Product placement

I moved to London in 2006 to train in producing and management on the relatively new BA (Hons) Organising Live Arts degree at Rose Bruford College. Being a vocational course, it allowed me enough flexibility to balance my academic studies with a number of professional opportunities. A perfect combination. My first job in the arts was similar to that of many others – I worked as an usher, which was great fun. But it was my degree which kept me focused and launched me into the world of work placements and unpaid projects. I did everything from being the press officer at Theatre503 for a year after a short internship with the Royal Court, to helping produce shows with Whippet Productions in off-West End venues. After serving my time working for free, I now make a living as a freelance arts administrator and work for ChrisGrady.org, an arts management and development company which specialises in musical theatre, as well as challenging myself with a number of my own projects.

As a new producer, training in the environment of Rose Bruford College – where you pretty much have every department of a theatre available – has been so beneficial in learning how to talk to specialists and manage communication. The freedom the college gave me to take what I learnt in the classroom into a professional arena straight away gave me the skill of juggling several projects at any one time, as well as the ability to write reports and implement management and administrative structures. The biggest hurdle to getting a job is taking the decision to just get on with it. It’s actually very scary, but take the leap and just work hard at it. Once you’ve conquered that fear, you’re set for
life.