Filter by Suburb
Select all
Broadbeach
Burleigh
Coolangatta
Currumbin
Main Beach
Mermaid Beach
Miami
Nobby's Beach
North Burleigh
Palm Beach
Robina
Southport
Surfers Paradise
Tugun
Water Fun

Meet Kate Baggerson

Executive Director, Co-Founder, Artistic Director Everybody NOW!

Kate Baggerson, Image by Gold Coast Media

Kate Baggerson is a bold arts leader and cultural strategist known for creating large-scale, participatory projects that connect communities through storytelling and creativity. As Co-Founder and Executive/Artistic Director of the award-winning organisation Everybody NOW!, she’s led its national growth and delivered powerful community-driven arts experiences across Australia.

With a career spanning MONA FOMA, Woodford Folk Festival, Bleach* Festival, and HOTA, Home of the Arts, Kate blends creative vision with strategic leadership. Her work lives at the intersection of art and community, where audiences, artists, and everyday people collaborate as co-creators.

Kate brings people together, builds meaningful partnerships, and uses storytelling to transform spaces and spark connection. Her approach is inclusive, ambitious, and deeply people-focused.

Kate Baggerson, Image by Gold Coast Media (2)

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
Since a kid. We moved to Palm Beach from Cronulla when I was 8, so while I still am genetically obliged to wear blue at State of Origin, I am a Gold Coaster through and through.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
Firstly, I’ll go the predicable and say the natural assets. How can you go past our incredible beaches and hinterland. Last school holidays we decided to have a ‘staycay’, and every day was filled with some kind of incredible outdoor adventure. Bushwalks in Springbrook, a beach day at Talle, rock hopping at Mt Cougal National Park and bike rides along the oceanway. It is just so easy to be out with your family and surrounded by beauty.

Secondly, I’d say community. I’ve grown up on the Southern Gold Coast and I love being an active part of my community, knowing its history, people and story and having relationships that are embedded in place.

Also, in my work with Everybody NOW! we engage across the Gold Coast and it’s that hyper-local sense of community I love seeing right across the City. It’s something we need to treasure and nurture as the City continues to grow.

Kate Baggerson and Family, Image Supplied

Tell us a little bit about yourself
I live in Currumbin with my little family. My kids are five and almost ten. I love cooking, camping, and being in nature. I have worked in the arts for 20 years and have been fortunate to work within some incredible organisations and cultural institution across Australia however I was very happy to move home 15 years or so ago and be a part of the cultural evolution of the City that we have seen over the last decade, and in that time become the founder of Everybody NOW!

Kate Baggerson and the Everybody NOW! Artistic Directors, Image Supplied

We get the 1990’s vibe of C+C Music Factory’s Everybody dance now but what is Everybody NOW! the arts organisation?
We do dance a lot at Everybody NOW! and we do love the 90’s, but as you say, we are an arts organisation based on the Gold Coast. We create large-scale artistic projects with, for and by communities in collaboration with amazing artists.

The best way to get to know us is to take a look at our videos or socials because the work we make is really very diverse and covers lots of different art forms, whether that’s theatre, dance, music, visual arts and writing.

What is at the heart of all our creative projects is amplifying individual stories and celebrating place. We believe that through participating in the arts we can have more connected, healthy, vibrant communities.

Mayor Tom Tate and Kate Baggerson, Image by Gold Coast Media

What inspired you to start Everybody NOW!?
It started organically as three creative collaborators who just loved working together. My Co-founders and I created a show for Bleach* Festival in 2015 which we thought would be a one-off project, but then we discovered a pretty special artistic synergy between us, and a way of working that we thought could be of great service to communities as well as result in great art.

Following some early natural momentum, the inspiration for me then turned to creating a sustainable organisation that could make a strong cultural, artistic and social contribution to my community on the Gold Coast and for the communities we are invited to work with across Australia.

The inspiration continues to be; accessible, joyful, artistic and cultural experiences that tells local stories and ignites creativity and change.

