Independent Agency Runway Artists Hires & Launches Live Industry Showcase In London

The new team member are agents Dotun Bolaji and Craig Wylie, new music A&R scout Amy Greig, and assistant Heather Mosselson.

Wylie joins Runway having worked at promoters including Donald Macleod’s CPL and MAMA Group, as well as having been Music Programmer at London’s Roundhouse. Over the course of his career, he has promoted a long list of respected names including Pete Doherty, Maroon 5, Ray Lamontagne, Fall Out Boy, Madeleine Peyroux, Roxy Music and Kris Kristofferson. Wylie set up as an independent in 2018 to work at a grass roots level before joining Runway.

Dotun Bolaji booked and promoted a number of acts who would go on to become big names, including Giggs, Chip, AJ Tracey and DJ EZ during his time at university. After leaving uni, he promoted London’s SuperLative Sessions.

Amy Greig has worked as a promoter for a number of London’s famous grass roots venues including The Grace and The Camden Assembly, as well as promoting her own nights at The Amersham Arms and The George Tavern.

During his time at university, 

Heather Mosselson began her career as Assistant Booker for Glastonbury, where she organised the festival’s very first hip hop day in 1999. She went on to become a Senior Assistant at VAT Agency before moving to Primary Talent International, where she worked as Director’s Assistant. During her time at Primary, Mosselson was the booking agent for DJ Noize, MC Supernatural, Foreign Beggars, Mystro, Braintax, Skinnyman and DJ Flip.

Runway Artists founder, former ATC Live agent, Matt Hanner commented: “As a new agency, it’s been really exciting for us to have the opportunity to put some of our key principles into practise – not just in respect of our artists but also our team. We’ve been able to bring in a real range of experience, knowledge and ages – from a rookie agent such as Dotun, who we’ve been able to bring in as he makes his first moves in representing talent, and Amy who has worked at a grass roots level across London; through to the varied industry backgrounds of both Craig and Heather who are able to bring so much to the table as we continue to grow.”

Alongside the new hires, Runway also announced the launch of a new live showcase event this month, dubbed In Transit, “which will see the agency collaborate with other music companies to put together line-ups of exciting new talent,” according to the announcement.

The first edition of In Transit has been curated in partnership with independent publisher Bucks Music Group and includes a DJ set from Steve Lamacq. It will take place at Strongroom in London’s Shoreditch district, Feb. 23, with tickets available via DICE. Norwegian artist Beharie, London’s Amaroun, Portsmouth based Hallan, and CATTY from Wales will preform live on the day.

Hanner said, “We know we’re not reinventing the wheel by launching a showcase event, but there’s always demand from our artists to play low-pressures shows, be it to test out new material, invite curious industry or just shake off the cobwebs after a couple of years of inactivity. As an agency, Runway wants to be proactive in helping our artists practically, even if it doesn’t fall into an agent’s traditional wheelhouse. 

“It also gives us the opportunity to further collaborate with our friends in the industry. For the first edition, that’s Bucks but we’re looking to develop the brand in a way that means we could even accommodate artists from other agencies in the future if it made sense. At times over the last couple of years, there has been a renewed sense of co-operation across the live industry and we certainly don’t want to lose that just because touring’s back on the agenda.”

Bucks Music Group’s director, A&R, Sarah Liversedge commented, “At Bucks, we’ve always used the live space as a way of showcasing and developing our artists and songwriters. Despite our increasingly online world, we still feel passionate about the live experience and the impact it can have on artists and audiences alike. It’s great to be able to work on this with a company like Runway that shares our ethos and outlook.”

Hanner launched Runway Artists in the spring of 2020, in a time of unprecedented upheaval for the live industry against the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis. Artists on Runway’s roster include Mercury Prize-shortlisted Lanterns On The Lake, A Certain Ratio, Sleeper, Art School Girlfriend, Pom Poko, Mourning [A] BLKstar, Astrid, Brother Zulu and Flo Perlin.