Killing HeidiJesse Hooper, the multiple ARIA Award-winning musician best known as one of the co-founders of Killing Heidi, has expanded his resumé once more, this time being appointed Head Of Education at Melbourne's Industri Education.
Described as Australia's leading industry-connected tertiary provider for music and live entertainment, Industri Education is a facility which operates under the goals of getting its students educated to work in Australia's live music industry.
As Hooper tells The Music, it's something of a natural progression for him given his decades-long career as a performer and both founding and managing successful touring and recording companies.
"I've kind of moved into almost all facets of the music industry," he explains. "To really be hedging down on the live part of that through these courses and with the industry is a really exciting way for me to help build all those parts of the teams which are not necessarily just about the artistry and the creative side of the music, but about all those people that bring those shows to life."
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"Jesse has navigated every corner of this industry from the recording studio to the arena stage to the boardroom," says Evet Jean, Industri's Head of Partnerships. "His appointment reinforces our commitment to an education that is curated by the industry, for the industry.
“Under Jesse's leadership, our students will gain unparalleled access to live production expertise and music business strategy."
Offering courses in live sound production and live music business, Industri launched in 2022 and features programs co-designed alongside partners including Arts Centre Melbourne, Mushroom Group, Untitled Group, JPJ Audio, and more.
Similarly, it features a stellar roster of teachers from both sides of the musical fence, including performers such as Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's Fran Kearney, publicity and management experts such as Sarah Guppy of This Much Talent Australia, and multi-hyphenates including Deb Hatton, Juliette Lalli, and much more.
"It's about bridging that gap between the teachers and the students – not just being purely academic and theoretical," says Hooper. "They're industry practitioners and helping our students access great learning, but they're also great mentors who are bridging that gap into the industry."
While Industri is a stellar institution that provides its students with access to education that would have been only dreamt of decades ago, how does it differ from other institutions that also offer these future professionals crucial experience in their field of choice?
Hooper, who has spent much of the past 15 years working at Collarts, explains that Industri goes beyond the classroom and aims to get students out into the world which they will operate within.
"A lot of traditional courses, they bring people from the industry into the classroom," he explains. "For us it's about not just doing that, but taking the students out into the industry. So it's much more industry-integrated and designed.
"I feel like that's the real exciting point of difference and why someone would come to study at Industri, including the partnerships where the students are going straight out into the industry and into the festival scene, whether that's from the production side of things or from the music business side of things to see how those things operate."
Industri draws upon its vast networks of partnerships to help facilitate the most appropriate placements for students as well. These partnerships continue to evolve, too, meaning that as the industry itself changes, so too do the opportunities for hands-on experiences available to students.
For Hooper, what drew him to Industri is the ability to help create a series of professionals who will continue to drive the Australian music scene to reach new heights. He's someone who has spent decades on the music, songwriting, and performing side of things, but it's building the other side of the team that really excites him.
"I've experienced so many great musicians and artists creating amazing music and they've got the talent to perform," he explains. "But something that I definitely believe in is the other side; the managers, the promoters, the festivals, the production teams, and the crew are such a vital part of it.
"With Killing Heidi, we've got an amazing group of crew that we draw upon, and a lot of the time they're already booked and they're already doing other work with other great bands. So I really see there's a vocational need to help skill up the next generation that are behind the scenes, whether it's the managers, the events people, or the production, and the crew.
"I just feel like there's so much actual, clear need for the next generation to get skilled up and learn where those work opportunities are," he adds. "The music industry can be a little bit mysterious for young people. Like, 'How do you get into it? Where are the jobs?'
"I feel like what Industri does is really clearly skill you up and show you where those opportunities are, and not just that, we also partner with the people that can demonstrate that and give them those foot in the door straight away."
Indeed, Hooper has been fortunate enough to witness first-hand just how the Australian music industry operates and where the gap in education exists, allowing him to offer his vast insights into helping not just bolster the success of the local industry by training up those will will help kick it ticking along, but also help to shine a light on the areas which are often overlooked.
"From an audience perspective, it's usually just about the band and performance, and that's part of the magic," he explains. "All those other people supporting that are in a less visible position.
"For me, as someone who's constantly employing crew with my bands and my touring companies, finding great audio operators is a real struggle. A lot of the good ones are booked and busy, so there's a real need for the next generation of audio technicians, live sound, front of house, monitoring, and lighting techs.
"That's one of the areas where I reckon there's really a good opportunity for our students to skill up and get that work," he explains. "And on the other side there's the publicists, the venue teams, and the promoters that are always looking to the next generation to step into those roles.
With Hooper taking on the role of Head Of Education, his day-to-day activities will consist of overseeing all the curriculum and delivery of the classes, but also bringing along his own networks and partnerships from the industry. The result is decades of experience brought to the forefront of Industri, providing access and opportunities for the students that won't be found elsewhere.
"I'm so excited to bring the best of my 30 years' worth of successful networks to Industri over the next few months and years," he explains.
"I've got what I think is a vast network of people, ranging from festivals, promoters, booking agents, record companies, publishers, and more, so what I'm really keen to do is see how that continually integrates while making sure that our courses are at the cutting edge, relevant, and helping students become so skilled that when they finish their associate degrees, they're able to step into a number of roles in the music industry.
"I feel like a lot of courses consult with the industry and have them benchmark and do course advisory, whereas I feel like what we're doing is, we are the music industry."
Students interested in becoming a part of the Industri Education alumni are able to begin a pre-application via the organisation's website, with another intake currently scheduled to take place this month. Full information regarding courses, the application process, and more is available via the Industri Education website.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
