The Team
The Xpress team has an extensive history and connection with working in Indigenous Music.
Xpress is the outcome of years of project development between the team, tailored to meet the unique needs of the Mparntwe (Alice Springs) region.
Now we are inviting others to join us.
Other who, like us, are passionate about mentoring with First Nations musicians, who have a special connection to this region and who want to give back to the community.
Tashka Urban
Project Director, Co-Founder Global Sound School
Tashka is a creative producer, mentor, and community arts practitioner with over two decades of experience working across music, media, youth development, and community-led creative programs.
Born and raised in Central Australia, she has spent much of her career working alongside remote and regional communities delivering programs in music production, digital media, education, and creative expression.
Her work focuses on creating pathways for emerging artists through mentorship, skills development, and real-world industry experience through in-person and online programs (Global Sound School).
With a background spanning music production, songwriting, digital media, training, and community cultural development, Tashka is passionate about using creativity as a tool for empowerment, storytelling, and opportunity.
Her work is driven by a strong belief that mentorship, creativity, and culture are powerful forces for transformation, and when people are supported with the right guidance and opportunities, their voices can shape the future of their communities.
Jenine Mackay
Project Manager, Co-founder & CEO, Incite Arts
Jenine co-founded Incite Arts in 2004 after several years of project-based initiatives and an extensive community consultation process. She manages creative and strategic development; partnerships; delivery of programs and finances. Jenine works in partnership with the Incite team, collaborating with artists, mentors and the diverse communities that now call Mparntwe (Alice Springs) home to engage in transformative creative experiences.
Jenine was a long-term Board member (2008-2016) of Arts Access Australia (AAA) including the position of Chair. She gained recognition of her service and dedication to arts and disability leadership in Australia. She is now a member of the Arts and Disability Network Australia (ADNA) consortia.
Jenine trained in classical ballet and graduated from VCA, Drama School in1984, where she began her journey in community and cultural development (CACD) practice. Based in Melbourne in the 1980’s Jenine was active in the Fringe and Comedy arenas creating original, innovative and genre-defining works with Monkey Based Movement Theatre, Mohair Stockings and Out Theatre. Her extensive skills and experience in the performing arts also includes as a circus and performance skills mentor and in CACD mentoring and leadership.
1991- 2001 saw Jenine work extensively in the youth arts sector included managing and delivering multi-arts programs as: Artistic Director (AD) with Coco Youth Theatre (now known as Southern Edge Arts, Albany WA’ AD of Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Darwin and leading Barking Gecko’s youth theatre program. Jenine has developed distinctive theatre, dance, circus and CACD works of quality, and innovation, collaborating with diverse communities in WA, NT and in South Africa with Jazzart Dance Theatre and Phenduka Dance.
Joel Tiger de Ross
Project Manager, Co-founder Global Sound School
Joel Tiger De Ross is a creative tech entrepreneur passionate about innovation that leads to positive social and environmental impact. Joel has Lun Bawang heritage, indigenous to Sarawak, Borneo where he grew up. Throughout his 22+ year career in the music and event industry as a music producer, DJ, event organizer, and record label manager, he has strived to incorporate tribal/village values and mindset into his work and projects. Joel is passionate about using technology and creativity to create opportunities for indigenous communities. Joel is a core member of the Xpress Indigenous Music Mentorship Program.
Jez Smith
Project Production & Media, Admin & Comms Manager, Incite Arts
Jez was born and educated in the UK. He graduated from Brighton University with a BA(Hons) in Graphic Design, which led to an internship at the iconic NY magazine started by Andy Warhol in the 60’s, ‘Interview’. It was there that he did his first professional photoshoot, which led to working with other magazines based in NY.
He moved to Australia in the early 90’s and spent the next 30 years travelling between Sydney and London. A contract with Harpers Bazaar aged 25 led to further editorial and advertising work with many Australian and International brands, in NZ, South East Asia and Japan etc. including well known brands such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar (UK) GQ, Grazia, L’oreal, Levi Jeans, Tiffany & Co.
In 2023, after a chance meeting at the back of a plane with Lauren Jones, (the then Creative Producer at Incite Arts) Jez travelled to Alice Springs to shoot a series of portraits of the stArts with D performance ensemble, to celebrate them, and the work they were creating at the time, which became the ‘Strong Feelings’ exhibition.
He fell in love with Alice Springs, and working with Incite Arts, and two years later applied to become a full time member of the Incite Team as the Admin and Communications Manager.