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Decoding Cultural Leadership
Decoding Cultural Leadership is a podcast that explores the intersection between the arts, culture and society and interrogates what it means to be a cultural leader in the 21st century.
In each episode, host Samuel Cairnduff talks with some of the most influential organisational leaders, creators, policy-makers and thought leaders, building an understanding of their approach to shifting the dial in a complex, constantly changing world.
By talking to influential leaders whose voices resonate in the community, Decoding Cultural Leadership seeks to gain a deeper perspective on how cultural organisations see their role in the community, how they make hard decisions, and how they address the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Culture and society are deeply connected. Decoding Cultural Leadership explores this complex relationship through deep conversation with our greatest cultural leaders. Join us as we decode cultural leadership.
Decoding Cultural Leadership.
Culture. Society. Conversations
Decoding Cultural Leadership
Episode 47: Simon Hinton: Leading Merrigong Theatre Company with Vision, Community and Courage
Simon Hinton has been Artistic Director and CEO of Merrigong Theatre Company in Wollongong since 2005. Under his leadership, Merrigong has grown from a presenting venue into Australia’s largest regional producing theatre company. With a deep commitment to community, First Nations engagement, and supporting independent artists, Simon has become one of the country’s most respected regional arts leaders.
In this episode, Simon reflects on two decades of cultural leadership and what it takes to sustain a regional company that balances commercial realities with artistic ambition. The conversation explores his philosophy of governance, his advocacy for ethical and values-based leadership, and the ways in which Merrigong’s programs—especially MERRIGONGX—nurture and empower independent artists.
We also discuss how regional contexts can keep organisations grounded, why long-term community embeddedness matters, and how arts organisations must respond to challenges such as post-COVID recovery, sustainability, and the disruptive potential of AI. Simon shares candid insights into the importance of holding space for ambiguity and resisting the polarisation of public discourse, positioning culture as a rare arena where diverse perspectives can meet.
Key Discussion Points
- Simon’s 20-year journey leading Merrigong Theatre Company
- Building a producing company in a regional context
- Rethinking governance and the need for moral leadership in the arts
- Embedding First Nations voices and self-determined programming
- The development and impact of the MERRIGONGX artist program
- Balancing community use, commercial viability, and artistic innovation
- Post-COVID reflections on how the sector values artists
- The challenges of sustainability, cultural ecology, and sector competition
- AI, polarisation, and the responsibility of the arts to hold space for ambiguity
Memorable Quotes
- “It’s not really measured in years. It’s measured in decades… this is a deep tilling of the earth and a planting of seeds to change the cultural landscape.”
- “We need to work at the speed of trust.”
- “Maybe we’ll be the last people that hold some space for silence and contemplation, where differing views can coexist.”
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samuelcairnduff.com
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Read Sam's Substack here.
Presenter and research: Sam Cairnduff
Creative Director: Niloofar Pashmforoosh
Presented in association with Limelight
Decoding Cultural Leadership |
Culture. Society. Conversations