Our Team

 
 

This Festival is made possible by the passion & creativity of our team, volunteers, and partners.
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David Vertesi

Executive Director

As Executive Director David oversees new projects, fundraising, design and direction of the festival and acts as public spokesperson.

David Vertesi is the co-founder of Create Vancouver, a non-profit society that aims to transform the way art is seen in the city. David has spent the last 10 years making a name for himself as a versatile contributor to the Canadian music industry. A founding member of Vancouver’s Juno-nominated indie pop band, Hey Ocean!, he has also worn the hat of producer, artist manager and community advocate. In 2011, he founded the annual event #SingItFwd raising more than $200,000 for youth music programs in the downtown eastside and garnering a YMCA Power of Peace Award.

David Vertesi

Executive Director

Andrea Curtis

Director of Operations

As Director of Operations Andrea oversees the smooth sailing of all of our departments -- from financial oversight, HR, public programs, private commissions and more. There is a lot to juggle in a fast growing organization with up to 20 seasonal staff, hundreds of artists and volunteers as well as a small fleet of contractors.

Andrea identified early on that her mission was to work with like-minded teams who shape cities through celebration. With experience producing every kind of festival, theatre or art show, conference, parade and workshop, she has developed an inquisitive approach to what it takes to create flagship events built for the crowds.

Andrea holds a deeply rooted belief that our cultural celebrations are practices in building resilient cities. With several successful start-ups (and downs) to draw from, public events and celebrations continue to be her chosen medium for lifting communities by shining a spotlight on the existing talent within them.

Andrea Curtis

Director of Operations

Adrian Sinclair

Director of Engagement

Adrian Sinclair was born in Winnipeg Manitoba in 1981. He is Northern Scottish on his father’s side and Ukrainian Mennonite on his mother’s side. Adrian is co-founder and Director of Engagement at The Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF). He’s also part-time Visiting Faculty at SFU Semester in Dialogue. Through practical, on the ground experience, Adrian has become an expert in public engagement and stakeholder management where he fosters a passion for dynamic, creative and inclusive cities. At VMF, he has worked in a supportive role helping produce public art projects with organizations like the Indian Summer Festival, Overdose Prevention Society, SFU Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies, Downtown Eastside Centre for the Arts, Emily Carr University, CityStudio, and Sun Yat-Sen Traditional Chinese Garden. Recently, he had a hand in publishing a book about How to Freestyle Rap. In his spare time, he volunteers his time as a Board Member at the BC Mobile Sauna Society and really enjoys pu-erh tea. Adrian completed his MA in Philosophy at The University of Western Ontario.

Adrian Sinclair

Director of Engagement

Gabriel Hall

Design Director

Gabe is responsible for our award winning design and maintaining the look and feel of VMF. This is a key role for us given that so much of our funding is reliant on corporate sponsors choosing to align their marketing dollars to our brand. And it’s important we keep it strong enough that we get to be selective about who we work for!

Born and raised in Vancouver, Gabe is a founding team member of Create Vancouver and Vancouver Mural Festival. A graduate of the IDEA program at Capilano University, he is also an award-winning designer, freelance studio operator, and photographer. He is a strong believer in the power and responsibility of designers, artists, and cultural influencers to drive and guide our societal progress.

Gabriel Hall

Design Director

 
 
Donna Dixson Manager, Partnerships and Sponsorships

Donna Dixson

Manager, Partnerships and Sponsorships

Jamal Hamadeh

Special Projects Coordinator

Lisa Wong Manager, Marketing & Communications

Lisa Wong

Manager, Marketing & Communications

Britany Lawrence Manager, Mural Production

Britany Lawrence

Manager, Mural Production

 
Nick Collinet Project Manager

Nick Collinet

Project Manager

Chloe Allard Social Manager

Chloe Allard

Social Manager

Natasha Frankowski Partnerships Animation

Natasha Frankowski

Partnerships Animation

Savannah Erasmus Volunteer Coordinator

Savannah Erasmus

Volunteer Coordinator

 
Kayla Drobot Artist & Wall Coordinator

Kayla Drobot

Artist & Wall Coordinator

 
Gabriel Martins VMF Event Photographer

Gabriel Martins

VMF Event Photographer

Ellena Neel Indigenous Youth Program Coordinator

Ellena Neel

Indigenous Youth Program Coordinator

Jasmine LeBlanc Social Media Coordinator

Jasmine LeBlanc

Social Media Coordinator

Jeska Slater Indigenous Program Advisor

Jeska Slater

Indigenous Program Advisor

 

Drew Young

VMF Lead Curator

Drew studied at the Victoria College of Art and received his diploma in Illustration and Applied Arts (IDEA) at Capilano University. He has exhibited internationally with shows in LA (Thinkspace Gallery), San Francisco (Gauntlet Gallery), Tokyo (Amp), London (Rook and Raven), NYC (Re:Form Projects), Bogota (Come Together) and has featured in publications including Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Booooooom.com, Supersonicelectronic and BlueCanvas.

