Announcing the Federation’s Future of Freelance Champions

Paule  Constable  is a Lighting Designer in theatre, opera and dance.  She is an associate director of the National Theatre and of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company.  She is a founder member of Freelancers Make Theatre Work  

Jon is Executive Director of HOME in Manchester, a venue that presents a year-round programme of produced and visiting live performance across multiple spaces, and serves as the city’s centre for international contemporary art and film.

Prior to this Jon worked as Executive Director of the Bush Theatre between 2014 and 2018. In this time he led on their major capital redevelopment, and helped expand the organisation’s reach as a centre of excellence for diverse emerging talent. Before this he worked in marketing roles at theatres across the North West for ten years, including The Lowry in Salford, the Octagon Theatre Bolton, and the Dukes in Lancaster.

Jon is a trustee of HighTide and the Edge Theatre, Chorlton, and a UK Theatre Board member.

photo copyright – Helen Murray

Chartered Accountant with a long-standing passion for opera. Sarah joined Glyndebourne nearly 24 years ago as Finance Director, following a career in a FTSE 100 company including 5 years in Hong Kong. She is proud to lead the largest financially independent opera company in the UK and determined to contribute to getting the Arts back on its feet post COVID.

Abby is a freelance TV Producer. From May to August 2020, she co-founded and ran the BAME TV Task Force. In August 2020, Edinburgh International TV Festival named her one of 30 ‘Ones To Watch’. Since September 2020, she has been helping organise the ‘Coalition For Change’ – a cross-industry body aimed at improving conditions for freelancers in TV.

Deborah is a mover, maker and mother based in Cardiff: she is a self-producing dance artist and choreographer. Deborah is co-director of award-winning company Light, Ladd & Emberton. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally including UK showcasing platforms ‘British Council Showcase’ at Edinburgh festival, ‘British Dance Edition’ in Edinburgh and Bournemouth, ‘A Nations Theatre’ at Battersea Arts Centre ‘Spring Loaded’ at The Place London, and international touring platforms ‘Wales in India’ and ‘Dance Roads’. Her work has been awarded ‘Best Dance Production’ at the Theatre in Wales awards, she has been a Creative Wales Award recipient and shortlisted as a ‘Place Prize’ semi-finalist.

Deborah’s movement directing for theatre has includes Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, The Other Room, FranWen and Taking Flight. She has performed for Joanna Young, Caroline Sabin, Run Ragged/Jem Treays, Sean Tuan John, Longborough Festival Opera, Diversions, Polish Dance Theatre and the Institute of Crazy Dancing among others. She has an extensive teaching practice and supports other artists as a creative assistant in dramaturgy, mentoring and producing roles.

Deborah was a founder member of Groundwork (an artist led organisation offering training and development opportunities for dance artists in Wales). She was part of UK freelance taskforce for theatre and performance and Wales Freelance Taskforce. She is also an Arts associate for Arts Council Wales.

Deborah lives in Cardiff and has 3 small children.

TV and Radio Presenter Swarzy Macaly presents KISS Breakfast every Saturday and Sunday from 8-11am, and a brand new speech radio show called KISS Life every Sunday evening on KISS from 9-10pm. She is also the voice of BBC Sounds and has presented two BBC documentaries: ‘Me VS Climate Change‘ and ‘Instagramification‘.

In response to Covid-19 and the first national lockdown in 2020, Swarzy became the official host of My Life My Say’s Quarantine Question Time and has hosted a range of conversations with special guests such as Sir Keir Starmer, Reverend Al Sharpton, as well as Former White House Chief of Staff and Counselor to President Obama, John Podesta.

In addition to TV and radio, Swarzy is the founder of Too Much Source – an annual exhibition with live events dedicated to celebrating Black British creatives who are making history today. Last year’s gallery was called ‘Joy and Resilience in 2020’ – a dedication to two attributes that remain central to the black experience – all in partnership with Roundhouse, KISS, and BBC Creative.

Most recently, Lord Simon Woolley recognised Swarzy for her charisma, passion for social justice, and work with My Life My Say and nominated her to be part of the Duke and Duchess’s list of Black History Month Next Generation Trailblazers 2020.

Having always been interested and people and behaviour Priya graduated in psychology and chose to go into marketing. She started her career in creative agencies at Agency Republic, Wieden and Kennedy and BBDO running accounts for blue chip clients mentored by the likes of Justin Pahl and Cilla Snowball. Priya then decided to specialise further in fashion and luxury and moved to Spring Studios to work under Robin Derrick, working with clients like Nicholas Kirkwood, Ferragamo, Peter Pilotto and Lʼoreal amongst others.

