Join these upbeat volunteers
One World Beat 2004 is proud to have a number of amazing volunteers working
long hours for zero pay other than the reward of helping promote a wonderful
and important cause—doing it all through the medium, magic and message
of music!
Linda Serck is a BBC journalist based in Reading,
home of the world famous Reading Rock Festival. She worked as a journalist on
the town's major daily newspaper, the Reading Evening Post before moving
to BBC. Music is her expertise, and she is a regular at live music events. Linda
became a volunteer media coordinator after meeting One World Beat's UK Communications
manager Mark Roach at the finale of a recent 'Battle of the Bands' competition
in south London where both were on the judging panel. Mark and Linda's volunteer
efforts gain exposure on the Hold
The Front Page website, a national journalism website in the UK. If you'd
like any more info about Linda, feel free to contact
her or look at her
URL.
Mark Roach, a journalist and editor in London, wears many hats! He
is the communications and country manager for the UK, a communications manager
for Europe and Asia, a link to volunteers in the UK and Asia and events coordinator.
He writes to hundreds of potential outlets about OWB asking them to spread
the word. He gathers news on events and writes articles. Mark has newspaper,
television, radio and internet reporting experience; his specialty is sports
(football, or soccer to Americans). He is sports editor for a London newspaper.
Recent public relations experience includes working with and interviewing
musicians and bands. He's a mobile DJ in his spare time and sees volunteering
for OWB as a chance to be involved with the music he loves and to help people
at the same time.
Sylvia Young, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is part of the OWB PR/global
communications team and coordinates events in the Atlanta area. She is an
artist manager running her own company, Total
Kaos Entertainment (listed in Billboard's Musicians' Guide). Sylvia's
experience in the music business started at the Art Institute of Atlanta,
where she majored in Music Entertainment Management and concentrated in business.
On-the-job experience has yielded insights into management and advertising,
video/studio/radio recording, copyright law, music creation and helping musicians
hone their craft. She works with her clients free of charge until they sign
a recording contract. As Sylvia puts it: "Artists deserve the opportunity
to learn who they are dealing with and why...everyone deserves a chance, and
we all need a little help sometimes without strings attached". She is putting
this belief into action as an OWB volunteer.
Linda Quinet, Paris, France-based webmaster,
started realizing what internationalism means during a life-changing stint
abroad after university. Since then she worked as journalist, editor, public-relations
professional and freelance writer. As website pivot point for a study-abroad
organization, she worked with representatives in 17 countries, including a
London office—ample preparation for OWB 2004 (40 countries and counting).
She travels widely, including Kenya, and has seen the devastating effects
of HIV/AIDS close-up—one reason she eagerly signed up to work on the
festival. Her specialty is web sites for "worthy causes and starving artists."
More about Linda.
Stuart Blance, our first
spotlighted artist, is based in Perth, Scotland. Both a musician performing
in OWB and Scottish events coordinator, he writes, performs and records music.
A 1999 London introduction to what goes on behind the scenes in the music
industry led him to play for a record-industry rep; positive feedback turned
a hobby and dream into a professional reality. Stuart plays throughout Scotland.
An album on his own label gained country-wide recognition. Now writing and
recording for a second album, Stuart has been described as "UK's answer to
Beck." He hopes to produce a CD with Scottish events. "I want to get
the message (about HIV/AIDS) out in a way I know I can communicate, through
my music." A contact may result in donation of profits from a CD of a band
playing during OWB 2004. He and fellow UK volunteer, Mark Roach, generate
a lot of coverage for OWB. Stuart's girlfriend, Fiona McConnochie, got her
well-known piping tutor, Roddy MacLeod, interested in an event at the prestigious
National Piping Centre in Scotland. Stuart has lined up a mini-festival of
talent the weekend of March 19-21. "I love doing this", he concludes, "that's
all the reward I need."
Janet Feldman of the USA, website news director, has also been working
on the global PR campaign and recruiting musicians/artists and NGOs (mainly
in Africa). She has worked in music sales and as director of a public artspace,
studied art history and done graduate work in international relations and
conflict resolution. She founded the international branch of a Kenyan HIV/AIDS
organization, KAIPPG, in
the late 1990's. Another 2002 creation is the ActALIVE
arts coalition which has 250 members in 25 countries who use the arts to address
HIV/AIDS issues. She also volunteers for several educational projects in Haiti,
collects Haitian art and folk arts from around the world. She makes collages
in spare nanoseconds. She says of her involvement with OWB: "I believe that
One World Beat can make a big difference to those coping with and addressing
the HIV/AIDS pandemic globally, and that art will save the world in any case,
so it's hugely exciting to be part of an endeavor that combines both."
