Who We Are

Judi Martinez (a.k.a. Kitty Wu), is co-director of 206 Zulu, a non-profit organization that utilizes hip hop culture and arts as an outlet for community empowerment, education and social change.

Established in 2004, 206 Zulu has produced many events, workshops, festivals, galleries, parades, youth programs, charity events and media programs throughout the Seattle/King County metropolitan area. In 2009, 206 Zulu became an anchor partner of the historic Washington Hall, a venue and community space that has been a hub for notable artists, musicians, activists and communities of color for 110 years, helping to manage the daily operations of the building, providing valuable space for events, programs, and community functions in the rapidly changing Central District.     Kitty Wu has worked with notable local hip hop artists, including as manager of Khingz and in public relations for Shabazz Palaces. She is a co-producer of The Coolout Network, a music program that began airing on Seattle Public Access Television in 1991 to showcase Seattle's hip hop scene.  

Seattle soul singer, emcee, "Westminster Daddy" and Auntie, Adra Boo, walks through walls. While some in the age look to construct boxes for others, Boo flouts these efforts, working to inspire through interconnectivity, sacrifice and, of course, a touch of sweetness.

Formerly known in the Emerald City as one half of the electro-funk duo, Fly Moon Royalty, which has shared stages with the likes of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Robert Glasper, and Macklemore, Boo also performs regularly as a featured singer for musicians like Erik Blood, Vox Mod, Massy Ferguson, and the Grammy Award-winning composer and Seattle native, Andrew Joslyn. Currently, she is a member of Seattle's new wave noir band, Hotels, and doing more and more solo exploration, further proving not even the sky's the limit.

Boo also holds a place in the 2019 Honorary Westminster Daddy Hall of Fame, and is a member of both SimonePin Productions, a technical dance and burlesque company owned by Women of Color, as well as Dark Diamonds Burlesque, and all POC burlesque troupe based in Seattle.

When not singing, however, Boo works in her community in multiple facets, including previously holding a board seat with the Pacific Northwest Grammy Chapter, and currently directing Rain City Rock Camp's Adult Rock Camp, energizing womxn, trans, and gender expansive/non-binary individuals towards living their best lives, musically and beyond. Boo is also a regular emcee for summer music festivals, burlesque and cabaret, and a former festival correspondent for the award-winning alternative weekly, The Stranger.

A veteran performer on a myriad stages, Boo has been compared to timeless musicians like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, unafraid to ruffle feathers or rouse would-be audiences. And while all of these efforts cause her to stand out in the city, it's her work as an artistic liaison that has made her a local legend.

Denise Burnside was born in Seattle and grew up across the water in Bremerton. By 13, she was taking the ferry over to Seattle to go to Skoochies and Gorilla Gardens. She attended Concordia University in Montreal, studying contemporary dance, performing in a touring dance troupe, and playing bass in an all-girl punk band called Bite.

In the mid-90s, Denise returned to Seattle. Working at the Pike Place Market and playing music led her to meet the crew that were re-opening The Showbox as a music venue. She stuck around doing whatever odd job she could until they hired her full time. Denise worked her way up (box office, security, production, booking) to General Manager.

After building The Showbox into a flourishing venue over almost 9 years, she did freelance bookkeeping for misc. entities, including the Vera Project, which brought her to KEXP. Over her 11.5 years at KEXP, Denise built their business and finance departments, events department - notably co-creating Concerts at the Mural with Seattle Center, and directed the vision, design, and construction of KEXP's new home at Seattle Center.

Denise co-founded the Clock-Out Lounge, addressing a gap in entertainment venues on Beacon Hill. The venue has quickly turned into a cultural cornerstone for community and musicians alike. Denise attended Seattle University while bringing the Clock-Out to life, and earned a Leadership Executive MBA.

Now Executive Director of SMASH, Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare, Denise is growing the movement the help musicians lead healthy and creative lives in Seattle and the Puget Sound region, preserving our unique local culture, through access to health and well-being services for musicians.

