by Adam Neal (The Mighty Creatives)
Arriving at the TMC offices for the first time on 20th March, I remember being filled with equal measures of excitement and trepidation. Understandably I believe, I was about to spend the next the next 12 weeks working in a completely alien role to me, with a team I’d never met before. How would this look at the end of those 12 weeks? Actually, it resulted in some phenomenal but we’ll return to that.
I had a vague notion of the role I wanted to operate in within the Change Maker programme, and that was being able to call myself a producer. Prior to this programme, the role of producer was one I’d seen thrown around but one I’d never fully understood. Now, trust me when I say this, I reckon I exhausted my understanding of this role on numerous occasions. In actuality, and surprisingly to myself, I think I thrived within this role. Hailing from a Fine Art educational background I was unsure as to what processes were involved with planning an event, nonetheless I was allowed to attach my creativity and fluid working style to this role.
This programme, and experience, was never just about me however. Working within an intimate group to plan this event was hugely beneficial, and I couldn’t have imagine 5 better suited colleagues to have worked on this programme with. Without them, and the magnificent TMC team, this event would not have come to fruition, and manifested itself with the potency and vibrancy that it did.
Of course, that’s not to say it was plain sailing, because none of us will prescribe to that belief. It was incredibly difficult at time, having to adjust to last minute changes, constant changes to the programme, and the film commission was a completely different beast. So, I think everyone involved with making the event possible deserve tremendous credit.
Analysing the event, the process, and what I gained from it would be a monumental task. However, I think some particular highlights where Charing a panel discussion with specially invited figures from the arts, cultural, and educational sector. Also, being directly involved with the film commission process was a fantastic insight into why the conference was so important. Most importantly, working with the aforementioned team was an unprecedented highlight, and I can only hope we can work together again soon.
