Danny's hot tip for Fringe is get in early! Too many times in the past he's put off seeing a show he wants to see only to find out everyone else was too and it's now sold out.

Danny Delahunty is an arts producer and theatre director who has been working broadly in the independent sector for the best part of the past ten years. He has presented over 50 seasons of 34 projects, working with established theatre companies, on independent projects and in touring works around Australia and overseas. Prior to Fringe, Danny was working as the Festival Producer for Drama Victoria, an Events Producer for Melbourne Writers Festival, and the Tours Coordinator for Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as continuing his work as an indie project producer and his passion as a theatre director.

Tom's hot tip for Fringe is…. Take a chance! Fringe is a great way to explore our city and have experiences you wouldn't have at any other time.

Tom Browne is a theatre-maker, performer and producer, with a focus on new devised works. With his independent company Grit Theatre he has presented work in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, receiving a number of awards including two Green Room Awards, and Best Performance at Melbourne Fringe. Tom has spent recent years working in festivals and arts event management in Australia and the UK, and is currently a judge on the Green Room Awards Independent Theatre Panel. He is a passionate about nurturing and facilitating the work of emerging independent artists, and beer drinking.

Eilysh's hot tip for Fringe is to keep in mind some of the best and most immersive experiences can be found in the quirky or smaller venues.

Eilysh Toose is a participatory and outdoor arts advocate, having worked in the local government sector for a number of years in community arts development and cultural events. Eilysh was the lead producer for the annual Hornsby Shire Festival of the Arts, Hornsby Art Prize and curator at the Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre. Now back from a two year stint in the UK working on the Stockton International Riverside Festival and coordinating an annual programme of civic events, Eilysh continues to support the development and delivery of new major works at Melbourne Fringe and is thrilled to be home with her beloved roller skates.

Carly's hot tip for Fringe is the words and ideas sessions. She loves a good panel discussion and will probably be live tweeting what's happening.

Carly Findlay, Melbourne Fringe's Access and Inclusion Coordinator – focused on making the Festival and other Melbourne Fringe events accessible and inclusive for participants and audiences who identify as D/deaf and disabled. She's worked in the Federal Government as an events planner, communicator and executive assistant, as well as in the disability community. Carly has a Master of Communication and Bachelor of eCommerce. She identifies as a proud disabled woman and wants the world to know that disability is not a bad thing.

Outside of working at Fringe, she is a writer, speaker, sometimes-performer and podcaster. Carly is writing her first book and was recently named as Tempest's 40 women to watch in 2018. She's rarely met a cheese she didn't like.

During the Festival, Miranda can be seen quaffing bliss balls, hanging off a ladder (that forgotten piece of signage) and waxing lyrical about the feminist show she saw last night.

Miranda started her career as an independent artist and then discovered, much to her delight, that she enjoyed selling tickets to the show, more than actually making the show (capitalism, what can you do?!?). Hence, she found her way into marketing in the arts. Prior to Fringe, Miranda worked as a Marketing Consultant in several organisations including the Canberra International Music Festival and Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres. With a firm belief that participation brings social, cultural and personal benefits, Miranda has returned to her indy arts roots at Fringe.

During the Festival, Pauline can be seen fleetingly, elusively, like a shadow, sneaking up on great art.

Pauline graduated from Rusden College in 1989 and is a founding member of Snuff Puppets, working with the company as writer, dramaturg, performer and co- Artistic Director with Andy Freer until 2003. She loved every minute of her stint as funding manager at Back to Back Theatre from 2003 until 2016 and joined Melbourne Fringe in that role in 2016.

Dan's hot tip for Fringe is… meet weird with weird. See something wild to get your mind cogs going.

Dan Beacom is a musician, screenwriter and marketer who loves content creation and building brands. Originally from Radelaide, Dan has spent the past six years in Melbourne writing comedy, playing gigs, and producing viral memes. Over this period he’s also worked with digital agencies and helped shaped brands within the hospitality and entertainment industries. Being a Festival-lover, joining Melbourne Fringe in 2019 was an absolute no-brainer for the guy.

During the Festival, Caitlin can be seen in a dark corner of Club Fringe with a stout in her hand, refreshing a ticketing report.

Caitlin started off her arts management career dealing with hour-long queues of drenched customers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s High Street box office. Since moving to Australia in 2017 she has worked for most of the festivals and eaten most of the dumplings in Melbourne. She is obsessed with indie theatre and weird comedy and has seven pairs of banana themed novelty socks.

Will's first Fringe experience also happens to be his very first Melbourne experience. When he moved to Melbourne in 2014 his friend picked him up at the airport, gave him a pair of denim overalls and took him straight to 1992-1-Oh! at the Fringe Club. He knew then and there that this was his one true home.

Will is an arts manager and festival director based in Melbourne whose work focuses on supporting and championing emerging artists and the independent sector. He has worked for a range of festivals in Australia and internationally, most recently as the Executive Director of the Emerging Writers' Festival in Melbourne. In this role he has led the organisation through a period of significant growth, forging major new partnerships to provide platforms for the next generation of Australian storytellers. Will is also the co-director of Happenstance, an interactive community arts festival held along the Merri Creek in Melbourne, which had its second iteration in 2018. He brings a wealth of experience from across the arts sector, having worked for Melbourne Festival, Museums Victoria, 2high Festival and Assembly Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe, among others. He holds a Master of Arts (Arts Management) from RMIT University and a Bachelor of Creative Industries from the Queensland University of Technology.

During the festival Lucy can be seen wearing the biggest scarf she can find and trying to convince her friends to go out dancing later…

Lucy's career in the arts began as an independent artist where she quickly discovered that running around behind the scenes was just as enjoyable as running around on stage. Prior to Fringe, Lucy worked as a Project Co-ordinator at the Social Research Centre; and in Events Assistant and Administration roles across several organisations including Falls Music and Arts Festival Marion Bay, The Substation, and Museums Victoria.

Ciaran's hot tip for Fringe is that a good shared calendar to plan your festival is the best thing since sliced bread.

Ciaran Frame is an arts administrator and independent practitioner whose work has covered everything from classical music to event production. Starting his arts journey at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Ciaran has gone on to work in music performing rights and teaching before finding his way to Fringe. He is passionate about cross-disciplinary collaboration and is perpetually thrilled to see what lies around the corner in our arts community.

During the Festival Ian can be found lurking in the background in the shadows of the Fringe Hub.

Ian has twenty years' experience providing design and installation expertise to projection works in theatres, galleries and outdoor spaces. He's worked in large cultural venues and festivals throughout Australia, providing high quality outcomes for various artists and projects. Ian’s production management experience and licenses for high risk work have also allowed him to work on projects in non-traditional spaces. Before taking up his role at Melbourne Fringe, Ian was the Production Manager Logistics for Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Ian knows silly things about projectors.