Miss Casey Carter (MCC) has spent the last 10+ years working within the independent music scene. From interviews to creative direction, marketing, MCC has devoted countless hours to supporting up and coming talent in the NW and beyond. Startup projects include TheBlowUp.co, an independent music blog that successfully ran for 3 years and "The Glow Up", a weekly podcast highlighting art and entrepreneurship. Events have been a huge part of the MCC brand as well. Casey has produced live concerts, pop-up shops featuring local businesses, networking events and dance parties. Casey also had a short-lived career in radio as she served as the host and producer of KUBE 93.3's "The Come Up" where she played new and local music. She has now switched gears and is focusing on supporting artists and small businesses with their branding and communications. With her extensive resume, she is determined to provide guidance to those who most need it.

A longtime advocate of all-ages and DIY music, Jason Clackley is a youth mentor and recording and touring artist. Born and raised in Hawaii, he spent his teenage years in Bremerton, Washington before moving to Seattle. Once relocating to the city, he joined a rag-tag group of punks doing house shows in the U-District. Since then, he's helped run many all-ages programs and DIY spaces, including Fusion Cafe at the Downtown YMCA, Black Lodge, and Ground Zero's Music Program.

Outside of music and art, Clackley also has an extensive background in social services, working with neurodiverse youth through Seattle Public Schools, houseless folx at DESC, and in counseling with Ryther Child Center. He continues this youth mentorship and social work in our creative community today as the Artistic Director of The Vera Project.Clackley plans to continue building pathways into the industry and more equitable opportunities in music and arts for generations to come.

Sue Ennis is Seattle-based songwriter. She has co-written more than 70 songs for Heart, (30 million records sold and 2013 inductees in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.) Hits include "Dog & Butterfly," "Straight On," and "Even It Up." She has co-written songs for feature films including The Golden Child starring Eddie Murphy and Thomas and The Magic Railroad, and her hobby band, The Lovemongers, appeared on the soundtrack of Singles. Sue scored and wrote the songs for "Art Dog," a stage musical produced at The Seattle Children's Theatre. She teaches Music Business, Career Development and Songwriting at Shoreline Community College. She also teaches "Songwriting for Film" for the Seattle Film Institute. Sue was recently re-elected by the PNW Grammy Board to serve as their national Trustee on the board of the Recording Academy ("The Grammys") and was appointed to co-chair the national Committee for Advocacy for the Recording Academy. Currently, she is developing a jukebox musical with a nationally known Broadway producer and Tony-winning director, for which she is writing the book. And perhaps most crucially, Sue is a proud volunteer as a songwriting coach and band mentor at Rain City Rock Camp.

Andrea Friedman is a community organizer, events producer and program manager based in Seattle, WA. Born in Vermont and raised in San Diego, they have always flourished in community. Andrea received their B.S. in Community & Regional Development from UC Davis before moving to Seattle in 2012. They quickly became involved in the local music scene in both professional and volunteer capacities. Andrea was the Talent Buyer at nonprofit all-ages venue The Vera Project from 2014 to 2017 and a founding member of the TUF arts collective where they planned the annual TUFFEST music and arts festival from 2016 to 2020. They have also worked on other community driven arts endeavors like Refill, a benefit show for artists impacted by COVID-19, and Corridor, an experimental music, installation and dance festival. Andrea currently works as a Community Engagement Manager at KEXP where they manage youth and education programs and produce events. In 2022, Andrea was the project manager of KEXP50, KEXP’s 50th anniversary celebration, where over 10,000 guests celebrated the local radio station’s impact in Seattle and beyond. No matter where they are, Andrea strives to foster safer spaces for marginalized groups to connect and collaborate around music and art.

Joleen Winther Hughes is the founder, principal and fearless leader of Hughes Media Law Group, a firm that represents some of the most innovative technology, music, gaming, entertainment and digital media companies throughout the world. Joleen started HMLG specifically to support entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries who push the boundaries of both media and technology.

Joleen has very deep and diverse ties in the music industry including serving as general counsel to entertainment brands like Seattle's own Votiv (record label, publishing company, artist management, film development and startup incubator), QYOU (international television network featuring independent musical artists), innovative product developers like Tectonic Audio Labs (flat panel speaker technology), AxonVR (haptic virtual reality technology), FlareGun (concert event augmented reality) and ReplyYes (Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies for 2017 in the music category), has served as special music counsel to Microsoft, SoundStage/BMG, and advises local artists like Ayron Jones, Andrew Joslyn and Michael "Wanz" Wansley.