Priya then moved from Spring Studios to Vice Media where she worked across the Vice and i-D brands. Her proudest achievement as the GM of Virtue (the creative agency by Vice) was partnering with CHANEL to create a platform celebrating female creativity- The Fifth Sense: https://thefifthsense.i-d.co/ en_gb/ A year long platform containing daily editorial, film, print and events working with talent like Es Devlin and Harley Weir. Priya then briefly moved to British Vogue before taking the Managing Director role at Dazed Media; working closely with Susanne Waddell and Jefferson Hack to set the strategy for the group; building further on the reputation of the youth culture and pop provocateurs.

In Priyaʼs spare time she mentors young talent in the creative industries and is on the board of Creative Equals, Pitch, Media for All and Gal Dem.

Amanda Maxwell independently manages London based DJ, TV and Radio host Ellie Prohan.

Amanda has set up a collective “Freelance Queens” for freelance predominantly black, asian, middle eastern and minority ethnic, LGBTQIA+, female identifying women from music and creative sectors with over 190 members it is a place for sharing of job roles, advice and amplifying one another.It is also the place for businesses of every size to source candidates for their job role needs and championing the community at the same time.

Additionally a community member of women in music network shesaid.so and a regular contributor to panel talks on subjects related to inclusion, representation and equal empowerment within the creative industries. Alongside this Amanda sits on the Equality, Justice and Advisory Group for the BPI and is Chair to UK Music Futures the millennial board to UK Music.

Most recently left Boiler Room as their Open Dance Floors programmer and project manager ensuring the company looked across their platform for intersectionality and social political issues intertwined with music culture.

Munro has over 20 years experience of cultural leadership following a distinguished career in Glasgow as both Artistic Director of Tramway and Head of Arts for the city, where she led the bid to bring Turner Prize 2015 to Scotland for the first time. From 1996 until 2008, Munro was Director at the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, and prior to this she was Projects Director at ARTLINK, Edinburgh.

In August 2015 Munro was appointed as Director of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. During this time Sarah has led on a powerful new shared vision and ambition enhancing the social and civic mission of the organisation; refocusing the ambition to ensure diversity is embedded across the organisation from a practice led context; developing a new approach to, and platforms for, Programme that responds to the expanded practice of artists across events, performance, residencies, associate artists and research.

Sarah was a juror for the 2020 Turner Prize and selector for the British Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale. Sarah is an external director of Scotland’s Future Forum; and Board member of Creative Scotland.

Leena Norms is a YouTuber and poet from the Midlands who has amassed over 6 million views on her channel, where she gives advice on being in your twenties and discusses books, social change and the climate crisis. She was recently named Book Vlogger of the Year by London Book Fair and an official YouTube Creator for Change for her online campaigning and has collaborated with European Commission, NHS, Royal Historic Palaces, the U.S. Embassy London, the Man Booker Prize, Vice, BBC 3 and many more.

Chris overseas our studio, focusing on integrated marketing and campaign planning his work includes leading creative campaigns for the World Food Programme, First National Bank, Philips and Thomson Reuters.

Christopher has worked at the agency for the last 12 years picking up PRWeek’s 30 under 30 and global Rising Star of the Year by the ICCO.

Andy Payne has worked in games since 1985. Founder of Just Flight, Mastertronic, Appynation. Investor and/or advisory board member – Flick Games, ESL, TRU LUV, Bossa Studios. Patron BAFTA, Patron/Trustee of The National Videogames Museum & British Games Institute, GamesAid, chair of British Esports Association.   Developed and published George Orwell’s Animal Farm for PC & mobile in 2020 under The Dairymen.

Lara is a freelance consultant specialising in diversity, leadership, collaboration, ideas, innovation and cultural policy within the cultural, creative and digital sector.

She develops and delivers projects and policy on how culture and digital technology intersect for a number of national partners including universities, as well as programmes around leadership, resilience and business development for the arts.

UK based designer and disability advocate Jessica Ryan-Ndegwa was born and raised in London. Her mission has always been to champion for a more inclusive society. She has managed to anchor herself as someone people can look up to, and hopefully gain confidence from; as a campaigner for disability inclusion and equality. Her work includes writing, designing and curating with companies such as the Tate Exchange, Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Design Museum amongst others.

A highly skilled handweaver, Alice’s career spans textile design, manufacture, circular R&D and consultancy working with yarn, trend and fashion industries. She founded her award-winning studio in 2012, working collaboratively with fashion clients to create bespoke woven fabrics and embroideries.

Liz Barker is a freelance multidisciplinary Theatre Practitioner and Theatre Maker. They are the co-director and co-founder of March for The Arts, and an established Production Manager and Lighting Designer in the North West. Since founding March for the Arts they have contributed to working with Liverpool City Region’s Creative Freelancers and Organisations to offer support, whilst also lobbying on their behalf to national and local government. March for the Art’s administrate the Working Guidance for Arts Freelancers and Organisations, a guidance document for better working practices for engaging freelancers in the arts.  

Twitter/Instagram: @marchforthearts

Website: www.marchforthearts.com

Emails: liz@marchforthearts.com