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Michael Cassel Group Press Contact:
Deeta Colvin
deeta.colvin@michaelcassel.com
+61 2 8006 1334

DKC/O&M Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Michael Jorgensen
rick@omdkc.com / michael@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

MICHAEL CASSEL GROUP
MAKES THREE SENIOR HIRES
PRODUCER TODD LACY JOINS FROM NEW YORK CITY
MARK SUTCLIFFE TO HEAD CONCERTS
GLENN McGUINNESS TO LEAD BUSINESS AFFAIRS

Sydney, Australia (November 30, 2018) – The Michael Cassel Group announced three senior appointments to support its growing production slate, including major Australian theatrical productions, international touring and concert presentations. Seasoned producer and entertainment executive Todd Lacy joins as Head of Production, Mark Sutcliffe joins as Director of Concerts and Events, and Glenn McGuinness joins as Director of Business Affairs.

The Michael Cassel Group is an internationally recognized leader in live theatre and entertainment. Michael Cassel formed the company to produce and present the world’s greatest musical and theatrical productions, live entertainment experiences, marquee events and concert attractions.

Todd Lacy most recently served as Senior Vice President of New York Productions for the Madison Square Garden Company. Amongst his responsibilities, Todd oversaw business and production aspects of the Christmas Spectacular and New York Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, including financial, creative, technological, marketing, and administration. Todd bridged communications between business stakeholders and creative teams to meet Christmas Spectacular goals for box office, sponsorship and merchandise.

Prior to Madison Square Garden, Todd worked for twelve years at Disney Theatrical Productions. He was the Associate Producer for nine worldwide productions of The Lion King, overseeing the launch of United States tours and international productions in Australia, Netherlands, Shanghai and South Africa, concurrent with oversight of Broadway and productions in London, Japan and Germany. Additionally, Todd served as the Associate Producer for the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid and the Broadway and US Tour productions of Mary Poppins.

Todd Lacy said, “I am truly excited and honoured to join the Michael Cassel Group. Having had the pleasure of working with Michael in the past, I have always been impressed with his tenacity, spirit and amazing leadership. Put simply, he’s a true professional and a class act. I look forward to helping grow his business and working with the remarkable team he has assembled.”

Michael Cassel said “I am thrilled that Todd is making the journey from New York to Sydney to join our team. I have known Todd since the beginning of my career working for Disney in 2002 and he is in the first division of highly skilled, international producers. He is no stranger to Sydney, having moved his family here in 2003 to oversee the Australian premiere production of The Lion King. Welcome back, Todd.”

Mark Sutcliffe has worked in the Arts and entertainment industries for over 20 years. With a background in marketing, he has held positions with the Seven Network, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival and has consulted on many international tours including the Paris Opera Ballet, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Bolshoi Ballet and Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

With a rich background working with the major arts organisations in this country including the National Gallery of Australia, the Sydney Theatre Company amongst others, Mark has also worked very successfully in commercial theatre as Marketing Manager for Global Creatures on King Kong and Strictly Ballroom. Mark also has worked for the Almeida Theatre in London as Director of Marketing & Communications.

Since returning to Sydney in 2015 Mark has been Director of the Sydney Symphony Presents, the commercial programming portfolio of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. This has showcased talent such as Diana Krall, Lea Salonga, Josh Groban and Paloma Faith, a concert presentation of the musical Funny Girl, as well as film-in-concert projects such as La La Land, the Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises and the World Premiere of Mary Poppins in Concert.

Michael Cassel said “We are delighted that Mark is joining our senior team which will add enormous strength to our growth in concerts and major events both in Australia and internationally. Our initial foray into this space has shown that there is huge potential in pursuing concerts and events in conjunction with our theatrical projects, and I’m thrilled that Mark will lead this charge”.

Mark Sutcliffe said, “I am excited to join the Michael Cassel Group team and broaden my focus from Sydney to national touring opportunities and across multiple genres. Having worked with the Michael Cassel Group on collaborations previously, I am energized by the tremendous momentum that the company has created and look forward to expanding upon the company’s theatrical success.”

Glenn McGuinness has over 25 years’ experience in the Arts and Entertainment Industry in senior executive positions working with ticketing companies, venues and retail.  Following seven years managing art galleries on the east coast of Australia, Glenn joined Ticketmaster in 1998. Over the following decade, Glenn held several general management roles overseeing business development, marketing and operations. During his tenure at Ticketmaster, Glenn oversaw the entry of Ticketmaster into several new markets including Western Australia, South Australia and New Zealand.  In 2005/6, Glenn managed the commercial and operational components for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games selling a record 1.67million tickets.

In 2010, Glenn joined Marriner Group as General Manager overseeing operations at the Regent, Princess, Comedy and Forum Theatres.  Over the next seven years the venues played host to a diverse range of shows including musicals such as The Lion King, Matilda, Book of Mormon and King Kong as well as numerous concerts by local and international artists such as Madonna, Pink and Paul Kelly.

Glenn has also worked as a consultant to ticketing companies, promoters, producers and venues across Australia providing specialist advice on ticketing, audience development, programming and maximising commercial outcomes.

Glenn commented, “As someone who loves the business of live entertainment, especially theatre, I am thrilled to join the Michael Cassel Group and contribute to this dynamic team. Like many, I have watched this company grow from afar and now I look forward to playing a role in the rise and continued evolution of the Michael Cassel Group”.

Michael Cassel said, “In just a short period of time, we have been able to produce and present to Australian and international audiences some of world’s biggest theatrical productions. With Todd’s extensive producing experience, Mark’s programming and concert production experience and Glenn’s business and commercial expertise, we have the ability to continue to expand and deliver exciting experiences on stage in Australia and internationally, as well as widening our focus beyond theatre into concerts and events.”

Todd, Mark and Glenn join the Michael Cassel Group senior management team of Allie McCann (Production), Luca Asrress (Marketing), Aoife Dennison (Finance), Catherine Cahill (Human Resources), Deeta Colvin (Communications) and James Thane (Senior Advisor).BIOGRAPHY

The Michael Cassel Group is a leading live entertainment company formed to produce and present the world’s greatest musical and theatrical productions, live entertainment experiences, marquee events and concert attractions. Productions include the first international tour of the world’s #1 musical, The Lion King , the forthcoming Australian premiere of the award-winning production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the world-renowned Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. On Broadway, the Michael Cassel Group is represented as a co-producer of two premiere musical productions, Pretty Woman: The Musical and The Cher Show.  Previous productions include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Singin’ In The Rain, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Lea Salonga in Concert and Darren Criss: Intimate and Live. Forthcoming concert tours include Grammy-Award winner Lebo M, celebrated as “The Voice and Spirit of The Lion King”. In addition to the group’s expanding theatrical interests, the company represents former Australian Prime Minister, the Hon. Julia Gillard AC, former Olympian and global sporting administrator Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE and media personality Sami Lukis.

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