David Manley Awards 2012: Arts Finalists

The 3 shortlisted arts organisations for the David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Awards are:

• Agata Stoinska, Blow Photo Magazine
• Louis Lovett & Muireann Ahern, Theatre Lovett
• Olive O’Brien, Silver Angel Publishing

Agata Stoinska, Blow Photo Magazine
Agata Stoinska established BLOW Photo Magazine - Ireland’s first A3 photography magazine – in July 2010. It is aimed at photographers of all disciplines and offers a platform for both emerging and established Irish and international photographer to have their work published.

Even though BLOW is only 18 months on the market it is being distributed internationally and it's present in galleries and bookshops in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Stockholm, Seoul, Singapore, just to mention a few. BLOW has also established closed partnerships with the biggest Irish festivals: PhotoIreland Festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival and recently with the Dublin Fringe Festival.

During the two weeks of the Absolut Fringe, a team of 15 photographers documented all shows of the festival for BLOW. The best images were used in six special on-line festival editions of BLOW magazine. The main goal was to show the spirit of the Festival through photography.
Agata changed profession from an architect to become a Fashion Photographer and set up her own photography studio – D-light Studios. Agata won the 2009 Rising Star award in the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women and in 2010 she became the winner of the Most Improved Business.

Louis Lovett & Muireann Ahern, Theatre Lovett
Louis Lovett, from Douglas, and his wife, Muireann Ahern are shortlisted in the Arts category. They set up Theatre Lovett was set up in 2009 which offers ‘theatre as adventure.”

“Whether you are a child, an adult who remembers what it is like to be a child, or anyone curious and open minded who wishes to engage with theatre that can amuse, involve and sometimes scare then Theatre Lovett is for you,” they observe.

Lovett’s one-man show The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly (The Ark and Theatre Lovett) thrilled audiences last year at The Ark, The Peacock Theatre, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival and at The Imaginate Festival, Edinburgh and has much international touring in the pipeline (including a Broadway invitation in 2013).

Theatre Lovett was the original commissioner of “B for Baby” by Carmel Winters produced by The Abbey Theatre that won ‘Best New Play’ in the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2010 and Louis Lovett was nominated for Best Actor in the same Awards. ‘B for Baby’ was also short-listed for the Stewart Parker Awards 2010.

According to the dynamic pair, “We love music, physical theatre, clowning, absurd comedy and poignant tragedy and believe that children and young audiences respond to and recognise the best when it is shared with them, without patronising, stereotyping or belittling our audience’s experience and innocence.” www.theatrelovett.com

Olive O’Brien, Silver Angel Publishing
Olive O’Brien, who lives and works in Rochestown, is shortlisted in the Arts Category. She set up Silver Angel Publishing company in 2009 to publish eco-friendly books. Having practised as a solicitor, in 2006, Olive returned to university to complete a Masters in Journalism at DCU. She then worked as an intern at The Sunday Business Post and as a features writer at Mid-Day newspaper in Bangalore, India.

In 2008, Olive set out on a round the world trip and on her return to Ireland later that year, she wrote her first book, “ Perry the Playful Polar Bear ” which was released in 2009. She also published two further books, “ Perry the Polar Bear Goes Green ” and “ Eco Zico ” which are printed on 100% recycled and FSC certified paper. “Eco Zico” is also available as an ebook and as an app for the iPad.

‘InTouch’ magazine, the publication of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), said in its November 2010 issue, “[Eco Zico] simplifies the recycling process making it interesting and easy for children to understand.” Olive intends releasing further titles in 2012, which are suitable for older children.
www.silverangelpublishing.com