TEAM
Our team are an experienced Business and Creative team.
Stephen Byrne
PRODUCER AND CEO
Stephen Byrne, THE BRIDGE Founder, Producer and CEO. Experienced start-up entrepreneur developing Big Ideas, building talent teams, scaling businesses and profitable exits.
Stephen has navigated three of his own businesses through the multiplicity of challenges that start up’s must deal with, is experienced with early stage risk management, very focused on building strategic market relationships, testing and trialling content and then pivoting product to an optimal and profitable market fit.
“Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.” — Ray Charles
Des Cullen
Creative Director
Des Cullen, THE BRIDGE Creative Director and Co-Founder, has been composing music for over 30 years, most recently from his home studio.
Des studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where he completed Master’s on music for digital media. Des has also enjoyed a successful commercial career founding and developing creative led businesses.
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” –Leonard Bernstein
Fiona Pearce
STRATEGY AND BRANDING
Fiona Pearce is a seasoned executive with 20 years of experience in the live entertainment industry, specialising in marketing communications, creative strategy, and audience development. She has worked on a diverse range of productions, forging successful partnerships, building global audiences, and delivering impactful marketing campaigns for theatrical and live touring events.
Since 2016, Fiona has led the marketing strategy for Disney Theatrical Group across EMEA, focusing on brand development and audience engagement. She has also co-produced the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour since 2008 and worked on campaigns for major acts and high profile enterprises.
Alan Lane
Artistic Director, Stage Vision
Alan is the creative director of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. He is also the Artistic Director of Slung Low, directing most of their work over the last decade including projects with the RSC. the Barbican, The Almeida, Liverpool Everyman, Sheffield Theatres, Singapore Arts Festival, and the Lowry.
Slung Low is an award-winning theatre company specialising in making epic productions in non-theater spaces, often with large community performance companies at their heart. In 2023 Alan co-directed the Opening Ceremony of Leeds Year of Culture, headlined by the popstar Corrine Bailey Rae. Alan has recently been appointed as the new creative director of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
James Phillips
Writer, The Story
James Phillips, Writer, The Story. James is a Writer and Director. His first play The Rubenstein Kiss won the TMA Award for Best Play of the Year and the John Whiting Award. His other plays include Flood, Hidden in the Sand, Camelot: The Shining City, McQueen and City Stories. His His 4-part epic, Flood was voted by Guardian Newspaper Readers as one of the Top 10 UK shows of 2017 and Flood’s BBC 2 Drama won an RTS Award. His play City Storieshad a Residency at St James Theatre, London from 2014-17. City Stories transferred to 59 East 59 Theater in New York City. His play McQueen, about Alexander McQueen, broke box office records at St James Theatre in London before transferring to the West End.
Shoshi Israeli
CREATIVE, ISRAEL & PALESTINE
Shoshi is one of the creative driving forces behind THE BRIDGE Artist, dance teacher and choreographer Shoshi is the founder of COBENA FLAMENCO. Her countless achievements as a performer and educator have earned her recognition both nationally and internationally. Originally from Jerusalem she now lives in Madrid.
She has led several peace projects with groups of Israeli and Palestinian artists and feels strongly that people can work together in peace and harmony even when politicians do not or cannot.
Edward Evans
LEGAL
Edward is a corporate partner in Beauchamps Solicitors, one of Ireland’s leading full-service business law firms.
He specialises in corporate, commercial, entertainment and sports law, providing advice on a broad range of company law and commercial legal issues to a range of domestic and international clients in various industries.
He has, over 25 years in practice built up a particular expertise and interest in the sports and entertainment sectors, advising a range of sporting national governing bodies, stadia, professional teams, promoters, and sponsors.
Julie Hamilton
MARKETING
Julie is a communications Consultant with over 25 years’ experience at both agency and independent consultant levels.
She has worked with international agencies Fleishman-Hillard and Edelman and was a key member of the marketing team for the 2003 Special Olympics World Games in Ireland, the largest sporting event in the world that year.
Having grown up in Ireland in the times of the Troubles she is dedicated to finding opportunities for cross community co-operation. She is also passionate about leaving a better planet for her teenage children.
ADRIANA CASAS
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Adriana Casas has responsibility for managing The BRIDGE social media channels. This includes the creation of content with video production at the core of the posts. Adriana’s work includes promoting THE BRIDGE projects and campaigns to a worldwide audience as well as to artists, songwriters, composers, singers and the international music community.
Adriana is also responsible for connecting with audiences, engaging them, promoting The BRIDGE goals and providing updates on our projects. Adriana ensures our channels reflect the heart and mission of our work. Her expertise in social media strategy helps amplify our reach and engage with online communities that foster peace.
Scott Millaney
PRODUCER, PODCASTS
Multi Grammy winner, and film producer for music led projects. Founder of MGMM Studios. Successful series include Video Killed the Radio Star including documentaries with top artists, including Pink Floyd Adele and Coldplay. Experienced in Media Production, Music, Entertainment, Digital Media, and Film.
“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” — Elton John
Neil McCormick
PRESENTER, PODCASTS
Neil McCormick is an Anglo-Irish music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for The Daily Telegraph since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick’s Needle Time.
“This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can… reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that’s what I mean by ‘Hallelujah.‘ -” Leonard Cohen
Nathan Johnston
MUSIC AND ARTIST RELATIONS
Nathan Johnston is an Irish singer-songwriter from Mullingar. Inspired by artists such as Otis Redding, Jack Johnson and Paolo Nutini, Johnston began writing his own songs at the age of 12. His music is a blend of Soul, Pop and laid-back acoustic folk. Nathan performs as a solo artist also as the frontman for German band Angels of Libra.
In his work with THE BRIDGE, Nathan manages Artist and Music relationships.
Ben Kavanagh
DOCUMENTARY FILM DIRECTOR
Ben is an award-winning Producer, Director and Editor. Ben attended University College Cork, being awarded a Quercus Arts Scholarship, and graduating with BA in Film and Screen Media. Since then, he has gone on to produce and direct a number of award-winning works.
His 2022 feature documentary ‘Blow-Ins’, premiered at Galway Film Fleadh, and was then acquired by RTÉ. As an editor, Ben has cut shows for Sky, RTÉ, Virgin Media, TG4 and Amazon Prime. He is currently in post-production on several documentary projects.
“Music can change the world.” -Beethoven
Malcolm Willis
DOCUMENTARY FILM PODUCER
Malcolm Willis’ documentary feature “Kilimanjaro Mama” won Best feature film at the Kerry International Film Festival 2019 and has since appeared in festivals in the USA, Canada. In a partnership with Google Ireland, the film premiered on YouTube in 2021 and currently has over 100,000 views.
Malcolm teamed up with Ben Kavanagh to make Blow-Ins, a feature documentary which premiered at Galway Film Fleadh. The film was acquired by RTE.
He is currently in post-production on The Essence of Eva, a biographic feature documentary of legendary American singer Eva Cassidy, which has received developmental funding from Screen Ireland.