War Child UK, the specialist charity for children in conflict has announced two key hires in its music team.
Sam Briggs, the Former Director of Music Partnerships at Songkick has joined the charity as Music and Events Specialist.
In his new role Briggs will lead the charity’s UK music activity including BRITS shows.
Meanwhile, Jim Benner has been appointed as the charity’s first Global Music Lead.
The role will include becoming Head of Music at War Child’s US partner organization Children in Conflict and exploring opportunities in Australia.
Benner will continue working with the War Child UK music team in an advisory capacity.
Benner joined the organization in 2013 and helped the charity to use music-related fundraising to secure funding of over £7 million for children affected by conflict.
He played a key role in launching War Child’s biggest annual fundraisers – the Winter Wassail gala fundraiser and the flagship BRITs Week series, securing it as a fixture in the UK music industry.
At Songkick, which was acquired by Warner Music group in 2017, Briggs worked with hundreds of artists a year on tour launches, marketing, pre-sale ticketing and keeping tickets off the secondary market.
He joins War Child from Yard Sale Pizza where he was Director of Marketing and helped launch a charity partnership with UK artist Loyle Carner.
War Child’s musical heritage includes the 1995 Help Album with Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and more, which shot to the top of the UK charts and raised £1.25m.
War Child has also been working with the BRITs since 2009 when Coldplay and The Killers headlined, with the charity’s involvement with the event leading to the creation of War Child BRITs Week, together with O2 in 2015.
The series has featured Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Elbow, Duran Duran, The 1975, Rag’N’Bone Man and in 2018 raised an estimated £650,000.
“I’m very excited and honoured to be joining the War Child UK music team as it continues to grow and lead the way not just in the charity sector but within the music industry.”
Sam Briggs, War Child UK
Sam Briggs, Music and Events Specialist, War Child UK said: “I’m very excited and honoured to be joining the War Child UK music team as it continues to grow and lead the way not just in the charity sector but within the music industry.
“Jim has done an amazing job bringing some of the world’s best acts together to help some of the world’s most vulnerable children and I can’t wait to get stuck into putting on more incredible shows with a wonderful team and using music to impact the lives children in conflict.”Music Business Worldwide