Everybody NOW! tee and big hugs, Image by Gold Coast Media

Everybody NOW! has worked with over 78,000 people across Australia and you’ve scored yourself an Impact Award for your work Everybody NOW!. What’s been one of your proudest moments along the way?
Recently our organisation turned 10 and that was a pretty proud moment. Getting a not-for-profit organisation up off the ground and building a team of artists, collaborators, partners, funders, and communities that all share in our vision and purpose has been an amazing, fast-paced, roller coaster of a journey.

I’m really proud that we can hand-on-our-hearts say that our organisation has delivered on its mission to Move Communities through Transformational Arts Projects.

I love it when people tell us that they felt seen and heard for the first time when they were a part of one of our projects, or you see that spark of creatively switched on for someone that didn’t think it was for them, or simply the collective joy of creating something that didn’t exist before. I am really proud of the significant impacts our work has made to individuals and to communities over the last decade and we’re so excited about our next decade ahead.

Kate Baggerson and the Everybody NOW! Artistic Directors, Image Supplied

What does collaboration mean to you and how do you keep it genuine when working with so many different communities and creatives?
Great question! You keep it genuine by truly respecting what everyone can bring to the table, by calling out any bias, and by being curious in people’s stories and experiences.

I work by the ‘better together’ and ‘sum of our parts’ philosophies.

So much of my work is being a mobiliser of great people and great ideas. While Everybody NOW! is a multi-arts organisation, we are theatre-makers first which is an inherently collaborative artform and informs everything we do from day-to-day operations to actually ‘making a show’. We only exist in collaboration, so for me collaboration means everything.

Kate Baggerson, Bob La Castra and the Everybody NOW! Company collecting Sky Ribbons

The CLOUD PLAY Wonder installation sounds like a showstopper. What can you tell us about your involvement in this project?
This is a great example of collaboration! Cloudplay is a massive temporary art installation to be a part of Wonder Festival coming up at HOTA. The Artwork consists of 10,000 messages from Gold Coasters written on specially created white ‘Sky Ribbons’.

Our role was to collect the messages through a City-wide community engagement program which is what we do best. Our artists took the sky ribbons into schools, the hospital, cultural groups, youth meet ups, we set up in the park, shopping centres and on the street and asked Gold Coasters why they were grateful to call the Gold Coast home.

We love these kinds of projects, and are often invited by local governments and cultural institutions to get out-and-about in communities, and engage people in the arts in ways that are super inclusive, accessible and fun.

A render of Sky Ribbons lit up at night, at Wonder Festival 2025

What excites you most about the year ahead for Everybody NOW!? Any top-secret projects you can hint at?
It’s not top, TOP secret but it is pretty exciting and we haven’t really started sharing it with the world just yet but for you Inside GC, here’s the scoop!

This year we are so excited to embark on our first International collaboration with global design sensation Morag Myerscough from the UK.

Morag creates big, bright and bold temporary installations that optimistically speak to belonging and happiness. Her work has been experienced by millions of people worldwide from Coachella to the Paris Olympics, to Shanghai, Cape Town, India and right across the UK. We’ll be bringing her to the Gold Coast in November for an exclusive Artist Residency where she’ll run public workshops and talks. The outcomes from the workshops will lead to a new commission especially for the Gold Coast in the following years.

Morag Myerscough Artwork, Image Suppled

What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Café: Custard Canteen
Restaurant: Our offices are at HOTA and as a team we love going to Fu Manchu Oriental Kitchen across the bridge at Chevron Island
Bar: Controversially, perhaps but anywhere that sells a Heaps Normal (or the likes). The Christmas before last I picked up a book at the local library on their ‘curated Christmas table’ which made me laugh, called Love your year of Sober: A Seasonal Guide to Alcohol-Free Living. It was written by women for women and after 40, drinking wine just did not agree with me so I gave it a crack for 12 months. It was so good, and while I do drink on occasion now, being able to go to a bar and not drink but enjoy the vibe and company has been a revolution.
Beach: Currumbin Creek

Kate Baggerson, Image by ArtWork Agency (2)

How do you choose to spend your days off?
Ummm …..food prepping for the week ahead – kids lunches, dinners, treats. Something in nature and a family movie or games night. “Let’s play actors” as my son says which means a night of charades is ahead. (That’s maybe when I need a wine!)

