THE OGAE REST OF THE WORLD BOARD
President | Kyle Woods
I'm Kyle from the U.S.A. I grew up in Fabulous Las Vegas, but now I live and work in Atlanta, Georgia.
I spent my youth traveling around Eastern Europe, and that is where I first learned about Eurovision. I was living in Zadar, Croatia and two friends sang "Tell Me" (Iceland 2000) at a karaoke evening, and I was hooked! When I am not inflicting Eurovision songs on unsuspecting Americans, I work as a lawyer in a large firm here in Atlanta.
In my free time I enjoy frequent trips to Dollywood as well as collecting and playing board games (I have a collection of more than 2,000). I am also involved in my church and an armature theater group that puts on weekly productions of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some more random facts about me: I love hats, I have 2 doctoral degrees, I can speak 7 languages, and I can turn my feet completely backwards and walk! When I was a child, I sang for quarters on the Las Vegas Strip to earn money to buy Christmas gifts for my family. I have worn blue and yellow stripes every Thursday since September 1999. I can also talk your ear off about board games, religion, and most importantly Eurovision! I hope to get to know many more of our great fans, and I always look forward to meeting even more people in person in the Eurovision host city.
Vice-President | Ronny Addamo
Hi there, my name is Ronny Addamo and I hail from Melbourne, Australia.
My love of Eurovision started way back in 2003 when my partner asked me to share this colourful, sometimes crazy, always amazing song contest with him. I had heard of Eurovision, thanks Abba, Celine, Gina and Johnny, but after watching the very first song I was hooked! My first journey to Eurovision was 2011, in Dusseldorf. What followed was a near yearly pilgrimage to the host city.
I became aware of OGAE Rest of the world in 2013 after being in Malmo, and fell in love with the inclusiveness and openness of the members. To me, the other fans, and the friends you make at Eurovision are one of the main drawcards to being in the host city, and you will always find me on the dancefloor, drink in hand, with a group of fabulous other fans. I’m excited to continue serving on the board in the vice president role, and look forward to meeting many more of our club members, and members of other clubs to help further the Eurovision ideals of inclusivity, harmony and embracing diversity.
Secretary | Mike Whalley
I'm Mike, and I’m a bit of a Eurovision mutt, being British, Irish and Australian! At least I have a contestant to cheer for most of the time.
I grew up loving Eurovision, and watching avidly, whilst taking down all the scores on my own homemade scorecard. I’d then rewatch the recording for months, and get excited by the winner all over again!
I have only been to the Eurovision in person since I moved to Australia (why I waited, I have no idea!) but have now been to enough to probably make me a euro-tragic. I love the whole week, bumping into old and new friends, and getting to see a new country and city.
Liverpool 2023 was a highlight for me - after a pretty awful start to the year, I spent a week at Eurovision just 25 miles/40km from where I grew up - and Liverpool really turned it on for us. I was super proud of the city and its people.
Treasurer & Membership Manager | Niall Drennan
My name is Niall Drennan and I was born in Ireland and have lived in several countries including France, the US and the UK. I have been calling Sydney, Australia home for the past 15 years.
My introduction to Eurovision was in the late 80's and 90's when Ireland was at its peak in the competition and I've been hooked ever since. I've been a member of the OGAE Rest of World Board for the last 3 years and have attended Eurovision five times from 2015 to 2019 where I had the opportunity to meet many of our wonderful club members.
I work in a HR type role as Head of Global Mobility for a management consulting firm and am avid traveller. If I'm not on a trip, I'm planning one. Outside of Eurovision, I enjoy spending time with my dog, Denver and going to the cinema particularly to see non-English films.
Social Media & Brand | Michele Acott
Good evening Rest of the World. It’s Michele calling from Perth, Western Australia.
Perth is the most isolated city in the world, surrounded mostly by endless desert and a whole lot of Indian Ocean with our next closest capital city, Adelaide, being a 3.5 hour flight away. Imagine how many countries in Europe you could fly over in 3.5 hours!
Living this far away means waking up at 3:00am to watch both live Eurovision semi-finals and the grand final each year (a true fan knows no distance).
I’ve been a passionate Eurovision fan for years but my life truly changed in 2013 when I attended my first contest in Malmo and discovered OGAE Rest of the World. I joined immediately and found a like-minded community who speak fluent Eurovision.
My husband and I have been fortunate enough brave the 24+ hours of travel to attend four contests in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2024. In fact, our entire travel plan relies on letting the EBU pick our main holiday destination each time.
For me, the wind machines and key changes are fantastic but catching up with fellow OGAE RotW members in the host cities is what makes it special. I am absolutely thrilled to join the committee.