold Coast. I love so many places on the Gold Coast but one of my favourite spots is Burleigh. There is always so much activity, places to eat and of course the surf to watch on the hill.” Jo worked in an accounting firm for seven years before moving into providing accounting expertise to the Gold Coast’s leading arts organisations, Placemakers Gold Coast, The Farm and Everybody Now to name a few.

Chris is most often seen on the Gold Coast overseeing staging, lighting and sound systems for any one of dozens of Bleach* and Placemakers* Gold Coast events each year. But when he’s not busily managing elaborate staging challenges, his favourite parts of the Gold Coast are the vibrant and diverse food scene of Broadbeach and the village atmosphere of Tugun. Chris has directed the technical requirements of Bleach* – the Gold Coast Festival since its inception in 2012, overcoming any and all meteorological events and technical challenges to ensure the show will go on. Chris hails from Brisbane but spends much of his time travelling around Australia with other festivals such as Splendour in the Grass and Woodford Folk Festival plus international tours with well-known contemporary Australian artists including Safia and Set Mo. Chris spends half of his year connected to the Gold Coast through the management of Bleach* – the Gold Coast Festival and other Placemaking activations across the city.

Lindsay has lived on the Gold Coast since 1984 and holidayed here as a child prior to that. These days, her favourite places are the beaches and waterways of the northern end of the Coast. “We hit the shores of Main Beach most days with an early beach walk and we love spending weekend time on the Gold Coast Broadwater,” she says. With a Bachelor of Business, Hospitality Management, Lindsay has worked across the tourism sector on the Gold Coast for more than 30 years in hotel management, destination marketing and management, stakeholder engagement and most recently as part of the team transitioning The Arts Centre Gold Coast to HOTA Home of the Arts. As a board member for Destination Gold Coast, she also advocates for the tourism industry. “As a Mum to two young adults, we all love the Gold Coast spirit and I’m proud of our creativity and resilience.”