Kate Baggerson accepting an Impact Award, Image Supplied

Winter WONDERland

Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, ground perspective (image supplied)
Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, ground perspective (image supplied)

Eyes to the sky, Gold Coast! WONDER is drifting back into town, and it’s sending us to cloud nine! From 31st May to 13th July, HOTA will transform into a twinkling winter wonderland, bursting with art, music, light and a cloud-sized dose of awe.

At the heart of the spectacle is CLOUD PLAY, a larger-than-life artwork that floats high above HOTA’s Outdoor Stage. This isn’t your average puff of fluff, it’s a 530-square-metre kinetic sculpture created by world-renowned artist Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics (aka a genius behind sky-high installations in places like LA, Germany, Korea and Hong Kong!). Patrick’s exclusive Gold Coast work is big, bold and bound to blow you away!

Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, aerial perspective (image supplied)
Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, aerial perspective (image supplied)

By day, CLOUD PLAY will glisten in the sunshine, but by night it really glows up! The team at IKONIX will light up the sculpture using wind data, so it changes colours and moods as it sways with the breeze. It’s Mother Nature and modern tech joining forces in the best way!

Sky Ribbons launch (image supplied)
Sky Ribbons launch (image supplied)

Even cooler? The entire artwork is stitched together with thousands of messages of gratitude from locals, collected alongside local community collaborators, Everybody NOW!, during HOTA’s Sky Ribbons campaign. It’s like a giant thank-you note from the Gold Coast floating above our heads!

A dreamy soundscape weaves together ancient Indigenous knowledge, nature sounds and music by local artists like William Barton, Lann Levinge and Jose Carbo. It’s an audio adventure that’ll have you feeling connected to the land and skies surrounding you.

Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, night perspective (image supplied)
Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, night perspective (image supplied)

Adding deeper meaning to this installation is a powerful audio experience led by Lann Levinge called Gawrehma Jungan: The Story of Clouds. Over four evenings it will use cultural storytelling to guide listeners on a sensory journey through First Nations perspectives, revealing how clouds and weather patterns symbolize change, renewal, and spiritual connection to the land.

And if you think this festival is just about cloud-watching, think again. WONDER 2025 is packed with free music, live performances, family-friendly fun and even foodie pop-ups.

Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, ground perspective (image supplied)
Render of CLOUD PLAY at HOTA, ground perspective (image supplied)

There’ll be tunes from local stars like The Good Band and Sounds Like Gold Coast by Gold Coast Music Network, and you won’t want to miss the one-night-only Wunderbar by Goldys – a fabulous after-dark party starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte and The Huxleys in a night of dance, drag and disco delight.

Love the glamour of Moulin Rouge, the swagger of Elvis, and the sparkle of Strictly Ballroom? Then Strictly Baz Luhrmann – The Concert is your ticket to cinematic magic, bringing the unforgettable music from Luhrmann’s iconic films to life with a dramatic, romantic and opulent flair right beneath the WONDER installation.

And for a final flurry? Wrap things up with Solstice Brazil, a Brazilian music bonanza under the stars featuring international legends Baiana System!

Wunderbar by Goldys (image supplied)
Wunderbar by Goldys (image supplied)

Whether you’re into twinkling lights, sky-high art, or just want to chase a little winter magic, WONDER at HOTA is the silver lining of the winter season.

For the full line-up of WONDER events, drift over here.

Where: HOTA, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise
When: 31st May – 13th July 2025 

Words by Lisette Drew

STORY SPONSORED BY HOTA

7 Gold Coast women to watch

Brooke Lee, still from Lick (image supplied)
Brooke Lee, still from Lick (image supplied)

At Inside Gold Coast, we’re all about celebrating the creative minds that make our city shine. Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025, we’re spotlighting seven incredible Gold Coast women who turned their passions into thriving careers.

From an actress bringing romance novels to life on screen to a lawyer-turned-swimwear-designer redefining sustainable fashion, these women are carving their own paths in the most inspiring ways. Whether they’re styling outfits, crafting jewellery, designing beach robes or launching skincare empires, their stories are filled with passion, ambition, and a whole lot of Gold Coast spirit.

