Latin American Lead, Sound Diplomacy –
Santiago Roberts is a professional drummer, businessman and cultural activist from San José, Costa Rica.
He is part-owner of the venue Cantina SCCA in San José, with whom he produced over 870 shows in a two-year span before COVID, the venue worked under a complete cultural agnosticism policy. As a venue owner, he is leading the creation of the Costa Rican Association of Cultural Forums, which seeks to legitimize spaces (bars, venues, restaurants, etc) that wish to include creative industries as part of their business plan and seek availment from different governmental entities to better curate the cultural ecosystem across the country.
Currently, he is the Latin American Lead for Sound Diplomacy, a consultancy firm which is the global leader in delivering development strategies based on music and nighttime economy to governments and regions as well as the tourism and real estate sectors. He also serves as Cultural Curator for Costa Rica’s largest entertainment district, Distrito Carmen.