BreakOut West 2026 returns to Victoria, BC! This year’s event will feature four days of informative and engaging music industry conference content, including international market deep-dives, one-on-one meetings with music industry professionals, artist mentorship and feature conversations, networking events, and more. To get you excited to make important industry introductions at BreakOut West we wanted to introduce four international delegates you can meet this September/October.
Chris Horkan – Hey! Manchester
Chris Horkan has independently promoted live music since 2006, working with a wide variety of largely roots and folk artists during this time. He promotes primarily in Manchester, but also elsewhere across the north of England
Element Everest-Blanks – HYFIN Radio Milwaukee
Element Everest-Blanks is a broadcaster, music curator, and advocate known as The Culture Plug. As Program Director of HYFIN, Radio Milwaukee’s Black music and culture platform, she oversees one of North America’s most distinctive Black music formats, championing emerging artists while connecting Milwaukee to the global Black diaspora.She is the creator and host of Ladies First, HYFIN’s flagship platform celebrating the music and voices of Black women. A Recording Academy District Advocate, GRAMMY U Mentor, and Voting Member, Element is recognized for her leadership in music discovery, artist advocacy, and public radio. Through every platform she builds, she uses her signature bullhorn to amplify the artists and stories shaping the future of music.
Eve Horne – We Are The Unheard
Eve Horne is a pioneering figure in the music industry, renowned for her over 20 years of experience as a singer, songwriter, and producer, starting at the BRIT School in 1991 and signing to Polydor and EMI. As a mixed-race, gay, single parent from a council estate with Autism and ADHD, her diverse background enriches her advocacy and leadership roles. Eve is the founder of We Are The UNHEARD CIC, an organisation dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and promoting gender equality in the music industry. She is also a qualified sound engineer and a Native Instruments Certified Specialist.
Her efforts have garnered significant recognition, including being named a SheSaid.So ALT List 2020 Honorée and serving as an innovator for the UK on the Keychange 2022 program. Eve was a representative on the UK Music Diversity Taskforce for 2 years and was enlisted into the Music Week Women In Music Roll Of Honour in 2022
In September 2022, she launched the We Are The UNHEARD Academy, which is funded by PRS Foundation and PPL Giving and supported by major music industry entities like Ableton, Musicians Union, Help Musicians, Flare Audio and Neumann. She also founded Mother’s Write, the UK’s first songwriting camp for mothers.
The We Are The UNHEARD Academy has created an inclusive and accessible learning environment, attracting a diverse group of participants: 40% non-binary individuals, 40% people of colour, 30% mothers, 10% people with physical disabilities, and 20% neurodiverse people. Notably, 50% of the participants had never used Ableton before, highlighting the academy’s role in making music production education accessible to those who might not have had prior opportunities.
Since 2023, Eve has taken on pivotal roles as an Ivor’s Academy Senator and Board Director, and she became the first female of colour to be voted onto the Board of Directors for the Music Producers Guild (MPG).
Eve’s impact extends beyond the academy. She was a mentor on the HUNNA program at the XP Conference in Saudi Arabia, supporting women from the MENA region. As an ambassador for PRS’s Get Paid guide and a Business Advisor for Help Musicians, Eve continues to support emerging talents and industry professionals to understand Metadata and get paid correctly.
In 2024, Eve was part of the groundbreaking Women In CTRL’s Seat At The Table Report and participated in its launch panel. She was a judge for the BRIT awards 2024 and The Ivor’s Awards 2024. She became a BPI Equity & Justice Advisory Group (EJAG) Member And a member of the Keychange Advisory Committee.
She also made history by being the first person of colour to be shortlisted for the Music Producers Guild’s “Breakthrough Producer of the Year” award. Eve Horne’s work is making a significant positive impact on the music industry and the lives of the individuals she supports and mentors.
William Morris – UNSHAKEN Management
For more than 15 years I’ve worked behind the scenes with internationally touring artists, managers, promoters, venues and production teams, delivering live performances across the UK and around the world.That journey led me to found UNSHAKEN, providing artist management, touring logistics and production support for artists and teams operating at the highest level of live music.