Dave Harper

I began my working life at 14 doing dishes at a catering shop and then relished my time in hospitality until the age of 26, doing everything from busser to General Manager and Licensee. I wanted to try out my core skills in service and relationships in a corporate environment so at 26 I moved into advertising and marketing. After working with some amazing brands such as Red Bull, Visa, Fairfax, Diageo I became fascinated by the potential of content to deliver meaningful interactions via something people actually want... entertainment. Writing philanthropic, multiplatform tv strategies on how non-profits could generate donations using gaming and content was a passion project that ultimately turned into a few tv shows and lead me to my next role. Hoodlum Entertainment is a true innovator in the multi-platform entertainment and marketing space and my role as Director of Business Development and Creative Strategy saw me delivering strategy, sales and development with the likes of Sony, Red Bull, Amazon, Gannett, Foxtel and Hopscotch Films. I ran the US office of Hoodlum for 2 years and still think of myself as a Hoodlum. My next role at Vittoria was Joint Head of US where I was responsible for the establishment of Vittoria Food and Beverage in the US in all aspects of the business including brand, marketing, sales, operations & product development. Vittoria is a 70 year old coffee roasting business that has lead the highly mature Australian market in both food service and retail which is quite a feat. With Vittoria landed and serviced some of the best hospitality providers in the country such as Post Ranch Inn, The Montage Group, The Butchers Daughter, Noho Hospitality & Lettuce Entertain You Group to name a few. After almost 4 years at Vittoria it was time to focus in on my own businesses. I started Bower Hospitality so I could build food and beverage products and experiences and drive them with entertainment . My first project with Bower was The Waterfront Venice. Partnering with the amazing team at 9Mile Investments and Wanderlust Design was an incredible experience and highly enjoyable. We're all mates and wanted a place we call all hang and our kids could hang in Venice... on the beach. I now develop and run creative strategy for my own food and beverage brands and experiences where I'm able to combine all of my industry experiences and love my work.