Mentorship, ongoing
Open Studio began during the COVID-19 lockdown when we were missing having regular chats about art and art making with young people and emerging artists. You can now book a virtual meeting with one of our staff to discuss your career and ambitions.
Open Studio is a free service that we offer to support emerging artists for career advice, feedback on ideas, and general creative or practice guidance.
Our team is full of fun, lovely, creative artists who work in a range of arts disciplines, including creative writing, music, arts admin and more.
Please note that Open Studio is alongside our regular workload, so when booking your session, please allow for a little bit of flexibility! Our schedules often change; we will always give you as much notice as possible. If you are working on something with a deadline, please make sure you’re giving yourself (and us) enough time before it is due (at least 2 or 3 weeks).
Each team member offers support in specific areas. Please review their listed expertise before booking.
Book a session with one of the team
Nicole Issa
Nicole Issa is an artist, songwriter and creative producer based in South-West Sydney. At Outloud, Nicole is the Creative Producer and has produced works including Stories From Here: An Audio Tour of Bankstown. She is also a facilitator for the RESPECT and UNITY Programs. As an artist, Nicole Issa has been making waves recently, returning from the US after a Sofar Sounds showcase tour and celebrating her music being placed on Live Nation’s Ones To Watch list. She is a recent mentee in the inaugural APRA AMCOS 23% Mentorship, and her single ‘Are You Really Worth It’ received glowing recognition on BBC Radio 1’s Future Pop show.
She can give advice on:
- Arts Careers
- Releasing music independently
- Grant writing
- Community projects
- Live Gigs
- Performance development
- Songwriting
- Community Engagement
Van Nguyen
Van Nguyen is a solo musician whose music genres revolve around pop and rock. Inspired by Ed Sheeran’s live playing style, Van performs using an acoustic guitar and a looping station to make his solo gigs sound big and lively. From debuting at university open mics, Van now enjoys performing at local community events. He has performed at such events like the Bankstown Poetry Slam.
He can give advice on:
- Recording and mixing music
- Live performances
- Sound and tech for live performances (like equipment and tech stuff you may need for a live performance)
- Loop station
- Busking
Melanie Carolan
Melanie is passionate about working with new Australian work, emerging artists, and independent practitioners. She has been working in the arts for 20 years, with a focus on theatre and live performance. Before joining Outloud, she was the Senior Producer at Critical Stages Touring, where she worked with independent artists to deliver theatre experiences to hundreds of venues across the country. As Associate Producer for Griffin Theatre Company, Mel oversaw the delivery of the company’s mainstage and independent seasons, bringing dozens of new Australian plays to their first audiences. Her projects delivered for Griffin include Angus Cerini’s The Bleeding Tree (Winner of the 2016 Helpmann Award for Best Play, and Sydney Theatre Award for Best New Australian Work), Suzie Miller’s Caress/Ache, Alana Valentine’s Ladies Day, and Justin Fleming’s The Literati (a co-production with Bell Shakespeare). She has also worked for Merrigong Theatre Company in Wollongong, and as a freelance Producer and Stage Manager.
She can give advice on:
- Producing theatre, events and live performance
- Touring theatre: regional and national tours
- Grant writing
- Budgets
- Contracts
- Arts careers
Partners and supporters
The program is made possible through the generous support of Create NSW
