Adam Joolia
Adam is a man who eschews convention and thrives on difficult situations. He forged his career in Nottingham, working in alternative education and music projects during the emergence of the Grime scene. It was a difficult period for the city which was rife with gun and gang violence. Engaging with young people there meant devising both innovative and unorthodox approaches.
This way of working has been crucial to his role as CEO at AudioActive, where he is driven on by the number of aspiring artists he sees, who despite being exceptionally talented, have been failed by the education system, often leaving school with no formal qualifications and little prospect for progression through formal talent development pathways.
Nonetheless these same young people often excel in AudioActive’s non-formal settings which is why Adam’s been working to establish an alternative kind of ‘centre of excellence’ where such exciting talents can reach their potential.
AudioActive has delivered free music creation and talent development activities for young people in the South East since 1999, using music as a tool for social change and helping to develop emerging artists.