Power 50 - #22: Gregg Donovan & Stuart MacQueen

BACKGROUND CHECK

In the early '90s, Gregg Donovan started out as a manager and local promoter in Canberra. After stints working as an office manager and tour manager in Sydney, Donovan started Step2 Artist Management – his own artist management company – in 2001, which became Wonderlick Entertainment when he collaborated with business partner Stuart MacQueen in 2007. Donovan is also a founding member of the Australian Association Of Managers (AAM). 

Also in the early '90s (but in Adelaide), MacQueen started off as a music journalist, band manager and audio engineer. In 1997, he became General Manager of Krell Records before being headhunted for the Director Of A&R role at Melbourne's Shock Records in 2000. MacQueen is a Director of the Robert Stigwood Fellowship program and has also served on the board of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR).

THE YEAR THAT WAS

Wonderlick Entertainment is a four-pronged company comprising management, publishing, promoting and recording arms that boasts a roster of artists such as the unstoppable Amy Shark, Montaigne, The Paper Kites and Holy Holy. Last year, Shark collected four ARIA Awards and released the highest-selling Australian album with the Gold-certified Love Monster (which peaked at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart). The Paper Kites also had a cracking year, releasing two new records and also celebrating their Bloom single going Gold in the US (something only a handful of Australian acts before them such as Kylie Minogue, INXS and AC/DC have managed). New signings to Wonderlick in 2018 included Sydney sibling duo CLEWS and electronic artist Japanese Wallpaper. 

On a personal level, Donovan continues to mentor mid-level managers through the AAM Co-Piliot Mentorship Program with MacQueen mentoring artists and industry via the Robert Stigwood Fellowship. 2018 also saw the pair utilising their New York office to further cement Wonderlick's North American presence.  

2018'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

"The success of Amy Shark, both in Australia and internationally, and our continuing proven ability to build long-term international careers and to break new artists."