Gina Kim, Owner of SKINES (image supplied)
Gina Kim, Owner of SKINES (image supplied)
GIna Kim

Owner of SKINES, Gina Kim Australian fashion label and Maison Koko.
When it comes to the ultimate “multi-hyphenate,” Gina Kim is in a league of her own. This Gold Coast-based, Korean-born powerhouse began her career as a professional pianist, before trading sheet music for sketches, launching her award-winning fashion label in 2003. Since then, she’s dressed some of the world’s most iconic women, including Nicole Kidman and Kim Kardashian.

But wait—there’s more! Her love of wellness and beauty has led her into exciting new ventures: SKINES, her modern skincare line, and Maison Koko, a premium matcha brand that’s already a hit among wellness enthusiasts. With boundless creativity and a keen eye for detail, Gina’s influence extends far beyond fashion. She’s basically living proof that with talent, vision, and a whole lot of passion, you can truly do it all.

Read the interview here.

Brooke Lee (image supplied)
Brooke Lee (image supplied)
Brooke Lee

Actor, model and producer.
From serving coffees at the fictional Ocean Café to starring in a rock star romance, Brooke Lee is diving headfirst into her next big adventure – and it’s turning up the heat.

You might remember her as Carly Morgan, the ever-suspicious café worker from the hit series Mako Mermaids, but Brooke’s latest role is a whole new vibe. Starring as Evelyn Thomas in Lick, the much-anticipated rock star romance from PASSIONFLIX, Brooke is helping bring Aussie author Kylie Scott’s beloved novel to life, complete with whirlwind Vegas weddings, passion, and plenty of heart.

While her career has taken her across the globe, Brooke’s roots are firmly planted on the Gold Coast. A St. Hilda’s alum and a self-described creative powerhouse, she’s made waves as an actor, model, writer, and artist, celebrating storytelling, body positivity, and the magic of creativity. Now, she’s back on our screens, stepping into the role of Evelyn, a character who’s quirky, relatable, and ready to steal hearts.

We caught up with Brooke to talk all things Lick, working with PASSIONFLIX founder Tosca Musk, and how she navigated a very different on-screen world compared to Mako Mermaids. Plus, she spills on her ultimate Vegas bucket list moment, Gold Coast favourites and why we’re about to fall in love with this rock star romance.

Read the interview here.

Image description: a woman sits leisurely on a white chair, she wears a loose fitting, pristinely white outfit. Her skin, hair and smile are glowing from the sun, she smiles radiantly at the camera.
Isabella Araujo founder of Brazil Born (Image supplied)
Isabella Araujo

Owner and creative director of Brazil Born.
Isabella Araujo is the powerhouse behind Brazil Born, a brand that blends Brazilian beach vibes with activewear that’s as stylish as it is sustainable. Originally from Brazil, Isabella moved to Australia in 2013, on a mission to find the perfect bikini. When she couldn’t, she created her own! With a mix of samba, sunshine, and a love for the ocean, Isabella launched Brazil Born to bring the vibrant energy of Brazilian swimwear to Australia.

A former lawyer turned entrepreneur, she’s fueled by coffee, creativity, and passion. Whether she’s practicing yoga, hiking, or enjoying the Gold Coast beaches, Isabella designs with one goal: to make women feel confident, free, and ready for adventure.

Read the interview here.

Matt and Lucy Van Der Riet of VANDY (image supplied)
Matt and Lucy Van Der Riet of VANDY (image supplied)
Lucy van der Riet

Co-owner and designer of Vandy Robes.
Meet Lucy van der Riet, one of the creators of Vandy, the vibrant and functional beach robe that warms, dries, protects, and expresses your beach-loving self. We chatted with Lucy and her husband and business partner Matt about Vandy’s journey from its innovative beginnings to its mission of making your beach days longer and more enjoyable. They share their passion for the ocean, adventure, and their cosy, colorful robes that have become a beach day essential.

Read the interview here.

Cat Sanz, stylist (image supplied)
Cat Sanz, stylist (image supplied)
Cat Sanz

Style creator.
From Melbourne hustle to Gold Coast bustle, Cat Sanz and her fam swapped skyscrapers for surfboards in 2021, and haven’t looked back! She’s a mum of three, entrepreneur and one of our go-tos for all things effortlessly chic.

