Spread your wings

In 2005, having gained an MSc in Marketing and managed to pick up some voluntary and paid placements and work experience within the arts, I was still finding it impossible to break into an arts marketing career, due to a lack of practical experience. I thought the position of Audience Development Manager for the Gaelic Arts would be way out of my reach. However, I decided to apply as I felt it was an opportunity to make a difference – by bringing more people to the Gaelic arts, you open up that culture and language to a whole new audience. Plus, the job offered an exciting change of scenery. The interview went well, but I was still amazed when they called me back to tell me I’d got the job. However, there was a condition: rather than going in at the senior level position the job was advertised at, they wanted me to complete the first year of my contract under the guidance of a mentoring and coaching team. It seemed like the perfect chance to get more training, and gain experience on the job.

A month later I moved to the Isle of Lewis and began work with the Gaelic Arts Agency. Strategic audience development was new to the Gaelic arts, so I was in the lucky (or unlucky) position of being able to carve out the position into what I thought it should be. Not following in anyone’s footsteps was daunting and often isolating, as there were no other marketing staff. I wouldn’t have made it through those first months without the professional and personal support of my mentor. The mentoring and coaching team was made up of freelance Audience Development Consultant, Jane Hogg, who had drawn up the Audience Development Strategy that I was working on, and ‘Glasgow Grows’ Audiences Director, Julie Tait. The programme was made up of weekly phone calls and monthly meetings with Jane, and quarterly meetings with both Jane and Julie. Jane mentored me in everyday tactical tasks such as ordering print, co-ordinating design, and press relations. Most of this was familiar from university or work experience, but I’d never managed such tasks on my own before. We pinpointed areas where I had additional training needs and then sourced ways of meeting those needs. As time went on I felt less and less reliant on our weekly phone calls – which was a good indication of my own growing independence and confidence.
The quarterly meetings focused on strategic issues, and made sure that everything I was working on was relevant to developing new audiences, specifically those outlined in the Audience Development Strategy. With everything I was learning it was easy to become bogged down in the tactical nuts and bolts, and these strategic meetings really helped me to see the bigger picture. By the end of the year, I felt a million times more capable and confident. I’m still in touch with Jane and Julie, and feel I could call them for support or advice. They’re also great for introductions, flagging up new ideas and projects and keeping me in the loop. In the end, everyone benefited from the mentoring and coaching programme. My organisation was able to employ me on the basis of my potential, skills and enthusiasm, and I was able to get the support I needed to grow into the role.