LIVE & LOCAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Officer Rural Hub Towns
Aster works with communities in 3 of our Rural Hub Towns creating new arts activities for people of all ages and all interests.
Contact Aster if you live or work in Uttoxeter, Eckington, or Coleshill and would like to get involved with creating more arts opportunities in the area, or if you are an artist or potential partner organisation.
Beau provides daily administration support for Live & Local and is available as a first point of contact for general enquiries. They also support the engagement and rural hub towns teams in producing and distributing print, maintaining mailing lists, and creating email and social media campaigns.
Job Titles:
- Audience Engagement Officer
Brian provides support to the engagement team in writing copy for marketing materials, producing and distributing print for live events, maintaining mailing lists and social media and compiling venue access information.
Chris oversees Big Picture Show, DART (Developing Artists in Rural Touring), business development, fundraising, work with Children & Young People, and also manages one off or infrequent projects.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
David is a retired businessman who promoted Live & Local shows in Crich, Derbyshire from 2012 until the pandemic. David has a life-long passion for live performance, being involved in all aspects since his early school days - from make-up artist to lighting designer; actor to director; chorister to stage crew - just about anything, really. It's obviously in the blood as one of his daughters is now a successful stand-up comic! Elsewhere in his career, David has been a director of a multi-national publishing company, but has also worked in smaller organisations, including running his own company. His business career was primarily in sales and new business development - valuable skills he uses to help expand the reach and variety of Live & Local shows. David is a keen amateur photographer and is currently working on a massive project digitising some 10,000 family photographs, some of which are more than 130 years old.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Publicity Assistant
Emily provides support to the engagement team in maintaining mailing lists, sourcing and writing copy for marketing materials, producing and distributing print, creating email and social media campaigns, and maintaining relationships with local and national press.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager Rural Hub Towns
Jess manages the new Rural Hub Towns project which enhances community creativity in five market towns across the East and West Midlands. The towns are Eckington, Alford, Uttoxeter, Ollerton, and a final location to be announced soon.
Kristie manages the Company administration of Live & Local. This includes administration for the Community Touring Schemes and business admin.
Laura provides administrative support to Live & Local's programme of events including the Community Touring Scheme, Film Schemes and time-limited projects.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Officer
Lesley is responsible for recruiting and supporting promoters in the Live & Local networks. She liaises with local authorities and is the point of contact for promoters in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. She is also the Rural Hub Town officer for Ollerton and Edwinstowe.
Contact Lesley for: promoter recruitment and support and liaison with local authority officers in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire; or contact Lesley if you live or work in Ollerton or Edwinstowe and would like to get involved with creating more arts opportunities in the area, or if you are an artist or potential partner organisation.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Officer
Michele is responsible for recruiting and supporting promoters in the Live & Local networks, liaises with local authorities and is the point of contact for promoters in Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Officer
Nip is responsible for recruiting and supporting promoters in the Live & Local networks, liaises with local authorities and is the point of contact for promoters in Warwickshire, Worcestershire (formerly Shindig) and Leicestershire (formerly Centre Stage).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Oliver hails from Worcestershire and following a lifetime of singing, playing the trumpet and songwriting he is a familiar face on the UK live music and rural touring circuits. Following a 25 year career in marketing he is now concentrating on being a full time performer. He has organised lots of music festivals and events and is also the leader of The Worcester Plinth which brings big art to the city in the style of Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Writer
Robert is an actor, writer and a Cheeky Chappy who describes himself as having worked in theatre, television and radio, narrowly avoiding a career in shoplifting and burglary! After graduating, Robert joined Tic Toc Theatre Company, where he acted and began to write community plays and comedy cabaret. He has since become a freelance performer and writer, with an MA in Television Scriptwriting. Together with Paul Nolan he set up The Cheeky Chappies, writing and performing comedy shows which have toured nationally, including Live & Local venues. Married to Mandy, with two children who both threaten to follow in their father's entertaining footsteps!
Live & Local says: Robert Chairs the Board with a firm but fun hand and brings a professional performer's perspective to our planning with his wealth of experience across the arts scene.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Artistic Director of Sonia Sabri Company
Sonia is the artistic director of Sonia Sabri Company creating work that spans the presentation of classical North Indian Kathak to explorations of contemporary approaches. As a dancer, she is acclaimed for her enchanting stage presence, grace and musicality and she has secured an international reputation for collaboration across dance styles and art forms including work with pioneers Richard Alston, Shobana Jeyasingh and Nitin Sawhney and many more.
In addition, Sonia is a teacher of Kathak, the artistic director of her own youth dance company, Kathakaars, and has had several prestigious commissions and awards as well as being an Associate Artist of one UK's most celebrated arts centres, MAC.
Job Titles:
- Artist Engagement Officer
Steve is responsible for supporting and developing artists who are both in the scheme or are interested in being part of it.
Contact Steve if you are an artist/arts organisation and need advice or support regarding what we do or how you can be part of our work.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Member of the Board of Directors
Vishalakshi is a consultant and academic specialising in the creative and cultural sector. She founded Earthen Lamp in 2011, a consultancy to provide bright thinking for the creative sector working with cultural organisations across the UK. Since 2009, Vishalakshi has been using her industry expertise to teach management, strategic planning and audience development at The Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, University of Warwick. Vishalakshi is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society and Arts Marketing Association. She is a Trustee of Birmingham Opera Company and Creative Academies Network.
Zara is Live & Local's bookkeeper and provides daily administration support for the company.