Our Team

Sarah McBriar Founder & Creative Director

Sarah leads the creative direction of UP Productions and AVA. She oversees cultural programming, brand partnerships and the development of new experience-led projects across festivals, conferences and live environments.

Jack Mawdsley Senior Operations & Partnerships Manager

Jack oversees operations and partnerships across UP Productions, working on commercial planning, new business and the delivery of client projects. He manages partner and client relationships through the project lifecycle, while coordinating internal teams, budgets and delivery requiremnts.

Conor McTernan Senior Marketing, Programme & Partnerships Manager

Conor leads marketing strategy, brand partnerships and cultural programming for UP & AVA.

With a background in editorial, commercial strategy and events, Conor brings together music, culture and creative industries to build brands, drive growth and develop meaningful partnerships.

Saoirse Doody Creative Producer

Saoirse is a London-based Creative Producer at AVA & UP Productions, working across music, culture and brand experiences. She leads project delivery, working directly with clients and partners to shape concepts, coordinate planning and manage live execution, keeping creative direction and operational delivery aligned. Her role also spans artist logistics, creative partnerships and merchandise, leading design and production from initial concepts through to sourcing and ordering.

Emmett Costello Senior Programmer & Curator

Emmett collaborates with artists, collectives and cultural partners to shape AVA and UP Productions’ programming. His work focuses on curating music, performance and cultural content across festivals and special projects.

Dave McDonogh Head of Production – AVA

Dave leads production planning and site operations for AVA Festival. As part of UP Productions, he supports brand and cultural activations with specialist technical direction, supplier coordination and live delivery expertise.

Victoria Buckley Finance Director

Victoria manages financial planning and commercial oversight across UP Productions. She supports budget structuring, supplier contracts and long-term organisational growth.

Joe Baran Live Event Director - AVA

Joe leads as Event Director for AVA Festival, leading large-scale live operations and site delivery. He also provides senior production oversight across UP Productions’ partner projects, advising on planning, build and on-site execution.

Ciarán Bittles
Marketing & Events Manager

Ciarán works across campaign rollout, content creation and live event delivery for UP Productions. He plans and delivers brand storytelling and audience engagement across digital channels and real-world activations.

Georgios Varoutsos Marketing & Events Producer

Georgios works across marketing, events and funding for AVA & UP! Productions. He develops campaign content and funding proposals, using audience insights to inform planning and supporting programme delivery across festivals, conferences and cultural projects.