HELEN MARCOU

Co Owner, Bakehouse Studios

Helen is a co-founder of grassroots movement SLAM (Save Live Australia’s Music) – an activist group that staged the SLAM rally of 2010 where 20,000 protesters marched on Parliament House in Melbourne in support of Live Music. The SLAM rally was described as “the largest cultural protest in Australia’s history”.

She continually advocates for reforms in the contemporary music sector and has worked to ensure live music is firmly on the political agenda. Helen is a member of the Victorian State Government’s Live Music Roundtable. She called for and was instrumental in the formation of the recently launched, Victorian Sexual Harassment and Assault of Women in licensed venues Task Force.

In 2018 she was listed in the Music Industry Power 50, In March 2017, Helen was inducted to the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll for services to the arts community.

In 2010 Helen along with her partner Quincy McLean were listed on Melbourne Magazine’s top 100 Most Influential & Creative Melbournians; were both nominated for Male and Female of the Year in Rolling Stone magazine; and were awarded The Age EG Award’s inaugural award for Outstanding Achievement for services to the music community. In 2015 they were awarded one of Australia’s most prestigious Arts prizes, The Sidney Myer Performing Arts facilitators prize.

Helen was a judge in the 2016 Melbourne Prize for Music, has been a panellist for the Myer Foundation Arts Fellowships, She is an Australia Council and Creative Victoria peer and is currently a member of the MWF PAC.