Meet our Showcase Artistic Board

Aggelos Kleitsikas grew up in Athens, surrounded by music from an early age. Although he soon realized that playing instruments wasn’t his calling, his deep passion for music flourished through listening, exploring, and writing.

Since 2015, he has developed a strong voice as a music journalist, with his work appearing on Greece’s leading music platforms and magazines, including avopolis.gr, SONIK, Lifo, and the Greek edition of Rolling Stone.

Today, his work centers on curating meaningful musical experiences through his role as programmer of Athens Jazz, the country’s largest and most iconic jazz festival, contributing to its international profile and its evolving identity.

Andreas started his career in digital publications and websites in 2013, before working briefly as a communications consultant in the NGO sector. In 2020, he joined Stay Independent as a copywriter and press officer and quickly moved up the ranks to become a Senior Marketing Manager.
In his role, he leads a team of 12 employees and oversees the Distribution, PR, Sales, and Social Media departments. With a music roster of Greek multiplatinum and diamond-certified artists, Stay Independent is currently the most successful music company in Greece when it comes to streaming, achieving up to 58% in the local digital charts on a weekly basis.
In addition to his professional career, Andreas is also an active podcaster and YouTube creator since 2014, presenting interviews with established music artists and personalities from the music and media sector. In 2020, he co-founded the Legal Pizza independent media outlet, which has reached millions of views on YouTube and topped the local podcast charts on Spotify.

35 years plus in the industry from local artist management in 80s, record label distribution in the 90s (Sub Pop, City Slang, Crammed, Lookout, Epitaph, Crypt, etc) joined Iguapop live concerts promoting company in 90s, merging into Gamerco in Barcelona in the 2ks and LN Spain since 2006.

He is PR, Talent & Export for Live Nation Madrid, Head of The Spanish Wave Showcase export programme, Director at Andalucía Music Forum, Dcodelab in Dcode festival, Kid Nation project and lecturer at LN Live Music Master at UCM.

A PR specialist and undercover metalhead, Cosmin Ionescu seamlessly connects the dots between Katie Melua and Behemoth.
As the co-founder of Overground Music agency, established in 2013, he has worked with some of the biggest names in the Romanian alternative rock scene, including byron, Robin and the Backstabbers, and The Mono Jacks.
At Overground Music, he oversees a diverse range of services for local artists, spanning management, booking, PR, financial support, merchandise, and label services. With a keen interest in image strategies and the narratives behind artist branding, he specializes in crafting compelling visual and communicative identities both online and offline. Having reviewed countless press kits, he prides himself on distinguishing a standout one from a lackluster submission in mere seconds. In recent years, his focus has expanded to digital distribution and merchandising.
Since 2017, he has also played a key role as a co-organizer of Mastering the Music Business, Romania’s leading music conference and showcase festival, where he is responsible for coordinating the festival program and artist applications.

Elli Bornova was born in Athens in 1991. From 2009 to 2015 she lived in London, where she completed her studies in Comparative Literature, and a Master of Research program in Exhibition Studies, at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
She has worked as an events manager and production assistant for cultural organizations, groups and independent art spaces. She has co-organized the Watch a Film Make a Film festival, and more recently curated a short film screening section within the framework of the Kino Athens Film Festival.
Since 2021 she has been a member of the BIOS organization team. She is the production manager for the events at Romantso, the building on Anaxagora Street. She has organized and coordinated over 400 musical events, 50 film screenings, as well as a multitude of lectures, baaars, workshops, festivals, and other events.
Her main academic and professional interests lie in performative arts, experimental music, female-driven lineups and bringing the unexpected on a club setting dancefloor.

Active in the music industry since 1990, Dino Lupelli is now general director of Music Innovation Hub, the first social spa company active in the music sector born with the aim of developing programs and projects of innovation of the music ecosystem.
Within the headquarters of MIH in Milan, in the post-industrial spaces of Base, he coordinates internationalization and training projects for professionals and start-up. Artistic director of Linecheck, the main music conference in Italy and Heroes, a music festival based on the idea of social change, is a board member of the Federation of Music Conferences, the largest worldwide network of professional events in the music ecosystem.
Since 2015 he is a founding member of Italian Music Festivals, the national association for the promotion of the system of Italian festivals and is partner of Artlab, national platform for the development of creative and cultural industries.

Lisa Nasta is a skilled event manager, music educator and luthier. As Director of Re-Play Music, she leads a non-profit that donates instruments, educates children and entertains audiences at Kidz Field, Glastonbury Festival.

Formerly Director of Surrey Strings Music Store and the Abbey School of Music, she developed outreach and education programs while managing tutors & events. Founder of Re-Play Music Festival, showcasing 120 bands over three days in London, twice nominated for Green Awards in Merton, and receiving international recognition for environmental initiatives.

Currently, she shares a role of area coordinator/ production manager for Glastonbury’s Green Futures Field, programs Glasto KidzField MusicAcademy and is Weyfest Kids Area coordinator.

Michalis Kamakas is a radio producer at Kosmos 93.6. He is the creator of the podcast series “Gig time”, which delves into the history of the biggest festivals, clubs, and music scenes worldwide.

He is also the host of the session series “Urban live sounds” (ERT), which features young artists from the domestic music scene.

Ruth Koleva is a trailblazer in supporting live music and fostering industry innovation. In 2019, she launched the Sofia Live Festival, a three-day celebration of contemporary artistry that attracted over 8,000 attendees in its debut year, showcasing her dedication to elevating Bulgaria’s music scene.
Building on this momentum, she founded the SoAlive music conference in 2023, serving as its CEO and creating a vital platform for networking and collaboration within the industry.
Through these initiatives, Koleva is not only nurturing live music but also positioning Bulgaria as a hub for cultural and industry advancement.
A passionate advocate for equality, she supports the LGBTQ+ community through Sofia Pride performances and her advisory role with the Single Step Foundation.
Koleva also serves as president of ANMIP-BG, a PROPHON board member, and a voice for Bulgarian music internationally via IMPALA.

Theodora Karakassi is the co-organiser of the Athens based Plisskën Festival.  With an active career in Architectural Design and Production & Event Management, music and design merge in one. Plisskën started as a boutique music festival that has been running for the past 12 years.  Set across 2 days, 4 stages, and 45 international artists per edition, it boasts a multi genre and eclectic Line Up.
As a production company Plisskën also hosts numerous concerts, mini festivals and curates or designs events for other organisations throughout the year. Shows vary from the ancient theater of Acropolis to underground clubs or big concert halls, creating new concepts and challenging the status quo with the EDEN Sunday parties inviting great International DJ’s.
Our ethos is inviting exceptional fresh talent as well as established International acts to Greece. Since 2010 Plisskën has featured  artists such as Viagra Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Bicep, Bonobo, Nils Franh, Caribou, Tony Allen, Giorgio Moroder, Cigarettes After Sex, Mulatu Astatke, Jungle, Tinariwen, Slowthai, Orchestra Baobab and many more.