Welcome to Private Idaho’s blog. This is a place where the world of Private Idaho takes shape and you will be able to share in our vision. The name ‘Private Idaho’ was inspired by Gus Van Sant’s risk-taking cult movie ‘My Own Private Idaho.’ Choosing this name was a way of reminding myself and my team that we can take risks whilst always providing a sanctuary for our clients, partners and team as we grow and develop everyone’s careers and the business. Working in entertainment is one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities. Every move we make at Private Idaho has purpose and strategy but also a lot of heart and joy. Nothing we do or start is ever started without thought and intention. This blog will allow us to open up a world of deeper thought, conversation and open information. This means there will be lots of posts about what we have learned over the years in business, trends we are reviewing or using or not, some behind the scenes, our influences in entertainment and in life that will touch on travel, art, lifestyle, running a family and business, balance, setting goals, people management, laughter and tips. You will hear from founder Jen Fontaine and also members of the amazing team who are brilliant people and executives.
Welcome & enjoy ! Jen Fontaine & all the team at Private Idaho
Lauren has worked in music and entertainment across her entire career, mainly in TV production, and first met Jennifer on 'The Voice' set. As Guy and Jules Sebastian's day-to-day manager, Lauren's role covers artist scheduling, artist relations, tour management, content creation and client liaising, but she is also across all of their creative, long-term planning and concept development. When Human Nature are in Australia, Lauren looks after the band's day-to-day requirements and is also part of their larger team that focuses on the U.S. market.
In 1992, Jennifer kicked off her career at Sony Music, starting off in a temporary position before she was soon offered a full-time role as National Publicity & Promotions Coordinator. Jennifer continued her rise through the ranks, and after three years in the Executive Office was promoted to National Publicity & Artist Relations Manager for the Columbia imprint after Sony reshaped internally. In 1999, Jennifer accepted the position of National Publicity & Artist Development Director at Warner Music, remaining with the label for eight years until she launched her own business, Private Idaho working as a consultant to international artists seeking Australian support and other major Australian Artists. Private Idaho has offices in Sydney and Los Angeles exclusively managing the illustrious careers of Human Nature, Guy Sebastian, Jules Sebastian, up and coming rising star Scarlett Zumbo and some exciting new client signings being announced soon.
To celebrate three decades as a group, Human Nature have released STILL TELLING EVERYBODY – 30 YEARS OF HITS – a retrospective collection of 28 immaculate musical statements including a reimagined version of their hit ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’ & new track ’This Old Heart Of Mine’ via their record label Sony Music Australia.
Very early in their career, Human Nature secured support slots with global superstars Celine Dion and Michael Jackson. Other career highlights for the band include being invited to sing the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which attracted a global TV audience of over one billion viewers.
Human Nature are one of Australia’s greatest musical success stories and exports. The foursome which features brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney together with high school friends Toby Allen and Phil Burton have sold more than 2.5 million albums, earned 27 platinum awards, 18 top 40 hits and five top 10 hits worldwide. They have performed sell out shows around the globe since they signed with Sony Music Australia twenty five years ago, a partnership that continues today.
Guy is the only male artist and only Aussie artist to have had four songs in the top 100 airplay charts for 2020, sharing that statistic with Dua Lipa. While hosting the 2019 ARIA Awards ceremony, Sebastian also collected two trophies thanks to 'Choir' (Best Video and the prestigious Song Of The Year accolade). Following the announcement of 'Choir' as Song Of The Year, Sebastian performed his winning song - accompanied by the 30-member Mount Druitt Choir - to close out the 2019 ARIA Awards ceremony - what a moment!
Guy Sebastian is undeniably one of this country's most successful and enduring artists of all time. He is the only Australian male to boast six #1 singles in ARIA chart history. Across Guy's 17 years in the music business, he has scored ten out of ten Top 10 studio album releases (including 2010's aptly titled ‘Twenty Ten’ greatest hits collection). As the first-ever Australian contestant at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, which attracted over 200 million viewers, Sebastian finished in fifth place. Guy has shifted well over 7 million combined units worldwide, has over 1 billion streams world-wide while attaining 82 Platinum certifications since he first exploded through our TV sets and into our hearts as winner of the inaugural season of 'Australian Idol' back in 2003.
Jules Sebastian is an in demand Sydney-based TV presenter, author, stylist, public speaker and philanthropist. Jules’ presenting career began at the helm of MTV¹s Style Me with her warm and down-to-earth personality establishing her as a popular TV presenter. Her ability to mix fashion trends for a diverse range of celebrity clients lead to styling roles for Mel B, Jessica Mauboy, The Veronicas, Samantha Jade and many more. Jules regularly lends her professional knowledge and creative input to fashion brands and labels. She has hosted events and presented for some of Australia¹s most iconic brands. Jules is a frequent guest of the Today Show, Today Extra, Sunrise, The Morning Show and more, sharing her professional tips in a relatable and aspirational way across the fashion and lifestyle space.
Jules is a regular on the public speaking and hosting circuit presenting for some of Australia¹s most impressive and iconic brands as well as Australian and international corporations. Jules adds a level of credibility, authenticity and honesty in her presentation style, engaging audiences with her real talk, genuine and warm personality. In 2018 Jules was host and moderator for the Gigi Hadid exclusive Reebok Collab Launch, alongside a strong panel of women including Paralympian Kelly Cartwright, Amna Karra- Hassan and Amrita Hept. Jules moderated the discussion between these leading women who are redefining what it means to be female in Australia and the world. In 2019 Jules hosted the ARIA Red Carpet which was broadcast to an audience of millions.
In the social media space, Jules leads the lifestyle pack with an impressive following on Instagram, and also presents a regular interview series Tea with Jules on YouTube, which has over 3 million views. The uniquely curated Tea With Jules program has continued to take its audience through the unique stories of aspirational humans, in a relaxed conversation environment which encourages guests to open up about their lives, challenges and triumphs. The series guests have broad appeal and diverse success stories that inspire and liberate the viewer. The channel is quickly growing in popularity and has attracted over 8.75k subscribers and 3 million views. The TV series has inspired Jules to launch her debut book ‘Tea & Honesty’ set for release in March 2021.
Most recently, Jules in demand and captivating weekly recipes and cocktails have become a resounding ‘must view’ via her rapidly growing Jules community. The popular Aussie has created a fun lifestyle community destination that unities and empowers Aussie women of many generations with beauty, fashion, cuisine tips and aspirational step by step guides of how to live a real and yet fun glamorous real life.
On a community level, in 2013, Jules, together with her husband Guy, founded The Sebastian Foundation, which has helped countless Australians struggling with domestic violence, serious illness and underprivileged. Recently the Foundation has adjusted their focus to addressing an urgent societal need for the mental health of our kids who are growing up in a world with huge challenges from social media, bullying and comparison. The Sebastian Foundation in 2020 is investing in programs that aim to change these lives for the better by giving young Australians the resilience and confidence they need to grow and be their best.
Jules grew up in Adelaide and met her husband Guy Sebastian while they were teenagers. The couple moved to Sydney where they now reside with their young sons Hudson and Archer and newest member their much loved dog; Ronnie Rodriguez Sebastian.
Angel Works Productions is a dynamic entertainment company focusing on strategic and effective campaigns in music, new business, touring, talent management, productions and special events. In 2018, Jennifer accepted the position of CEO of Angel Works Productions and runs the label out of Australia and her home base of Los Angeles.
