Independent booking agency Runway Artists has expanded its team with four new hires and launched a new live showcase event for the music industry.
Company founder, former ATC Live agent, Matt Hanner made a statement of intent in March last year with the hiring of live veteran Steve Backman, who joined Runway following a 19-year stint at Primary Talent International.
The Runway team has now grown to six, with the addition of two agents in Dotun Bolaji and Craig Wylie, new music A&R scout Amy Greig, and assistant Heather Mosselson.
Wylie joins Runway having worked at promoters including Donald Macleod’s CPL and MAMA Group, as well as having been Music Programmer at the Roundhouse.
Over the course of his career, he has promoted a long list of respected names including Pete Doherty, Maroon 5, Ray Lamontagne, Fall Out Boy, Madeleine Peyroux, Roxy Music and Kris Kristofferson.
He set up as an independent in 2018 to work at a grass roots level before joining Runway.
Amy Greig has worked as a promoter for a number of London’s famous grass roots venues including The Grace and The Camden Assembly, as well as promoting her own nights at The Amersham Arms and The George Tavern.
During his time at university, Dotun Bolaji booked and promoted a number of acts who would go on to become big names, including Giggs, Chip, AJ Tracey and DJ EZ. After leaving uni, he promoted London’s SuperLative Sessions.
Heather Mosselson began her career as Assistant Booker for Glastonbury, where she organised the festival’s very first hip hop day in 1999.
She went on to become a Senior Assistant at VAT Agency before moving to Primary Talent International, where she worked as Director’s Assistant.
During her time at Primary, Mosselson was the booking agent for DJ Noize, MC Supernatural, Foreign Beggars, Mystro, Braintax, Skinnyman and DJ Flip.
Matt Hanner said: “As a new agency, it’s been really exciting for us to have the opportunity to put some of our key principles into practise – not just in respect of our artists but also our team. We’ve been able to bring in a real range of experience, knowledge and ages – from a rookie agent such as Dotun, who we’ve been able to bring in as he makes his first moves in representing talent, and Amy who has worked at a grass roots level across London; through to the varied industry backgrounds of both Craig and Heather who are able to bring so much to the table as we continue to grow.”
Runway will also launch a new live showcase this month, which will see the agency collaborate with other music companies to put together line-ups of exciting new talent.
The first edition of In Transit has been curated in partnership with independent publisher Bucks Music Group and includes a DJ set from Steve Lamacq.
It will take place at Strongroom in London’s Shoreditch on February 23, with tickets available via DICE.
It will feature a solo set from Norwegian artist Beharie, recently signed by V2 Records, who draws inspiration from artists like Frank Ocean, Moses Sumney, Fleet Foxes and Leon Bridges, pulling the strings between the rawness of soul and the melodic and experimental lines from pop, indie and the singer songwriter genre.
Also appearing will be London’s Amaroun, whose work explores the black queer experience, alongside themes of belonging, loneliness, oppression, communion & self-expression and has been hailed by both 6music and Radio 1 as a start of the future.
Portsmouth based Hallan will bring their brand of post-punk to the Strongroom. They’re a band who observe and commentate on British life via an Orwell-influenced bleak vision of the future and the cut-up style of Burroughs and other beat generationers. Having previously supported Porridge Radio and Sports Team, the future looks bright for the seaside town’s exciting, young act.
Finally, CATTY joins the line-up having stepped out as a solo artist from Welsh pop-duo Dusky Grey in 2021. A singer/songwriter whose music is heavily inspired by pop/rock and her upbringing in rural Wales, two singles under her new moniker have already earned her a place on the BBC Radio Wales A list, support from Spotify’s editorial playlists, and over 200,000 streams.
CATTY will continue to release songs from her solo project in 2022 (working closely with Jim Eliot, Lovesick & Ben Lythe) as well as continuing with Dusky Grey, writing songs for other artists and writing songs in the Welsh language.
Hanner said: “We know we’re not reinventing the wheel by launching a showcase event, but there’s always demand from our artists to play low-pressures shows, be it to test out new material, invite curious industry or just shake off the cobwebs after a couple of years of inactivity. As an agency, Runway wants to be proactive in helping our artists practically, even if it doesn’t fall into an agent’s traditional wheelhouse.
“It also gives us the opportunity to further collaborate with our friends in the industry. For the first edition, that’s Bucks but we’re looking to develop the brand in a way that means we could even accommodate artists from other agencies in the future if it made sense. At times over the last couple of years, there has been a renewed sense of co-operation across the live industry and we certainly don’t want to lose that just because touring’s back on the agenda.”
Bucks Music Group’s Director, A&R, Sarah Liversedge said: “At Bucks, we’ve always used the live space as a way of showcasing and developing our artists and songwriters. Despite our increasingly online world, we still feel passionate about the live experience and the impact it can have on artists and audiences alike. It’s great to be able to work on this with a company like Runway that shares our ethos and outlook.”
