A native of Vancouver, Kuma has made it his business to be connected to the Vancouver music and art scene. “I have run a record label, DJed, made music, run a booking agency, thrown more shows than I care to imagine, helped pioneer dubstep in Canada, and occasionally slept.”

In 2000, he co-founded the Conspiracy Group nine years ago, which turned into a major Canadian outfit. Starting out as a booking agency for DJ’s and musicians, the company has evolved into party promoters and a record label.  While the group reps many different kinds of music, Kuma is specifically involved in the local indie rock scene. For five years he hosted a nationally broadcast radio show on the CBC that was a live concert series, during which time he interviewed and personally recorded such indierock luminaries as the Decemberists.

Kuma describes his friends as “people who don’t sleep very much — DIY folks, musicians, people who have no artistic inclination whatsoever but are passionate about life.”