Paul Piticco — CEO of Secret Service Group — Talks his Colourful Career, Managing Powderfinger & Joining the Dots Between Skills and Passion.
Paul Piticco is the CEO, Managing Director and Partner of the Secret Service Group, a music services company with three arms: artist management, public relations and digital marketing services. The company also serves as the umbrella company for two record labels, a publishing company, two festivals and a touring company. Secret Service, along with Byron Bay’s Village Sounds, are the co-promoters of Splendour in the Grass, a live music festival held annually in Byron Bay, New South Wales, since 2001. Paul also co-promotes The Falls Music and Arts Festival. He is best known for managing Powderfinger, an Australian band who enjoyed tremendous success both locally and internationally, and who is arguably one of Brisbane’s greatest musical exports, particularly among the generation who came of age in the 1990s.
Since the band disbanded in 2010, Paul has moved on to build an extensive portfolio of business interests within the areas of music and hospitality. He is part-owner of Brisbane restaurant Popolo, and bars Heya and The Gresham. It was a notable opportunity to feature Paul as a guest on the Arete podcast, as he is someone who has contributed significantly to Brisbane’s music industry and cultural scene. Paul is a creative thinker and true entrepreneur whose passion for “eating, drinking and listening to tunes,” is reflected in his energetic approach to many roles and different projects. He remains humble despite his many achievements and generously shared his career experiences and reflections, on the podcast.
Paul grew up in the inner city suburb of Paddington in the 1970s and 80s and has a self-confessed “passion for Brisbane.” An only child, Paul’s father was an Italian immigrant who relocated to Australia in the post-war era. Paul attended Petrie Terrace State School and later, Kelvin Grove State High, but left before completing his senior education. Paul worked for his father’s construction business before joining Boral, where he spent his lunch break and after-work time cheekily making long distance calls from the company phone to promote music shows and bands. It wasn’t long before he met the members of a young Powderfinger and quit his job to manage the band full-time, throwing himself into the music industry. Paul lives outside of Brisbane with his partner and their children.
Paul in The Australian