Prior to owning and operating her law firm, Joleen served as Senior Counsel at RealNetworks. There she was part of the legal team that structured the very first legal digital music service (MusicNet), and was a pioneer in developing the business models of making music available via the internet and mobile devices.

Before that, Joleen owned a successful artist management and production company during the height of the 90's Seattle music explosion working with music legends like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, running the legendary RKCNDY nightclub, and promoting live events all over the Seattle area. More recently, after 11 years, she sold the successful Irish pub business she co-owned with her husband.

Andrew Joslyn, composer, orchestrator, and violinist is an award-winning musical polymath whose passion for collaboration has led him to work with a remarkably diverse group of world-class artists, touring the world, performing, co-writing and arranging music on over 400 songs throughout his career. Along the way he has amassed an extensive list of writing, orchestrating, recording and touring credits that include: Macklemore, Kesha, Judy Collins, Leslie Odom Jr., Kygo, ODESZA, K Flay, Chase Rice, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Michael Bolton, Duff McKagan (Guns N Roses), The Seattle Symphony, and many many others. He currently runs his own production studio in Seattle, leads the Passenger String Quartet, and has scored several feature length films, and writes music for artists, labels, podcasts, music licensing houses, and commercials. He is also a national trustee for the PNW chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys), and a local advocate for music and the arts on the West Coast.

Keola Kama is a native Hawaiian from the island of Maui, whose education and music career has taken him from Seattle to Los Angeles and back. Music has always been at the heart of his being - the family home was constantly filled with his mother's opera singing (she performs locally around Seattle) and his first memories revolved around experimenting with the piano and the guitar in the living room, which then progressed to school band geek status quickly thereafter. This then led to a passion for deejaying and a lifelong obsession with crate digging.

Starting out in L.A., he was a radio host and volunteer coordinator with community radio station KPFK FM, where he created programs to empower the station's community of activists and volunteers via job skills training, community-building, and programming opportunities for underserved groups. Next up was riding the first wave of digital marketing at Capitol Records, followed by moves to EMI Music, and then Universal Music Group. Being at the cutting edge of digital marketing in its infancy provided him with insight into how the music landscape was rapidly evolving and changing the nature of how we consume music. After 10 years at record labels, Keola joined Napster in Seattle, to help the team innovate in the streaming space via both marketing partnerships with indie artists, as well as negotiating licensing agreements with labels. The accumulation of this experience and knowledge has him energized to help expand the opportunities for artists and fans alike, going forward.

Eric Lilavois is a Seattle-based record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter. Lilavois produces a wide variety of musical acts and styles and has earned substantial production, engineering, and mixing credits.

Lilavois is an owner of Seattle's famed London Bridge Studio, where countless multiplatinum records were recorded, including Pearl Jam's Ten, Mother Love's Bone Shine, Soundgarden's Louder Than Love, Alice In Chains' Dirt, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' Downtown, Temple of The Dog, Blind Melon, The Singles Motion Picture Soundtrack, Fleet Foxes, Cat Power, One Republic, Death Cab for Cutie, and more.

Lilavois owned and operated Crown City Studios, a 4000 sq. ft recording studio in Pasadena, CA from 2005-2015, was the Executive Producer of the "Crown City Sessions" live video series, and engineered / mixed each episode which featured both established and up and coming buzz worthy artists.

Lilavois was the lead singer and guitarist of the Los Angeles-based Rock Band "The Days In Between" which toured the North and Southwest United States extensively between 2004-2006, and sold thousands of independently released records.

Paula Nava Madrigal is a cellist and one of a small percentage of female conductors in the United States. In addition to conducting orchestras, she teaches classical music to immigrant youth, providing free lessons and instruments. Paula has long been committed to social justice and inclusion in music education. It's her deep belief that all children deserve to receive musical education no matter their social, racial, or economic barriers.

Originally from Mexico, Paula studied cello and conducting at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. She developed her career as a musician while also conducting orchestras and teaching students from different backgrounds and economic situations.