Drew is the youngest instructor for the Federation of Canadian Artists and also teaches Commercial Illustration at Langara College. He’s the Visual Arts curator for TedX Vancouver as well as curator/coordinator for Snag — a weekly live-painting exhibition focused on illuminating Vancouver’s alternative arts culture.

Drew Young

VMF Lead Curator

Scott Sueme & Layout Art Studio

VMF Graffiti Curator

Scott is a Canadian artist raised and currently living in Vancouver, B.C. Since attending Emily Carr University in 2006, Sueme has been working as a painter and graphic artist. With his beginnings in graffiti subculture, Sueme has since ventured into design, painting and installation. In recent works, Scott Sueme explores a fundamental study in form, shape, and interactions of colour.

Sueme has been commissioned to work with collaborators such as The City of Vancouver, The NBA, and Nike. Recently, he has completed large-scale mural projects with The City of Edmonton for the new Abbottsfield Recreation Centre (2014), locally with Hootsuite and The City of Vancouver (2016), and The Burrard Arts Foundation (2016).

Scott Sueme
& Layout Art Studio

VMF Graffiti Curator

Krystal Paraboo

Guest Curator 2019

Krystal is an all-encompassing creative. An Art Historian, Curator, Writer, and Community Builder, she places tremendous value on artistic expression and cultural development based on the foundation of fostering authentic human connection and inclusive practices.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Honour’s Degree from Queen’s University in 2013, with a double major in Art History & History. She also attended the Bader International Study Centre in the United Kingdom, with extensive study in Art History and Curatorial Studies on-site at the Courtauld Institute, National Gallery London, and the British Museum.

Krystal Paraboo

Guest Curator

Sierra Baker

Guest Curator

Sierra is an award winning Squamish Nation public artist, consultant, storyteller and designer. Sierra is also Musqueam, Kwakwaka’wakw, Tlingit and Hungarian! Sierra has her Masters in Sustainable Urbanism from the Bartlett School of Planning from University College London in London, England. Sierra also has her Bachelors in Environmental Design from the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of British Columbia.

Sierra Baker

Guest Curator

 

Board of Directors

Angela Hamilton

Co-Chair

Angela serves as co-founder/CEO/instigator of Quupe (pronounced “koop”), a sharing-economy platform that allows people to rent things to locals. Based in Vancouver, Quupe’s mission is to enable the world to share resources; they were named to the 2019 Ready to Rocket list, received VanCity's 2019 EnviroFund grant, and were a BC Tech Association Growth Award as a top-ten venture at New Ventures BC in 2018.

Angela Hamilton

Co-Chair

Mallory O’Connor

Co-Chair

Mallory brings a unique professional background to the VMF Board. Her career has centred on strategic consulting in experience design, workplace culture, and technology.

Building from an orientation of empathy and curiosity, she brings a spirit of collaboration paired with business insight to her community work. Pairing her passion for her long-time Mount Pleasant neighbourhood with her love of public art, she is thrilled to partner with the team on the impact that VMF and Create Vancouver Society has and will continue to make.

Mallory O’Connor

Co-Chair

Karm Sumal

Treasurer

Karm is the Founder and CEO of DailyHive

Karm Sumal

Treasurer

 
 

Sandra Nomoto

Secretary

Sandra is a writer and aspiring world traveller. At the age of 25, she founded Conscious Public Relations Inc., an award-winning public relations agency that focused on telling the stories of purpose-driven businesses.

Nomoto also authored her first book, The Only Public Relations Guide You'll Ever Need, in early 2019

Sandra Nomoto

Secretary

Kate Lade

Board Member

As a fundraising professional, Kate has worked for more than 13 years in event, corporate, individual, foundation and government giving for major international arts and culture institutions. Kate has had the privilege of working with some of the world's most acclaimed artists, at The Sydney Festival, Sydney Theatre Company, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Vancouver Art Gallery, forging a career in creative and inspiring industries. Currently, Kate is the Director of Development at the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation in Vancouver, an organization that provides important services to local communities, and is a true national leader in its field.

Kate Lade

Board Member

Miranda Liu

Board Member

Miranda is the Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Live Nation Canada

Miranda Liu

Board Member