Strength 2 Strength
The Realities of Freelance Producing & Finding Your Tribe
Spend the evening with a collective of collaborative like-minded people, who are
here to listen, support and offer insight to your questions and ambitions.
Guest Speakers:
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Nassy Konan, Producer Gathering
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Hayley Ovens
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Maddy Wilson
​
We will learn about how two Producer networks make things happen and connect
with people. We will then spend some time in breakout groups having honest
conversations about issues you are currently dealing with.
Following the session, DLG will take the learning and feedback forward into our
planning for the network, making space to put ideas and concerns into practice with
more action-based responses.
Who’s it for:
Any employed or freelance arts producer who wants to learn more about
the networks and initiatives out there for producers. It would suit someone just
staring out in freelancing, or who is early-mid career, finding producing challenging
and needing a support system to bounce thoughts off.
Producer Gathering
Producer Gathering is designed to offer insights into and context around independent producing practices happening across the arts sector right now. By offering a large pool of free resources, learning opportunities for independent producers, space for discussion and writings from some of the best in the performing arts and cultural fields – they want to support and encourage independent producers at all career stages.
They are advocating for more funding and support for initiatives like this to spring up across the UK. They want wider recognition of the essential role independent producers play across the culture sector.
Producer Top-Up
Producer Top-Up is an ambitious independent initiative based in the Southeast of England. Set up to provide paid professional development opportunities for mid-career, freelance dance & cross-artform producers who identify as underrepresented in the sector. Their pilot programme in 2022 was devised to reflect and rebuild post-pandemic. The 2025 programme has recently been launched - focused on cultural entrepreneurship, alternative income streams, wellbeing and sustainability for dance/cross artform producers in the South East and beyond.​
Instagram: @producer_topup
Email: producer.topup@gmail.com
Guest Speakers
Nassy Konan
An independent Creative Producer based in Kings Heath, Birmingham,
specialising in dance, theatre, and live performances. Her work focuses
on impactful collaborations that span across local and international
stages. Currently involved with the 2024 Fierce Festival and an
Associate Producer at China Plate Theatre, Nassy adeptly brings artistic
visions to life with her extensive network and passion for the arts.
Hayley Ovens
Hayley Ovens is a Creative Producer based in Brighton. With a specialism in contemporary dance, she has also worked across art forms, managing a wide range of projects in education, community, health and cultural settings. In her first arts management role for charity, Arts 4 Dementia, she delivered multi-arts projects and events across London in partnership with organisations such as Sadlers Wells, National Portrait Gallery and Rambert. As an independent Producer, her clients include Ceyda Tanc Dance, Three Score Dance, Stuart Waters, Brighton Dome and Producer Top-Up. She Co-Founded Producer Top- Up in 2022, recognising a retention gap for mid-career freelance producers who are from underrepresented communities. Her current focus is on working closely with dance artists and small non-profit companies to craft performance and participation projects, and to secure funding to bring them into fruition.
Maddy Wilson
Madeleine Wilson is a freelance Producer & consultant managing a range of creative projects. She was selected as one of 15 across the UK for the National Theatre’s Young Producers programme in 2013. Clients have included: Hofesh Shechter Company, DV8 Physical Theatre, Blast Theory, Lost Dog, London Borough of Culture (Sadiq Khan's team), The BBC & One Dance UK, Headlong Theatre, The Crafts Council, Theatre Royal Brighton, Africa Asia Venture, Uganda. She was a Producer within Artist Development @ South East Dance, delivering the acclaimed Audience Ambassadors project (ACE case study of innovation in developing audiences) & is an Audience Diversity Academy Fellow.
Currently, she is producing Immersive 1984 @ Hackney Town Hall and is Co-Founder of Producer Top-Up with Hayley Ovens
