Paul Whiteley
Director of Arts and Culture Committee

Paul Whiteley, the director of the Arts and Culture Committee of Crossroads, is one of the most versatile event and entertainment industry practitioners Australia has to offer. Founder of boutique production house, TurnAround Productions, he is an industry all-rounder. A Producer, East-West Entertainment Broker, Artistic Director, International Performing Artist, Singing and Acting Coach, Technician, and Musician. In his 30 year career, he has maintained concurrent careers on stage and off stage working in most areas of the entertainment and events industries – music theatre, theatre, opera, rock’n’roll, acapella, film & TV, live events, corporate events and entertainment, and educational programs.

He first came to Taiwan in 2014 with the world famous musical The Phantom of the Opera” at Taipei Arena. He was an actor in the show and covered the role of Phantom. A typical “I fell in love with Taiwan” story, he successfully applied for the coveted Taiwanese Gold Card Visa in 2018 under the Arts and Culture category.

In his early career he worked on many live events as a free-lance technician including music concerts for world famous artist such as Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Deep Purple, Metallica, Elton John, Billy Joel, and KISS. Subsequently he moved into the Corporate Event Industry, working at all levels from warehousing to account management with his Clientele including many top 500 companies. In 2010 he founded TurnAround Productions with a goal to produce fresh and challenging works of theatre and assist immerging artists and technicians in the Arts industries. This expanded into performance summer camps in China, Taiwan and Australia across the junior to high school age ranges.

With a passion for communication and expression education, and the development of the Taiwanese performing arts sector, he has been serving as the co-director of Crossroads Arts and Culture Committee. In this role, he has been exploring opportunities to establish collaborative opportunities between local Taiwanese and international artists with the dual aim of creating new artistic innovations and elevating mutual cultural understanding.

Inspired by the Taiwanese national Bilingual Nation initiative, he is also currently developing a series of communication and expression programs. The Government’s initiative aims “to strengthen English communication skills of the citizens, especially among young people, and help bolster the country’s global competitiveness”. Crucially, Paul believes this is not just about wrote learning English, it is about learning how to use that language to communicate effectively. His programs aim to accelerate the learning process, and at their core, focus on how to use that language to express thoughts and feelings in a positive, fully realised exchange.

Paul now shares his time between Taiwan, Australia, and other Australasian countries depending on work commitments. But Taiwan is home. He is committed to the development of Taiwan’s internationalisation efforts and believes as an honoured Gold Card Visa holder, he has an obligation to give back to the country which has so kindly given to him.

Email: paul@tap.com

Company website: turnaround.productions

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paul-whiteley-TAP