With half of our clients based overseas, we have an eye on the pipeline of plays, concerts and major events coming to Australia (Anthem has worked on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the musical SIX, among other recent productions).
We do quite a bit of film work in LA with people like director Robert Connolly, who is Eric Bana's business partner, so I was in LA for the premiere of The Dry 2. I travel to Sydney quite a bit with clients, where I deal with a range of people, from media moguls to journalists and talent.
Where are you staying?
Soho House has always been popular in both London and New York, and it's easy to do business with the creative people there.
In LA we'll be staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in Brisbane we'll be staying at the Calile Hotel and in Sydney we'll be staying at QT's Market Street.
Soho House is Vas Katos’ London residence.
How long will you be away?
Before I had kids, I would go to Sydney for 3-4 days or go overseas for 2-3 weeks, but now I try to pack everything in. You can see how that changes your life.
How do you stay healthy?
I have a personal trainer that I've known for a long time, he's a former Collingwood fitness and strength training coach, I'm a big Collingwood fan and a Tottenham fan too.
Whenever I go to London I always go to the Hotspur Stadium for a Tottenham game. I live in South Melbourne and grew up supporting Ange Postecoglou (the Tottenham coach).
How much coffee do you drink?
Maybe it's my Greek heritage, but I drink about four cups a day – double shot long macchiatos – and I'm always meeting people for coffee outside.
Where is your favourite cafe?
An iconic Melbourne institution, Mario's on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy opened in 1986 and is still run by original owners Mario and Mario.
It is famous for being the first cafe in Australia to serve breakfast all day and night, and I have been going there since I was 18 years old.
Marios, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Joe Armao
How did you meet your business partner, Radek Sali?
We met maybe 15 years ago when he was in Switzerland and I was at an agency trying to pitch him sponsorship, he didn't buy it but we became best friends and built a business instead.
What are you working on now?
Radek and I are currently investing significantly in new projects on Broadway and in the West End and plan to invest increasingly in entertainment asset classes in the future. We are also conducting due diligence on several related entertainment and media companies.
Anthem CEO Vas Katos and former Swiss Vitamin CEO Radek Sali are business partners and close friends. Elke Meitzel
What is your secret to success in the industry?
It's an interesting place to be, because the global entertainment industry is so small. There are probably about 200 people who run the whole industry on a global scale, and we deal with maybe 100 of them.
When I started, I wanted to be like Paul Dainty, Michael Coppel, Michael Gudinski, and I ended up working for all of them. The industry is very close-knit, and the same people have been running it for 40 years.
It's all based on trust and relationships. Now, even though larger companies are getting more involved, it's still all based on trust and relationships.
