ABOUT

Originally from Armidale, NSW and now based in Newcastle, Papertoy AKA Bevis Masson-Leach works with a wide array of artists and music industry leaders from all different backgrounds. Through these collaborations, Papertoy has provided music production and mixing as well as pursuing his own independent creative projects and providing mentorship through workshops.

Passionate about playing a part in the development and evolution of music, and in particular hip hop, in Australia, Papertoy has been working behind the scenes for many years working with some of Australia’s most talented rappers, singers and producers including Tasman Keith, Kobie Dee, Jesswar, Kuya James, Omar Musa and more. Bevis has been an integral part in the direction of many of these artists' visions and has helped them create a sonic landscape to share their stories, lives and music.

Alongside his production work, Papertoy also runs music production and hip hop workshops with young artists and marginalised youth. These workshops have been facilitated through Papertoy’s co-founded Hometown Workshop series as well as partnerships with other like-minded organisations such as Madproppadeadly and Just Reinvest. The objective of these initiatives is to harness the power of expression through music to help young people find their voices, build capacity and stay on the right track. 

Leveraging relationships that have been built over many years in the music industry, Papertoy engages artists he has worked with to facilitate the Hometown workshops alongside him. Featuring a local, homegrown artists, the Hometown workshops are able to provide young people with role models from within their own communities and provide an inspiring experience to the participants. The Hometown workshops have been able to create a platform where its participants have felt comfortable to share their passion, knowledge and skills in music with others.

It is this dual focus that now defines Papertoy’s career: building a sustainable, creative production and mixing career, whilst also building a collective of artists, producers and case workers dedicated to sharing their passion, talent and skills for music through workshops and leveraging their professional connections to have a positive impact in the broader community.