CAST Launches With 'New Ideas, New Experiences & New Investment'

CAST, the Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology, has officially launched today. It plans to celebrate with a meet-up at SXSW Sydney in October.

A new organisation, CAST works as a platform and community for the “buyers” (traditional entertainment businesses) and “builders” (startups and scaleups) of entertainment innovation. Bridging the gap between arts, sports, and technology, CAST brings a wealth of knowledge from within the entertainment industry and impressive networks.

The company aims to drive sustainable growth and success through collaborations with other sectors and businesses. CAST is led by its General Manager, Gavin Parry, and Ella Petite, who’s in charge of Marketing and Memberships. The pair has approximately 25 years of experience in the music, entertainment, and tech startup sectors. They’ve worked at Mushroom Group, Positive Feedback, and more.

Parry said of CAST’s launch, “For over a decade, I've witnessed the power of collaboration firsthand. In music, it fuels the rise of artists and projects.

“Seeing this dynamic in startups, I recognised the need for change in entertainment. While leading Entain's Australian innovation strategy, I saw many startups struggle to connect with corporations. It became pretty obvious without a bridge between the industry and innovators; the industry was going to be left behind.”

CAST recently participated in the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Live Music Industry, where Parry says he was struck by “very little new money and new ideas coming into the sector. The answer can’t be moving around existing industry spend, it needs to be about new ideas, new experiences and new investment.”

In addition to Parry and Petite, CAST has an impressive Advisory Board which includes Brad Moran (of CitrusAd, former AFL player), Joel Edmondson (Venue Management Association), Nic Kelly (Queensland Government), and Allen Smith (CIO DMCG Recruiting).

As Parry wrote in a recent piece for The Music, CAST aims to foster collaboration within “entertainment” and “fantech” spaces.

Parry explained, “Similar to the way triple j Unearthed works, our community showcases startups across the entertainment spectrum through publicly viewable profiles. The biggest barrier to innovation is discovering products and platforms that can support growth.

“Our focus with the community is about making entertainment and fantech innovation more visible.”

Edmondson said of CAST’s launch, “The cancellation and retirement of major festival brands around Australia, as well as the rapid shrinking of our live music venue industry, is a clear indication that a total reinvention of the live music experience is required for Australians to continue to enjoy this vital part of our cultural identity. CAST will play a critical role in helping advance the role of technology in this reinvention.”

If you’d like to create a profile with CAST, head here to find more information.