Presented by Creative Plus Business with support from the City of Sydney and BrandX

AI is cramping our vibe, the economy is playing hard to get, and the news feels like a sci-fi thriller gone wrong—fun times! But rather than curling into a ball, doomscrolling, or throwing in the towel, the next THRIVE Connect event will try something radical… defiant optimism. We’re gathering Sydney’s sharpest creative minds to innovate, support each other, and rewrite the rules.

We’re celebrating The Apocaloptimists.

Apocaloptimists are the resilient creative professionals who refuse to be sidelined by uncertainty. We aren't ignoring the challenges; we are actively transforming them into opportunities.We're looking the future dead in the eye and saying, "Okay, but how do we make this work anyway?"

Join resident Apocaloptimist Monica Davidson and three special guest speakers as they dish out real-world ideas for navigating uncertainty in Sydney's creative industries, and share strategies for finding the silver linings in a cloudy climate.

As always, registration is completely FREE.

Come for the insights and inspirational conversation, stay for the friendly networking, complimentary nibbles, and more from THRIVE Sydney.

MEET YOUR THRIVE HOST

Close-up portrait of Monica Davidson smiling softly at the camera, featuring dark hair with side-swept bangs and silver hoop earrings against a neutral light background.

Monica Davidson (Creative Plus Business): Monica Davidson is an award-winning expert on the creative industries, who began her professional life as a freelance journalist, performer, and filmmaker. Monica has a Masters degree in Screen Arts and Business from AFTRS, and was appointed as Australia’s first Creative Industries Business Advisor in 2013. In 2016 Monica founded the social enterprise Creative Plus Business, an organisation dedicated to educating creatives about small business skills, financial literacy and marketing.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Portrait of comedian Sam Wade with shoulder-length wavy hair and facial hair, wearing a black suit jacket and an unbuttoned white shirt with an untied black bow tie against a vibrant pink background.

Sam Wade: Sam Wade is a comedian and content creator, based in old Sydney town. After selling out his debut hour ‘Inner World’ at Sydney Fringe in 2018, he has gone on to crush at the Sydney Comedy Festival with ‘Mind Cave’ in 2021 and ‘Vs The Void’ in 2022-23. He has guest starred and script consulted for hit DnD-based web series ‘1 For All’, garnering a cult following amongst its 700k-strong audience. He also has Autism, loves talking about neurodivergence, and has a laugh that has been described as “an obnoxious honk, like a goose being used as a bagpipe”. Whether on stage, on screen or just laughing in the back of a room, Sam Wade is a guaranteed goodtime.

Portrait of Simone Amelia Jordan posing with hands on her hips, wearing a light-colored top and short jumpsuit with her hair styled in a high bun, set against a hot pink background.

Simone Amelia Jordan: Simone is a Gadigal-based writer, essayist, and author, recognised as Australia’s most successful hip-hop journalist. Working at the intersection of culture, identity, and social justice, she has dedicated her career to amplifying underrepresented voices and mentoring emerging multicultural talent through organisations such as Media Diversity Australia, Diversity Arts Australia, and her initiative, The Dream Collective. Her debut memoir, Tell Her She’s Dreamin’, won the Richell Prize.

FEATURING A SPECIAL PRESENTATION FROM

Portrait of designer Stavroula Adameitis (Frida Las Vegas) wearing a retro-style victory roll hairstyle, bold pink lipstick, large geometric earrings, and a bright blue graphic-print outfit against a pink tropical leaf background

Stavroula Adameitis: Stavroula - aka Frida Las Vegas - is an Australian visual artist and designer renowned for her maximalist style remixing nostalgia, memory, glamour and humour. Her visually striking work has been showcased in major institutions, including the Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, and the Art Gallery of South Australia, and she has collaborated with global performers and brands including Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Adobe, Meta and Disney. Alongside her creative practice, Stavroula is the Artistic Director of SA Futures Agency, a member of the Guildhouse Artist Advisory Group and the recipient of the 2025 40 Under 40 ‘Creative Thinker’ award.

ABOUT THRIVE CONNECT EVENTS

These are a quarterly series of meaningful meetups that combine networking with skills development and panel discussions on key topics affecting the creative industries. Made for creative practitioners, artists, innovators, and small businesses, each event is hosted at hubs and venues across the Sydney CBD. Every meetup includes a guest speaker and theme, along with suggested conversation topics to make networking easier and connections more interesting.

Registration is FREE and every THRIVE Connect event includes plenty of time for networking (nibbles included). Every attendee will also receive an invitation to the THRIVE Toolkit and THRIVE private LinkedIn group.

Venue: City of Sydney Creative Studios, 119 Bathurst St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL

WHAT’S THRIVE?
THRIVE SYDNEY is a new program of events, mentoring, and online experiences designed to enhance the professional development and wellbeing of Sydney’s artists and creative community. Supported by the City of Sydney and produced by Creative Plus Business, THRIVE brings to the city four initiatives to help creative professionals and artists come together, hear from inspiring industry leaders, access free professional development opportunities, and build new creative and professional networks.

DOWNLOAD THE THRIVE GUIDE FOR FULL DETAILS

WHAT’S CREATIVE PLUS BUSINESS?
Creative Plus Business is a social enterprise dedicated to educating creative people and arts organisations about business skills. We help by sharing practical knowledge in a fun and irreverent way, and everything we do is designed to help creatives to feel more confident and comfortable about the entrepreneurial aspects of their creative practice.

ACCESSIBILITY
If you have any queries or access requirements, please email hello@creativeplusbusiness.com.

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Please note that photographs may be taken during the event by the Thrive Sydney team. If you do not wish to be photographed please let our team know upon arrival.

Contact the host of THRIVE CONNECT: The Apocaloptimists!