Brandon Bissell

As a positive and confident individual, I am most content when productive. My enthusiasm and open mind let me adapt easily, working alongside others with calm compassion.

A decade of experience in the hospitality & events industry have honed my dedication to reliable proactivity. I multi-task with fluidity - whether managing challenging projects, communicating with suppliers, or supporting colleagues around a site.

Live Music Curator at Not A Cult Festival (2022 - Present)

• Responsible for live music curation of the 500-capacity music & arts festival, a community-driven event.
• I maintain an enormous spreadsheet of applications from acts all across the country (the majority based in Manchester), supplemented with proactive outreach to fill any gaps in style or demographics.
• Assessment of genre suitability and practical viability of acts, assigning performances to appropriate stages and set times.
• Ongoing communication with acts before & after the festival to ensure all necessary information is shared.
• We host additional events in support of the festival take place throughout the year in Manchester, starring favourite past & future acts of the main summer event.

Director at Witch Kings (2020 – Present)

• Co-founded a fresh fruit Rum Liqueur business during lockdown, which expanded into markets, pop-up cocktail bars, regular live music events, and a fully licensed bar & restaurant. I tackled varied responsibilities across the business timeline, managing a small team.
• Solely responsible for curating regular weekly live music events around Manchester - from folk and jazz nights, to electronic performances and holiday specials, such as Christmas and New Years parties.
• Business development, marketing, human resources, accounting, and technical duties.
• Safe handling of food & drink; adhering to COSHH regulations, and SFBB standards.
• Friendly & professional customer service in fast-paced, high pressure environments.
• Managing multiple employees, including in commercial kitchens with live service.
• Preparation and cooking of nuanced recipes; design of award-winning products.
• Creation of the products has always been in-house, requiring careful production scheduling.

Recruitment Consultant at Airswift (2018 – 2020)

• A focus on recruitment for Renewable Energy companies in Europe and Africa.
• Generated my own client base for permanent placement of high-level candidates.
• Management of large multi-role projects, delegating to my team when required.
• Supported collaborations across departments when required, e.g. marketing and legal.

Live Music Promoter & Label Manager at Traffic MCR & YMNLT (2016-2020)

• Management of electronic music collective Traffic MCR, and multi-genre label You Might Not Like This (YMNLT) - working with acts from all over the world to co-ordinate musical releases and live music events in Manchester.

Live Visual Artist & Video Editor at Idiotbox Visuals (2016 – 2020)

• Providing technical solutions for live music events across the UK.
• Building up client relationships, managing finances, and solving problems creatively.
• Editing eye-catching promotional video material for social media branding.
• Checking and adhering to health and safety regulations on different project and festival sites.

Bartender at The Botanist (2014 – 2015)

• Intensive training program of free-pouring, cocktail memorisation, and serving multiple sets of customers at once - as part of the opening team for the busy city centre site.
• Keeping all service areas clean & maintained in line with COSHH.
• Two of my own cocktail inventions appeared on the menu.

Sales & Product Promotion at iD Experiential (2013 – 2015)

• Varied duties with clients such as De'Longhi, Elizabeth Arden, and Nespresso, demonstrating and promoting the sale of products in a retail environment.
• Monitoring the progress of work and producing regular status reports.

English Teacher at Lingo-Ease (2012 – 2013)

• Following an intensive CELTA qualification, I lived and worked in Bahrain, teaching English to foreign-language speakers of various nationalities, ages, and ability levels.
• Classroom management - preparing and delivering lessons, examinations, and feedback.

Diploma in Game Audio – Futureworks (2013 – 2014)

Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music – University of Leeds (2009 – 2012)

A Levels – Bootham College (2007 – 2009)

GCSEs – St. Aidan's CoE High School (2002 – 2007)