DESCRIPTION:
Trenton Birch (Trenton and Free Radical / Black Mango / SAE Institute)

Music has and will always have a fascinating symbiotic relationship with modern culture. With an increase in urbanisation, cities are having a profound effect on how our culture evolves and this in turn is having a significant impact on how the music of our future is shaping itself.

Trenton Birch is an artist/DJ, record label owner, promotor and music / brand specialist who is recognized as one of the pioneers of the South African music industry. After several years in London he returned home and now heads up marketing for SAE Institute South Africa as well as lecturing the Music Business Curriculum, runs the event company Black Mango Music and fronts the band Trenton and Free Radical.

He was a radio and TV presenter and producer at the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) for 5 years, a live producer for Real Concerts and Big Concerts and an artist manager.

Originally from Johannesburg, he moved to London where he worked for the world's largest music promoter, Live Nation and was at the forefront of building music industry relationships with consumer brands while working at a number of high profile UK marketing agencies. He ran Carling's (the UK's biggest beer brand) live music account for two years and managed a number of large brand / music projects for Orange, Smirnoff, Reebok, Budweiser ......

He promoted South African music in the UK through his record label Black Mango Music who were responsible for the international release of Goldfish's first album, developed the Breathe Sunshine series and started the African hip-hop website Afrolution. Trenton promoted Johnny Clegg in the UK for seven years and was responsible for the Amabala Music Festival - the largest SA music festival to take place in the UK feat - Springbok Nude Girls, Just Jinger, Henry Ate, Sugerdrive, Nagual and Barry Hilton. He has run music events around the world - including New York, Amsterdam, Ibiza and Malawi.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)