Florent Bopey of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, is both communications
and country manager; he also serves as a link for volunteers in Francophone
Africa. He is a development professional whose work is centered around the
well-being of women and children; he also focuses on HIV/AIDS, especially
in relation to conflict and poverty. A volunteer for KAIPPG and a member of
ActALIVE as well as being director of its French department (see links above),
he has experience using art and music to address HIV/AIDS. He hopes to combine
a focus on the arts, microcredit and HIV/AIDS prevention in future work. Florent
helped develop events in Burundi as well as the DRC, and he translates OWB
media documents into French. He says, "I find OWB so interesting because
it centers around music as an effective instrument of behavior change."
Long Leng of Pennsylvania, USA, is an events coordinator, assisting
artists with information about how they can participate. Although his engineering
background and had him designing Yale/Hyster forklifts and being a project
engineer for Mack Truck Inc., he is currently VP of small-business development
with www.phoeinixlitho.com. When
not going that, Long looks after the pizza shop he owns in Philadelphia called
Coliseum Pizza, at 2310 W. Passyunk Ave. He loves motorcycles and racing,
and he snowboards and skis during the winter season. Long loves to travel
and meet people in different countries and says that he thinks faith brought
him to work with OWB. "I got a call from Switzerland (after writing to director
Andy Treichler)," he says, "and the rest is history".
Martin Contempree, based in Sydney, coordinates Australian events
coordinator. His Club Acoustica has been the scene of major OWB events in
both 2003 and 2004. Club
Acoustica is a showcase opportunity for Australian emerging talent to
present original music in acoustic format, focusing attention on their words
and music. So far, there have more than 350 showcases for 2000 acts and branches
in Brisbane, Melbourne, Byron Bay, Adelaide (soon to open in Perth and Canberra).
Martin has 10+ years of experience as a radio presenter, and for the past
three years has presented Acoustica on 2SER
107.3FM, focusing on original Australian music where guests perform live.
He has worked in music management for INXS, Jenny Morris, Tania Kernaghan,
Brett Hutn and Welter, and runs Vision Music Management and Promotion, which
has produced two recent Australian movie soundtracks. Music and entertainment
trivia is a passion, and he has a company called Play Entertainment Group
which produces DVD-based trivia shows for venue and corporate clients. His
joint venture company, Elastic Wit Studios, is a premier DVD authoring compan
in Australia, having produced DVD's for Silverchair, Kylie Monigue, ACDC,
Kasey Chambers and Powderfinger. Martin says of his involvement with OWB:
"Working with music is my passion, my life and my dream job, and seeing it
make a difference in people's lives gives me the greatest satisfaction. OWB
is an opportunity to get involved in a global project that has great integrity,
a sound message and a good opportunity to grow into an annual event that gets
bigger and better each year. Being part of this global community is exciting
and personally satisfying."
Alicia Yaffe in Virginia, USA, is in charge of recruiting HIV/AIDS
organizations, promoters, venues and artists in Spain and Latin America. She
is also helping with the PR work and placing mentions in Spanish-language
publications all over the world. She is a senior at the University of Virginia,
concentrating in media studies and Spanish. She hopes to enter concert production
and helps plan concerts at her university. She also translates for Spanish-speaking
patients at the Charlottesville Free Clinic and plays ice hockey. She says
of her involvement with OWB: "I got involved with One World Beat because it
shares a vision that I have for the world. I think music is the most powerful
tool of communication in existence—they say it's the universal languag—
therefore it can be used to effectively change and improve the world".
Steve Obada of Lagos City, Nigeria, is an events and media coordinator
as well as an OWB performing musician. He trained as a telephone technician
at Kaduna Polytechnic and is a performer with one recorded album already,
entitled Nigeria Cannot Survive Another War. He is publicity secretary
to the Performing Musicians' Association of Nigeria (PMAN), an organization
whose support he enlisted for the festival. He is also a promotion/marketing
manager for Leader Records and Salt Records and promotion/marketing coordinator
for P-Wise Entertainment in Lagos. Steve says of his involvement: "My desire
is to contribute to humanity, and for that reason I have always been involved
with charity projects. OWB is the biggest international help program I have
been involved with so far!"
Volunteer opportunities: Our webmaster signed with OWB after listing availability
on the Idealist.org website. This site and several others are excellent places
for people to learn of volunteer opportunities. If interested, check:
Ways you can help One World Beat: Be a country event coordinator,
do public relations for the annual March events, translate, write articles,
research....endless possiblilties...join
us!
· Concerts4Charity