Cat’s journey from fashion designer to content creator is like a perfectly styled outfit—layered with passion, sprinkled with inspiration and always on-trend. She started sharing her daily real estate office fits on insta and has since built a thriving styling business. Her top tip? Wear what makes you happy—confidence never goes out of style!

Read the interview here.

Sammi Stevens and Amber Schmidt, owners of Frankly My Dear Jewellery (image supplied)
Sammi Stevens and Amber Schmidt, owners of Frankly My Dear Jewellery (image supplied)
Amber Schmidt and Sammi Stephens

Owners of Frankly My Dear Jewellery.
Frankly My Dear is a testament to affordable luxury and impeccable style, consistently delighting us with their unique pieces. And consistently lightening our wallets when we visit Pacific Fair! Together Amber Schmidt and Sammi Stephens have crafted a jewellery brand that captures the essence of the Gold Coast and resonates with women who seek both style and substance in their accessories.

These two dynamic women have built an incredible business from the ground up, expertly juggling the demands of business and family life, while inspiring future women in business to take the plunge and believe in themselves. We were thrilled to chat with Amber and Sammi, the brilliant minds behind Frankly My Dear, to learn more about their journey, inspirations and life on the Gold Coast.

Read the interview here.

Words by Belinda Symons

Meet Anna Carey

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

Hey there, art enthusiasts and daydreamers! Meet Anna Carey, an Australian artist who blends photography, model-making, film, and drawing to create dreamy, miniature architectural marvels.

Raised on the Gold Coast and inspired by her tropical upbringing, Anna studied art at the Queensland College of Art before moving to LA, where she’s been crafting her imaginative works for the past nine years. Her art reawakens the imagination, blending reality with fantasy in familiar yet surreal landscapes.

Known for her playful, disorienting constructed photography, her work is currently on display at the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach, Tweed Regional Gallery and she has an exciting new project set to hit HOTA this November. We chatted to Anna about her journey from aspiring teacher to acclaimed artist. We chatted to Anna about her journey from aspiring teacher to acclaimed artist.

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

What do you miss most about Gold Coast?
The weather

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up on the Gold Coast with a lot of time spent in North Queensland on a yacht so I’m a tropical girl. I studied Art at Queensland College of Art on the Gold Coast and have been living in Los Angeles for the last 9 years. Both places have informed my work and feed off each other. I am interested in the connection between Australia and the USA and have been making models of iconic architectural places of leisure based on places such as the Gold Coast as well as Los Angeles, Palm Springs Miami and Las Vegas. The works are a combination of places, creating work that is strangely familiar like the feeling of déjà vu.

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

What’s been your journey to becoming an artist?
I have always loved creativity and the visual arts so I went to Art School at QCA after high school, but I never thought I would be a practicing artist and instead teaching or curating or something in the arts. In our final assessment, we had to make a body of work to show at the Gold Coast Gallery and the gallery ended up acquiring all the works for their collection and my teacher said to be me ‘now you have to be an artist’. I knew what he was talking about and felt that was my journey.

How would you describe your work?
I work with constructed photography by making miniature models and photographing them. The work is disorientating yet dreamy and a little bit fun.

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

As an artist what has been the biggest opportunity and/or challenge so far?
The biggest opportunity so far is hard to pinpoint as there have been different opportunities that are ‘big’ in different ways. Being acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is very prestigious and I feel very proud of that accomplishment. Things feel big for me on a personal level, such as the new project I am currently working on with HOTA. Showing at LAX airport, Soho hotel and the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach has been special as I love showing my work in a place that travellers pass through. It’s just so fitting for my work and the hotels and motels I make.

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

What’s on the cards for the rest of 2024?
Currently I have a show at the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach as well as the Tweed Regional Art Gallery. There is also a very exciting project I am working on with HOTA, which will be open this November. Details will be announced very soon!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?
You can’t escape maths.

Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)
Anna Carey, Artist (image supplied)

What are your Gold Coast Favourites:
Café: My local spot Switchfoot
Restaurant: Cantina
Bar: I know it’s not Gold Coast but Ventura Brewing is my new local spot as I am in Rainbow Bay on the border.
Beach: Rainbow Bay

How do you choose to spend your days off?
With family and friends.

© 2025 All Rights Reserved.