KIERAN J HENNESSY

Head of Music / EA to Director – The Hopeless Utopian

Perhaps it began when hosting community radio as a kid, or maybe during post-lock-outs when throwing his own riotous uni parties, those social sanctuaries where barriers were broken, loves blossomed and unravelled, cultures simultaneously shared and created, and lessons learned.

At some point, Kieran J. Hennessy channelled this overflowing passion for music & people into a career in event management & community cultural engagement.

Since then, he has worked in roles across Maker Agency, The World Bar in Kings Cross, Leisurely Management, and Swerve Group’s Your Paradise festival in Fiji. He DJs sunny pool parties & underground raves, and he tutors kids in English… and DJing.

Most notably, since December 2016, Kieran has helped Australian musician and entrepreneur Holly Rankin, aka Jack River, and the amazing team at The Hopeless Utopian, to develop music events with passion, sustainability & social justice at their core. This year, they announced a partnership with Secret Sounds for all future events.

These events include Grow Your Own, a music & produce festival in the team’s own hometown of Forster. In addition, Electric Lady is a media platform & event series amplifying the strength of women in music, politics, science, sport and beyond.

Kieran is also a regular volunteer journalist at Lunchbox, a long-form music publication, and helped develop the grassroots Slam & Jam event series with Afrikapital, a community-based initiative in Sydney providing space for social story-telling, music performance, and cultural celebration.

Can dance, too.