Businessman Jake Humphries has exited his role as one of the directors and secretaries of a business that continues to owe drag queens, DJs and dancers thousands of dollars for performances at the recently closed Sydney nightclub Nevermind.
Humphries' cessation as a director of Entertainment Kingdom (which trades as Kings Experiences) comes as he holidays in Europe. In the past 24 hours, he posted a photo to his private Instagram account of his time on Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island in Italy.
Documents lodged on Tuesday last week with the corporate regulator ASIC show Entertainment Kingdom's other director Mark Richerdson removed 24-year-old Humphries as a director and secretary.
In addition to being a director of Kings Experiences, Richerdson is the current director of the two businesses behind the Nevermind nightclub: Duke of Entertainment Pty Ltd and Nevermind Night Club Pty Ltd. Dancer Michael Corbett was previously a director of both businesses and continues to hold shares in Duke.
Richerdson was also the director of Barangaroo restaurant Bel & Brio, which collapsed late last year owing in excess of $13 million, records from court-appointed administrators show. Of the $13m, 77 staff are owed $2.8m and its landlord Lendlease says it's owed more than $1.8m.
Born in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England, Humphries previously worked at Bell & Brio as a "business executive", his LinkedIn profile shows. Company records lodged with ASIC point to him living in a two-bedroom unit in Potts Point.
Richerdson was also a director in the businesses behind both the ARQ Sydney nightclub and the closed sex-on-premises venue Bodyline, but he stepped down on November 24.
Richerdson also held shares in both ARQ and Bodyline, but these were removed on June 9.
ARQ director Shadd Danesi, who lodged the documents removing Richerdson's shareholding, has previously declined to comment to GSN about why they were removed.
Mark Richerdson is the current director of Duke of Entertainment Pty Ltd and Nevermind Night Club Pty Ltd, the businesses behind the Nevermind nightclub. He is also a director of Entertainment Kingdom (Kings Experiences), among other companies.
Until earlier this year, Entertainment Kingdom provided entertainment acts to ARQ before that relationship ended and it began providing a similar service to rival Oxford Street nightclub Nevermind.
Humphries was previously a general manager at ARQ but left earlier this year when Nevermind opened.
Humphries' cessation as a director and secretary of Entertainment Kingdom was backdated to June 16 in the documents submitted to ASIC.
Despite leaving Entertainment Kingdom, Humphries remains a shareholder and a director in a separate company that owns all of Entertainment Kingdom's shares.
That company is Empire Experiences. Humphries owns 20% of its shares while Richerdson owns 80%.
GSN requested comment from Humphries just via text message just after 2pm on Monday (6am in Sicily) but did not receive a response by 9pm (2pm Sicily time).
Humphries' cessation as a director and secretary follows GSN revealing earlier this year that Kings Experiences is behind in paying thousands of dollars worth of invoices to several performers.
Humphries' exit from Entertainment Kingdom follows the Nevermind nightclub closing and selling its lease to the founder of underground house music event SAS*H.
Corbett has previously been uncontactable for comment.
Richerdson has previously blamed GSN for ruining "an entire industry that I had a great passion for".
"If the gay community no longer have an advocate supporter the ernes [onus?] is now on you and on how you managed to rubbish everyone that tried to help the industry," he said. "I was trying my best but it looks like no one cares"
Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: [email protected]
