OUR TEAM & ALUMNI
CREATIVE DREAMTEAM
Our team is made up of multi-skilled, passionate & creative independents who work toward unanimous community growth.
Ed Walker – CEO & Co-founder
Songwriter, Composer, Videographer, Sales & Marketing consultant, Event manager, CFO & Enterprise sales director.
Bob Marshall – Director of Live Sound
Live Sound engineer, Videographer, Photographer & sound apprentice tutor.
Maria Kelly – Marketing Guidance
Voluntary Marketing Guidance, Singer, Painter & Artist.
Luis Sousa – Community Feedback Champion
Session Drummer, Venue Liaison & Community Feedback Champion.
Elliot Mason – Host
Host, Vocalist, Pianist, Entertainer, Actor, Event Manager & Composer.
Liam Kelly – MD & Co-founder
Session Drummer, Sound engineer, Producer, Composer, Videographer, Editor, Merch coordinator & Videography Apprentice coordinator.
Sound & lighting engineer, Tech solutions engineer, Tech accessibility consultant & IT Director.
Guy Piechoczek- Music Director
House Band Curator, session bassist & drummer.
Jake Lomas – Head of Photography
Director, Creative Writer, Narrative Storyteller, Photography, Videography & Cinematography.
Harry Marshell – Host
Host, Session bassist, guitarist, Songwriter & Sound engineer.
ALUMNI
We consult creatives who have ambitions of working independently within our community, offering accessible guidance on creating a business, from creative sales to marketing. We are grateful to endorse these inspiring individuals who collaborated on ideas, creating their own communities & connected with us for consultative guidance.
✨DREAM BIG & WORK TOGETHER ✨
Elder T Merchant VI – IMPLY DRUMS & SESSIONS OF SOUL
“ I regularly think, ‘to view your possible destinations, you need to step away from the noise’. The majority of your resources can and/or will be Assets. If your talent/craft is your product, you will eventually have to provide a service. Once you’ve packaged the service, you will need to reinvest, which will potentially become resources. I’m sure you can guess what’s next. It’s all circulatory.”
Elliot Gaspar – Limbo Days
Going to ShowUp open mic and jam nights has not only solidified me as an artist in the creative scene, but it’s also helped me find my musical family and community within Manchester, and given purpose to my art and what I do as an artist. I almost see it like how people would go to church back in the day: they would meet up once a week to catch up with each other and have an almost spiritual release. That is what ShowUp open mic and jam nights feel like to me. They’ve influenced the way I perform, who I work with, and what I’m inspired by, and I always look forward to going and catching up with everybody every week. I also love that it’s weekly, so it’s easy to remember, too.
Ed’s enthusiasm and guidance from ShowUP has been valuable and a real driver for me. It’s been especially helpful as a solo artist; though I work with a band, they’re not always available, so having somebody else I can talk ideas through with and seek advice from is extremely helpful.
Jake Lomas – JLOKAPTURETHINGS
I arrived at ShowUP at the start of 2026, only afew days after starting my live music photography journey in earnest. Stepping into this little underground Greek restaurant felt like I’d just walked into a jam from a film. Everyone talks and catches up and appreciates and encourages each other. When you walk in, everyones happy to see you. It has provided another space for people to get work, find new projects, and find people to work on those projects with. And there’s sone insane music to top it off!
Nino Raphael – Vocal coach, choir leader, Musical/Theatre Director
My name is Nino Raphael, and I’m and English born and Aotearoa/ New Zealand raised Musical performance artist and Educator specializing in vocal performance and theatre.
Moving to Manchester in 2025 was a scary and exciting prospect as I was in search of more work opportunities, greater learning, and connecting with artists from around the world.
When I first arrived, ShowUp was an immediate haven for socializing with other artists, free music, and always a positive energy. It is a highlight of my week.
Jordan Guillou – VGMJAM
ShowUP has been absolutely instrumental in getting the Manchester Video Game Music Jam Session off the ground. The whole team has provided invaluable, ongoing support from the very beginning.
From helping me secure a venue to connecting me with a network of friendly, talented, and hard-working musicians, ShowUP has helped me bring my ideas to life and take them even further than I originally imagined.
ShowUP’s team has been generous with their time, labour, and expertise. They’re always happy to schedule a call and discuss ideas.
Having recently moved to a new city, finding such a supportive community has made a big difference.
ShowUP has helped me connect with other people who are passionate about live music and build relationships that will help grow the local video game music scene.
I’m excited to see how these connections continue to develop as the jam grows. I definitely encourage other people to connect with ShowUP.