ABOUT US

an artist development company founded simply to help artists

Wild Heart was conceptualised by Nick Leech and Simone Dawson as a first-of-its-kind playground for crafting artists, a "one-stop-shop" for performers of all walks to call home, with one goal:
to genuinely help young creatives.

Through two service streams, Wild Heart builds the creative and business skills of upcoming and emerging artists through artist development opportunities (theatre productions, concerts, cabarets, showcases, and more) and artist development training (group programs, weekly ensembles, and private coaching). Wild Heart has grown to become

THE LEADING ARTIST DEVELOPMENT COMPANY IN SYDNEY.

From pioneering all-female productions, under-18's ticket commission for casts selling thousands of tickets, to industry partnerships and collaborations (APRA AMCOS, Sydney ENT, Performance Med, and more), in-school programs, workshops from industry presenters (Jason Arrow, Vidya Makan, Julian Kuo, Graeme Isaako, and more), and all with one simple mission - we help artists.

Be Great & Be Good

MEET THE TEAM

Artist development is about developing real-world skills, so it’s essential to train with professionals with real-world experience. Team WHC hasn’t just studied it - they’ve lived it.

From revered vocal coaches founding methods utilised by singing teachers across Sydney and endorsed by working vocal health professionals (ENT, speech therapists) to international touring musicians and vocalists, songwriters of global chart-topping singles and albums, to creators of viral theatre sensations, international touring theatre artists (Jesus Christ Superstar, Aladdin) to professional theatre producers.

Welcoming an ever-expanding variety of industry professionals, Team WHC is led by our co-founders/directors and artist development professionals, Nick Leech and Simone Dawson, ensuring all programs, sessions, opportunities, and services provide upcoming and emerging artists with the tools they need from the people they need.

  • Three young women posing together at a party, with one wearing a floral dress and a flower in her hair, another in a black top, and the third with light brown hair, smiling and making faces.

    SIMONE DAWSON

    CO-FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

  • Person sitting on stairway with colorful carpet, holding a paper, hand on chin, under a pink-lit background.

    NICHOLAS LEECH

    CO-FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

  • Person with long, dark hair wearing a black top, standing with arms crossed against a dark background.

    ALEX GONZALEZ

    SHOW DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with curly hair looking at the camera, wearing rings and a necklace.

    MIKAYLA BURNHAM

    COACH

  • Close-up of a smiling person with wavy hair, wearing a denim jacket and hoop earrings.

    SARAH VANDENBERG

    COACH

  • Woman with curly brown hair and a white top looking at the camera.

    ALANA WILLETTS

    MUSIC DIRECTOR & ASSISTANT

  • Woman with long brown hair wearing a black top, gold hoop earrings, and a necklace with a red pendant, smiling in front of a light gray background.

    VALERIA CAMERO-RIVAS

    PRODUCTION DESIGNER & ASSISTANT

  • Man with curly hair and beard wearing a gray sweater, looking at the camera.

    GRAEME ISAAKO

    INDUSTRY PARTNER LIAISON

FAQ’s

  • Wild Heart Creatives is a youth artist development company. We work with young, upcoming, and pre-professional performers from ages 10-17.

  • In basics, we help you develop your craft and build career skillsets to become really good at what you do as an artist, and have a realistic path to working in industry.

  • We work with artists of all walks and all ages, but predominantly Wild Heart services performing artists from 10-17 in music and theatre who are wanting to enter the industry but don’t yet know how, and want to develop their creative practice to an industry standard level.

    The ways we work with those artists? A loooooooooot of options.

  • We have a few key services:

    • Coaching
      1:1 coaching sessions (eg. vocal coaching, songwriting coaching, etc.) where artists can develop their craft in an advanced environment.

    • Ensembles
      We have 3 available ensembles, COLLECTIVE (12 and under)CRAFT (13-15) and COMPANY (16+) held weekly throughout the school term and focusing on an array of performing and creating skills designed specifically to improve the skills of under 18 performers.

    • Productions
      Large-scale theatre shows, showcases, cabarets, and more for real-world application of your skills.

    • Programs
      Imagine an intensive music artist development program for under 18’s where in a 6-8 week period they create and perform an original work of their own that best reflects their musical identity. Sounds cool, right?! Or an ensemble program that takes performers to the international stage to perform a group theatre piece - now THAT’S industry! No matter your needs as an upcoming artist, we have an array of short-term training programs and workshops to up-skill you fast.

    • And more (including products, blogs, YouTube series, and more!)

  • A great question!

    Wild Heart Creatives runs coaching, ensembles, productions and programs across Sydney and Surrounds (including Sydney, Western Sydney, Greater Western Sydney, The Blue Mountains, Wollongong, and the Central Coast).

    Onsite Sessions & Ensembles are currently available in:

    • Penrith

    • Campbelltown

    • Northmead

    Our productions rehearse at Northmead on Sundays, our programs occur both online and in-person, so keep your eyes peeled on our socials. And online sessions are available for private coaching!

    Stay tuned for more locations announcing soon…

  • Wild Heart is run by our co-founders/directors Nick Leech and Simone Dawson, alongside a team of talented creatives. Coaching, productions, ensembles, programs, and other initiatives are provided by team members and industry providers who work with Wild Heart.

  • How can this help me?

    Imagine the industry as a new board game. You don’t yet know the roles, and your older sibling hogs the manual to maintain the upper hand of the game at all times. Frustrating, right?

    Upcoming artists face two huge issues; a) the path from “I’ve completed my study at school and want to get into the industry” to “I work professionally” is a road often misunderstood and plainly, not spoken openly about, and b) artists today are utilised simply as products in the machine of the business.

    Well, a) that’s where artist development comes in, and b) that’s where artist development comes in!

    Together we develop your craft and build career skillsets to increase your leverage as an artist. In essence, we’re training you in the rules of the board game, and how to win it.

  • Wild Heart creates a range of events and works, from cabarets to small shows and theatre productions to music camps and concerts, to intensive programs and workshops. And all of this to showcase artists.

    Each opportunity is created as an artist development initiative, and facilitates both the professional development of artists and the creation of work. For example, cabarets introduce theatre artists to audience marketing, camps assist artists with collaboration and community building, junior theatre productions introduce young artists to professional-style theatre and audience concepts, and so on.

    With a diverse season that could include LITERALLY ANYTHING, Wild Heart is constantly announcing new opportunities for any creative to submit to take part in across its social medias. And all to help artists.

  • Do I have to do coaching or programs with Wild Heart to do the production and show?

    Nope, our coaching, programs, and productions & shows streams are all completely separate! We have some artists just doing programs at Wild Heart, some taking part in exclusively the productions or shows, and some doing everything! Wild Heart is your artist development playground to interact with in whatever capacity suits your creative journey best!

    I love Wild Heart, but what happens when I leave high school? Am I on my own?

    Nope to that as well! Wild Heart is an artist development company for performing artists 10-18, but once you’ve turned 18 - you’re just getting started!

    Our sister company L&D Projects is a creative production house for independent artists, founded by our co-founders Nick and Simone! Think of it as an independent theatre and music production company with an array of performance and service opportunities for theatre and music for artists over 18!

    Theatre Artists:

    • Take part in the productions you love (in the well-versed Be Great & Be Good way)

    • Test your newest material and perform in a one-night theatre cabaret!

    • Pitch your original show for L&D to produce!

    Music Artists:

    • Attend a writing camp with fellow songwriters

    • Perform your latest work in one of our one-night music showcases!

    • Receive the support and assistance with your releases with our production and release services!