The Seed Fund has announced the location and first group of mentors for its 2025 Future Makers Management Workshop.

Butchulla songman and workshop alumni Fred Leone will be among the mentors at the first Workshop in five years.

Taking part alongside some of the country's top artist managers - including Cath Haridy (Bob Evans, Emily Wurramara, Anna Laverty) and John Watson (Missy Higgins, Midnight Oil), artist and Elefant Traks founder Tim Levinson aka Urthboy, Concord Music Publishing MD and AMCOS chair Jaime Gough - Leone is thrilled to be a part of the 2025 event.

"The Seed Foundation have nurtured the growth of music managers for close to 20 years. The work they do is so very important to the industry and builds enduring relationships between all those who have over time attended the Seed Management workshop," he said.

"As a recipient in 2007 the information I gained and networks I made then are still relevant today."

Open to emerging music managers, self-managed artists and managed artists, 35 participants are set to gather at the Robertson Hotel in Robertson, regional NSW, and become the latest to join a long list of alumni who have benefited from The Management Workshop over the years.

Leone - along with other members - will share diverse, invaluable industry knowledge from decades of combined experience to generously foster the next generation of Australia's music sector.

Successful workshop applicants will engage with industry professionals, exploring their real time challenges, processes and philosophies.

Applications are open now for the workshop, with just 35 participants to be selected for 2025.

Previous years' workshops have been instrumental in shaping the careers of some of the most influential figures in the Australian music industry including this year's speakers, plus Andrew Stone, Jen Cloher, Jodie Regan, Luke Girgis, Maggie Collins, Jake Mason, Melody Forghani, Anthony Zaccaria, Monique Rothstein, Scott Mesiti, Leah Flanagan, Jess Beston, Katie Besgrove, Nick Lynagh, Nicole BZ, Rowan Brand and many more.

Delivered by The Seed Fund, the Management Workshop was revived after its forced COVID hiatus, returning at a time the industry needs it more than ever.

The Seed Fund is currently driven by co-founder John Butler, Danielle Caruana (director/co-founder of the fund and artist; Mama Kin) and Managing Director Stacia Goninon. The Seed Fund is a philanthropic fund, partnering this year with Create NSW, to ensure the return of this cornerstone event in 2025.

Goninon, said the Workshop offers something crucial in the ecosystem, an immersive experience that bigger conferences can't offer.

"In a time where artist managers and self-managed artists are predominantly working in silos, facing a barrage of long-standing and new challenges, opportunities to intentionally come together and form personal and professional connections is incredibly valuable," she said.

"The Seed Management Workshop offers something crucial in the ecosystem, an immersive experience that bigger conferences can't offer, which creates a hive mind working towards the common goal of a thriving community and industry...we all leave transformed. The workshop serves as a training and design opportunity to address the cultural and creative sector's skills shortages. The artist is the centre of the industry and managers (including self-managed artists) are pivotal in its success."

Applications for The Seed Fund are still open, but close on Tuesday, November 12th.

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