When Paula moved to the United States with her husband, a Seattle musician, the two teamed up to provide free musical training to Latino and immigrant youth. The couple now runs Orquesta Northwest with programs including Young Strings Outreach and Ballard Civic Orchestra. BCO aims to showcase Latinx soloists and composers, and to make performances as accessible as possible, concerts are free and take place at a variety of venues throughout the greater Seattle area.

BunnieOnTheBoard, is an Audio Engineer and Teaching Artist uniquely filling a gap in the current monoculture that is recording engineers. By focusing on work with women and artists of color, she aims to show that the recording studio doesn't have to be a scary place for artists like them; and that they can trust their artistic process in the hands of someone who understands the cultural nuances that play such an important part in the depth of their music.

With a passion for building bridges between creators and their goals, Bunnie has partnered with organizations such as the City of Burien and Arts Globo to teach songwriting courses and to help build out educational programs. In her work as GRAMMY U Representative with The Recording Academy, she was able to revamp the mentorship program, making it one of the most sought-after for college students in the Pacific Northwest.

In her current role as Creative Director of newly formed record label, PNW Beats, Bunnie is using that same passion to grow the careers of a talented roster of homegrown artists and producers. With music at the center of her universe, she enjoys spending her time outside of the studio consulting and volunteering for area arts organizations such as MusiCares, Rain City Rock Camp, The Vera Project and ArtistTrust.

Terry Morgan has a strong working relationship with the international arts community. He started his career in Music and African American Studies. This love of culture and performance inspired him to start a production company and produce events celebrating the arts, while also developing a career as a professional musician.

Terry is the founder and president of Modern Enterprises, LLC, the most successful minority owned event production company in Washington state. He has served clients since 1979 providing talent, production, and technical services for cities, corporate clients and civic occasions. These nearly 40 years of experience include special event design, venue management, artist booking and promotion, public relations and fundraising. Terry's experience as a performing musician has strengthened Modern Enterprises' service of booking talent and designing sound environments for events. Clients include Microsoft, Cirque Du Soleil, Nordstrom, Seattle Children's Hospital, Chateau Ste Michelle, the Museum of Flight, The National Governor's Association, Pacific Place, University Village, Seattle Magazine, The Stillaguamish Tribe, and the Downtown Seattle Association.

Terry continues to expand his service realm throughout the US and Canada, developing events and performance experiences for major national clients and international touring artists. Closest to his heart, though, is his role as manager and bass player for Martez Music recording artist LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends.

Anne has been executing festivals and events in Seattle and beyond for 20 years, in a variety of capacities. Seattle-area producers of complex cultural events know that they can rely on Anne to deliver excellence in planning and execution for production, logistics, programming support, budgeting, and other aspects of creating unforgettable community experiences. For over a decade, Anne supported these efforts for the Northwest Folklife Festival, one of the largest and most diverse community-powered festivals in the US, while also serving as a critical contributor to the success of other regional highlights including Bumbershoot, PrideFest, and Capitol Hill Block Party.

Born and raised in Seattle, Anne jump-started her career as one of the first interns at The Vera Project, the all-ages volunteer-fueled music and arts venue, of which she remains a champion. From there, she mastered the realms of stage management, site management, operations management, programming, and staffing for events, all with vision and dedication to detail. Her work has propelled the success of such diverse happenings as the Northwest Tea Festival, the Seattle Interactive Conference, and New Year's at the Needle.

Anne relishes her success in collaborations with government and community groups, artists, non-profits, grass-roots organizers, and commercial organizations, and is currently putting these skills to work in her role as the Events & Festivals Manager at Friends of Waterfront Seattle, stewards of Seattle's new Waterfront Park. Partners and clients appreciate her methodical and thoughtful approach to bringing visions to life on the ground.

Bassist, composer, and producer Nate Omdal is one of Seattle's leading musical innovators, and his production work can be seen and heard all over the city of Seattle. Nate has provided arrangements or worked as musical director for The Seattle International Film Festival, million-dollar fundraisers (Celebrate Swedish 2014), prestigious winery events (Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Roundup), as well as the Seattle Art Museum and Bumbershoot. In 2010, Omdal began a musical partnership with MC/producer Spekulation that received critical praise. In 2016, Nate began an apprenticeship with Hollywood composer Ron Jones (Family Guy, Star Trek: The Next Generation).

