Craig Pearce

I am currently an Artist Manager for a diverse roster of New Zealand artists, including The Black Seeds, The Phoenix Foundation, Reb Fountain, and Moniker. Over the years, I’ve also helped develop artists like Lord Echo, Lawrence Arabia, Connan Mockasin, and Sola Rosa.

Additional to my role as Artist Manager, I also currently participate as:

• Label & Royalties Manager for artist’s companies

  Live Booking Agent for various artists

• Tour Manager for domestic and international tours

• Act CEO, CFO, and COO for the artists’ companies

  Stage Manager at Homegrown

  Executive Committee Member at MMF

These varied roles have given me deep insights into both the creative and business sides of the industry. I’m passionate about supporting the long-term success of the artists I manage and ensuring their well-being in a constantly evolving music landscape

My career spans nearly 20 years, during which I’ve worked across multiple facets of the music industry. I’ve facilitated over 50 artist releases, acting as their label and coordinating global teams to manage royalties. I’ve also worked on live music, supporting artists at major festivals like Glastonbury, Splendour In The Grass, and Roskilde, and have toured across Europe, the US, Canada, the Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.

Additionally, I’ve:

• Served as a Board Member of Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ)

• Provided high-level mentorship to emerging and established artists

• Lectured at Massey University, contributing to the Degree in Music (Industry Major) programme

I’ve witnessed the industry evolve with digital streaming, touring challenges, and cultural shifts. I continue to adapt to ensure my artists succeed long-term.

Craig is a self confessed spreadsheet geek, he loves nothing more than budgeting, accounting and “finding” royalties.

Craig can mentor on (his words) 'anything they want to ask. I don't really hold anything back and if I don't know something I let them know'. 

However, his strong points are: 

• Touring NZ/World - Logistical issues like Visas/Freight/Travel Tips/Production

•  Finance - All aspects, including Royalties/Budgets/Accounting/IRD/Global Taxation/Importing/Exporting/Publishing

• Promo/Marketing - Digital/Traditional

• Festivals - How to secure festivals and be ready for offers/how to negotiate fees

• Band Dynamics - The ins and outs of dealing with multiple personalities!

• Recording/Production - The ins and outs of funding, recording, producing and releasing music

Mikee Carpinter

Mikee Carpinter is a musician, director and producer who has played an instrumental role in bringing some of New Zealand’s finest music-based visual content to life.

Mikee brings a passion for the New Zealand music industry with his 20+ years of experience. Much of that time has spent working on his own musical projects, while also managing acts including Alae, Georgia Lines, Hooks and Alex James.

Mikee specialises in guiding new acts into the industry and helping them lay out releases plans and goal setting.

This includes applying for funding, pitching to radio, building a local/international team, content creation and release strategies.

Mikee’s specialties are: MANAGEMENT, RADIO, RELEASE STRATEGIES, CONTENT CREATION, FUNDING

Yee Yang ‘Square’ Lee 李羽阳

Yee Yang ‘Square’ Lee 李羽阳 is a Malaysian-Hakka-Chinese  artist manager, creative producer, and governance professional based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland—someone whose career path makes more sense than it looks on paper. 

Square grew up in Kuala Lumpur, read Law in Cardiff, and built his career in Aotearoa across an unusual mix of boardrooms and greenrooms—from billion-dollar institutions to Off Broadway seasons, from Pan-Asian pop-up festivals to  international touring across four continents. As Founding  Principal of MUARA.NZ, he works where artist development,  cross-cultural strategy, and creative sector governance collide—with AI built into the operational backbone of his practice. 

Artists he has managed and produced include Modern Māori  Quartet, Troy Kingi, Tofiga Fepulea’i, Arjuna Oakes, Mazbou Q,  and Ersha Island 二沙岛. He is a founding member of Where  The Asians At (Aotearoa)‽, ORYZA, and the ASIAN(SOUND)SCAPES Festival. 

What Square brings to any table is a different perspective— usually in the form of uncomfortable questions. He’s most  effective with mid-career artists ready to tip into a new  paradigm, or institutions navigating a transition. 

Square can mentor on artist management, creative producing,  international touring, governance, IP, cultural intelligence,  fundraising, navigating conflict, and negotiation—and loves  tackling things that don’t fit neatly into boxes.

Paula Yeoman

Paula Yeoman is the co-owner and co-director of NicNak Media alongside Nicole Thomas.

NicNak specialises in artist management and entertainment publicity, and recently launched a new media initiative, Lil Sister, for emerging acts. NicNak also runs a boutique record label for a small roster of Aotearoa artists.

Before establishing NicNak Media, Paula worked as a journalist, with more than 20+ years’ experience in NZ and the UK. She now fronts the management arm of NicNak and is across the day-to-day management of Theia (and Theia’s te reo Māori project TE KAAHU), Paige, Nganeko and TOI. She also works closely with many other NZ artists as a mentor with MMF.

Paula and Nicole are two-time recipients of MMF awards – in 2017, they won the award for ‘Emerging Manager of the Year’ and in 2021, they won ‘Manager of the Year’.

Paula is involved in the day-to-day management of the artists on the NicNak roster and is able to assist in all areas relating to management including pairing artists with writers, producers, engineers, photographers, videographers; helping with funding applications; budgeting; strategy and planning for new releases; touring; branding, developing assets (bios, press shots); social media and creating content.