Pathways to Producing: nurturing Newcastle’s next producers!
Developing and supporting emerging talent in our region is a core part of MAM’s mission.
From November 2025 through to March of this year, we’ve been running a producer development programme, Pathways to Producing, designed to give a set of early-career creatives hands-on experience to improve their practice, and better prepare them for working in creative industries.
Pathways to Producing session at One Strawberry Lane. Credit: Luke Waddington
The programme, in partnership with fellow local organisation Creative Central NCL (CCN), with support from Dance City, aims to feed the pipeline of talent that will enter the Newcastle and North East’s creative sector, ultimately meaning success for more creative projects in the future. The funding for the programme – granted by CCN, who are funded by the North East Combined Authority to develop a city centre that is brought to life by artists and creatives – has meant all participants could access six days of workshops, sessions, mentoring and bursaries, giving them in-depth insights into what a producer careers entails.
Connecting our emerging producers with the region’s established professionals was essential, and so we were thrilled to welcome some key figures from the local sector to deliver expert sessions:
Leila d'Aronville (North East Cultural Freelancers) - Freelancer Fundamentals: Building a Sustainable Creative Career
Cheryl Gavin (Helix Arts) – Fundraising Fundamentals: Securing Support for Creative Projects
Graeme Thompson (Dance City) – Partnerships that Work: Building Meaningful Creative Collaborations
Phil Douglas (Curious Arts) - Adapting to Change: Navigating the Evolving Creative Landscape
A final additional session also took place in March, featuring Rebecca Huggan of NewBridge Project, whose session ‘The Making of a Venue: Building a Cultural Space’ offered insights from her time Directing NewBridge.
Pathways to Producing session at One Strawberry Lane. Credit: Luke Waddington
A massive well done all to our participants – in total, 23 took part across all sessions. The involvement, ideas and support they displayed for one another made the sessions a joy to deliver, particularly our core participants:
Maria Giacchetto
Anjali Shelley
August Myfanwy
Conrad Whale
Wambui Hardcastle
We can’t wait to see where each takes their career, enriching Newcastle with their skills & talent in the years to come!
Moving Art Management regularly organise learning and development opportunities for early career professionals – follow us on socials and sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear what’s next!
Meet the producers...
Want to know what Pathways to Producing offers, or what sort of people join the programme? We spoke to several participants to find out why they took part and what they learned!
Pathways to Producing session at One Strawberry Lane. Credit: Luke Waddington
Anna
“I am a visual, multidisciplinary artist. I specialise in expanding painting that explores themes of identity – specifically my identity as an immigrant from the Philippines who grew up in the UK – along with themes of memory and nostalgia.
“I signed up because I wanted to know more about producing. I’ve seen open calls for art producers, but I wanted insights into how to do it effectively. I have an interest in becoming a producer, but I’m figuring out how to do that. Having finished my BA in Fine Arts, the only thing I know is how to be an artist. As I try to figure out how to be a freelance artist, I'm looking at how I can transition into art producing jobs.
“My biggest takeaway was the advice from everyone, specifically Rebecca from the New Bridge Project. It was very interesting to hear her journey as an artist and the stages the project has gone through, as well as learning what it means to be a director. The workshops in the afternoon were also great; we got to see an overall Arts Council application from MAM and the nitty-gritty of how they go about a project.
Pathways to Producing session at One Strawberry Lane. Credit: Luke Waddington
August
“I’m an artist and producer from County Durham with a background in performing arts. I want to be making work that is really community-focused, engaged, and in partnership with different organisations to deliver benefits for people. I'm particularly interested in work surrounding the environment, history, heritage, and society in general.
“I signed up to upskill my production experience and get a deeper understanding of how the sector works and what role I can play within it. Being from the North East, this scene is my bread and butter. It’s an opportunity to connect with people from my local area, which matters a lot to me. I’m inspired by the North East sector because, despite austerity and underfunding, it is a really vibrant place that should be celebrated.
“I’d like to see more entry-level positions, like assistant traineeships in production. This would allow people like myself to enter the sector more readily and get that much-needed on-the-job training.
Pathways to Producing session at One Strawberry Lane. Credit: Luke Waddington
Maria
“I’ve been interested in producing for a little while, but I was unsure about all the little bits that make it up and didn’t have much experience. Coming from a different creative background, I’ve always been interested in the "behind the scenes" of how things are made.
“The biggest thing I've taken away from the program is the importance of the creative community and the people I surround myself with. I met so many wonderful people, while also learning the practicalities of scheduling and budgeting. I’ve gained very practical advice about budgeting and scheduling. I also realised the importance of the people you surround yourself with in terms of your creative community.