MARCH | THE COLUMNISTS
Access’ regular
columnists talk Fyre
Festival, careers and
business growth...
Worlds colliding to fuel fresh
and diverse thinking…
Jonathan Emmins, founder,
Amplify
With events often perceived as an
untraditional or an unclear career
path, how can we attract the best
talent and keep them inspired?
Creative and clued-up people
head to where they feel they can
do their best work; and as an
industry we’re only as good as the
individuals that call it home. Talent
can spot the difference between
genuinely creative and progressive
companies and those merely
doing an impression of one. We
must be culturally strong, live by
example and give creativity free by
letting different backgrounds and
experiences collide.
The majority of the industry
used to be made up of ex-student
union ents officers or people who
had found their way in by accident.
Positively, today there’s a number
of universities and event courses
cultivating and producing top
talent. Yet we still need to work
harder and look laterally to attract
a diverse mix. Much of Amplify’s
success is thanks to exciting talent
who are often hybrids or found
from unconventional backgrounds,
both culturally and professionally.
It’s absurd that a whole sector of
amazing talent is often ignored
because they’re ‘industry unaware’
or can’t afford to ‘intern’ indefinitely.
We must try harder.
All smoke, no Fyre
Josephine Burns, chair, Without
Walls How can we?
Simeon Aldred, group creative
director, Vibration Group
By-and-large Without Walls is at
the comfy end of the festival/event
spectrum. We’re not out to make
money (funded by the Arts Council
though not entirely) and we work on
the principle of (largely) free access
- we might label ourselves in the
‘public good’ category.
Does that make us better or less
commercially aware or careless
about the audience experience?
Well, no - of course not.
The Fyre Island farrago is the
topic for this edition - ‘how could it
have been successfully executed’?
the bald answer is ‘you were a
bunch of cynical get-rich-quick
merchants and you had it coming’.
It’s great to make money,
but start by answering the
questions ‘what’s the great, unique
experience, how can we sell it, and
can we organise and manage it
successfully?’ The promoters had
brilliant answers to the first two
questions – sounds wow, amazing –
but that means nothing if you can’t
get the last bit right.
So, guess what? ‘Successful
execution’ is critically about what
is often seen as boring but the
audience experience, paying or not,
depends on those unsung, often
invisible elements of feeling safe
and cared for, comfortable and
respected – until their absence is
all too horribly visible, and then it’s
game over. Question I get almost daily include
how have we grown our business?
How can I take things to the next
stage? How do I get investment for
my event company or idea?
These questions can all have
multiple complex answers, but all
rely on a super basic ingredient:
you.
Are you willing to work seven
days a week for your idea; work
harder and cheaper than your
competitor; take personal risk with
your own money not just investors’
money?
Are you willing to never work
from home as that’s not real; never
work in coffee shops as that’s just
on TV; not waste money to get a
company car and the like; have
minimal focused holidays, and still
work when you’re feeling low and
it’s not working, fail fast, and pay
yourself super basic wages?
People I have seen grow super
successful companies all have those
things in common.
Now I am not advocating you do
the above as it’s not for everyone,
but if you want your idea to fly
sacrifice will be the key ingredient
to your success one way or another.
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