How to be a Creative Producer part 3: Festival Producing

As part of Poet in the City Producers, Poet in the City and Regent’s Place present a series of additional skills workshops for early-career producers designed to further develop professional skills needed to boost employability.

How to be a Creative Producer part 3: Festival Producing

Have you ever wanted to put on your own festival? Spent your summer partying in Glastonbury’s Block 9 and want to know how to bring your own creation to life? 

In the third edition of Poet in the City’s How to be a Creative Producer workshop series, we’re exploring all things festival. From learning how to develop and pitch your creative ideas to managing large-scale budgets, discover your route into one of the UK’s largest, most exciting industries. 

This workshop will be led by creative producer Kirsty Henderson, with over 15 years of industry experience at top UK and international festivals including Bestival and Glastonbury.

Who is this workshop for?

• Young people aged 16-30 or early-career producers of any age. 
• Alumni of producers development programmes looking to build on and develop skills learnt on the course.
• Anyone seeking to develop their professional skills at the beginning stages of their freelance careers.

Biographies

Facilitator: Kirsty Henderson

Portland Productions is a multi-disciplinary creative production company headed up by Kirsty Henderson.

Kirsty has over 15 years of industry experience working as a Producer/Production Manager for large scale outdoor and site specific events and festivals. Block9 Glastonbury, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Festival No.6, Standon Calling & Boardmasters are amongst some of the shows Kirsty has helped to deliver. More recently, Portland Productions curated and delivered the world’s largest Arts District at a Music Festival; MDL Beast in Saudia Arabia, employing a team of young producers to assist.

Kirsty loves building unique, creative and immersive experiences for clients and works with Broadwick Agency to produce an annual private staff party festival. Other agency projects include multiple brand activations, recently delivering an immersive experience for a children’s film premiere with Universal NBC. Other work includes creative development and delivery for weddings, charitable fundraising events and several Arts Council England funded projects.

Kirsty has always been inspired by her vocational training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and has created training and work opportunities for several young people in partnership with The Roundhouse and You Produce, a Bristol based young producers training and employment programme. Kirsty is actively invested in the next generation of young producers and is currently developing a creative strategy to grow the YP programme in order to support access into this competitive sector and encourage more young people to create their own work.

In partnership with