For several years, Omdal has been an active advocate for musicians' rights. In 2014, he worked as a consultant with the Seattle Mayor's Office, Deptartment of Transportation and the Office of Film + Music to create a pilot program to introduce musicians' loading zones in four of Seattle's busiest nightlife districts.

Omdal has earned a Bachelor of Music from Cornish College of the Arts. He has been financially supported by Jack Straw, 4Culture, and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Currently, Nate is serving on the Directors' Board of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 76-493 and works as a contractor for SkyMuse Studios.

3-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto is a master pianist, flutist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator from Rio de Janeiro. After 15 years as a member of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal Group, he moved to Seattle in 1993. Since then, Jovino has established himself as a fascinating performer, whether playing solo piano, leading his award-winning Quinteto, or in guest appearances with ensembles and orchestras worldwide. He has shared the stage and the studio with some of the most creative musicians of our times. Jovino lectures on the connections between biology and music, usually coupled with his live performances. He taught at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for 26 years.

Born and raised in Seattle, Jessica has dedicated her career to developing and supporting creative communities through mission-driven arts and culture organizations. In the early 2000s, she co-owned and operated independent record label Made in Mexico Records with singer-songwriter Damien Jurado. Following, she spent several years as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Seattle International Film Festival, the largest film festival in the US. In 2010, she was recruited to lead the strategic brand marketing and community building initiatives at the Paul Allen-founded Experience Music Project (now Museum of Pop Culture), where she served as Director of Marketing and Audience Development. Leaving the museum after seven years, she took a senior executive role with a blockchain and cryptocurrency pioneer where she developed and managed a portfolio of creative investments and philanthropic initiatives; she continues to serve as a strategic advisor for high-profile projects in the space where art and technology meet. Jessica joined the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs in 2019 as its Executive Director for the Pacific Northwest Chapter, serving the music communities of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and Western Canada.

Nick Vaerewyck is Vice President of Programming at Climate Pledge Arena and is responsible for the strategic content programming of all concerts, family shows, and special events, as well as facilitating the NHL hockey and WNBA basketball schedules at the new facility.

Prior to Climate Pledge Arena, Nick spent four years with Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, NY as its SVP of Programming and Business Operations overseeing the reopening of the facility following a $180M renovation. Before Long Island, Nick was at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ as its Director of Event Booking after beginning as the Assistant Controller for both the Arena and Comerica Theatre. Recently, he was honored as a 2020 VenuesNow Generation Next recipient.

Originally from Dallas, TX, Nick moved to Arizona and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from Northern Arizona University. He now resides in the Ballard neighborhood with his wife, Nikki, and two sons.

Shannon Welles is a lifelong music lover and brings deep passion to her more than 20 years of work in the live music industry. Her background is wide-ranging in visual art, music, and ecology and is deeply rooted in community work. She earned an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University, focusing on the intersections of art, artistic citizenship, and ecology. She is the founder of Friends of The Showbox, a community coalition to landmark and save Seattle's iconic music venue, and she holds a management position with The Showbox. She has deep knowledge of venue operations and worker relations and is an AEG 1Earth Ambassador, dedicated to reducing venues' environmental impact.

Shannon is a longtime student of ecosystems and systems thinking, and she founded hypha, a free plant nursery project to grow community networks of plant sharing. She is on the Board of Directors of Friends of the Market and the Advisory Board for Seattle University's Arts Ecosystem Research Project. Shannon leads advocacy for the Washington Nightlife and Music Association (WANMA), and she is also a member of the Seattle REVS cohort, a national project to Reopen Every Venue Safely. She worked with music lovers to build Keep Music Live, a philanthropic campaign to save independent WA venues from permanent closure due to the pandemic. Shannon recently joined Mayor Durkan's Downtown Revitalization Work Group as a nightlife / WANMA representative. She is committed to building and maintaining community relationships and wants to serve Seattle's music sector by engaging venues in equity practices, advocating for cultural workers, reducing venue waste, and dreaming ways to make the sector accessible and inclusive.