Cultural Enterprises Podcast
By Cultural Enterprises Academy
Cultural Enterprises PodcastFeb 25, 2020
Journeys – Karen O’Connor, Director of Commercial Enterprises, National Museums Liverpool
Karen O'Connor is one of the sector's most popular figures – a Cultural Enterprises Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2020 is testament to this! Hear how her journey took her to being Director of Commercial Enterprises at National Museums Liverpool after abandoning early dreams of a career making ballet tutus (no, really).
Journeys – Caroline Brown, Head of Commercial Services, British Library
In this open, honest, and passionate episode, Caroline Brown, Head of Commercial Services at the British Library, and Chair of the Association for Cultural Enterprises, tells us how growing up in a small, working class Welsh village helped shape her entire career...
Journeys – Rita Rooney, Retail, Buying and Merchandising Manager, Museum of London
From the high street to cultural sector, Rita Rooney tells us all about her career, including planning for the Museum of London's future, the importance of making mistakes, and developing a range based on a fatberg!
Journeys – Adam Thow, Head of Commercial Activities, Kew Gardens
The Sir John Soane's Museum. The Natural History Museum. The Southbank Centre. The Barbican. Kew Gardens. Hear how Adam Thow's career has taken him to some of the most spectacular venues in London, and what he believes is next for the cultural enterprises sector.
Journeys – Matthew Henderson, Product Development Manager, Beamish
Hear how an apprenticeship at sixteen took Matthew Henderson away from a potential career training owls for a living(!) and helped mould him into one of the sector's most creative and enthusiastic leaders...
Journeys – Kingston Myles, Head of Commercial Development, English Heritage
How did a law graduate end up developing sustainable ranges of crisps for English Heritage? It's fair to say Kingston Myles hasn't had the most traditional career path. From nightclubs and festivals to the cultural sector, hear how Kingston transitioned from the 5-9 to the 9-5...
Post-pandemic Sustainability in Cultural Trading
What impact has the pandemic had on sustainability in cultural trading, and what does the future hold? Can we take this opportunity to radically re-think cultural trading along more sustainable lines? To answer these questions, we welcome Dr. Jamie Larkin, Assistant Professor of Creative and Cultural Industries at Chapman University in California, to the podcast.
Process Driven Thinking
With cultural organisations starting to reopen, there is an opportunity to step back and reflect on some of our working practices, and consider making some changes. In this episode, Chris Snow, Head of Support Services at the National Theatre, looks at a few tools that can help Visitor Experience or Operations Managers to improve a team’s efficiency, the quality of the venue’s visitor experience, and ultimately make our working lives a bit easier.
The Future of Front of House
What will Front of House operations look like as we reopen in 2021? Head of Visitor Experience at the Royal Opera House, and presenter of Series Two of the Cultural Enterprises Podcast, Gabriela Gandolfini, looks back at 3 lessons learned from 2020 and how to implement those 3 learnings in 2021.
Creative Commerce in Lockdown
While some organisations were put in the difficult position of being unable to trade at all in the last year, others were fortunate (and entrepreneurial) enough to find new ways to generate income, stay connected with the community, and help shape the future of their enterprises. One of these organisations is Birmingham Museums Trust, and we are delighted to be joined by their Commercial Director, Alex Nicholson-Evans, who talks pizza pods, selling leftover food and completely revamping their online store...
Mental Health in the Workplace
After over 12 months of lockdowns, furlough, redundancies, closures, re-openings, and more closures, the level of uncertainty, on an organisation and individual level, has surely affected the mental health of every one of us. Vicki Cockman, Head of Client Delivery at Mental Health First Aid England, joins us to give some tips on how to best look after ourselves, and each other, in the coming months…
Cultural Retail Trends for 2021
What will cultural retail look like when the sector re-opens? From conscious consumerism to the resurgence of the physical store, retail consultant and creator of The Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly, joins us to investigate what will be moulding cultural retail in the year to come.
An Audience with Laura Wright – CEO, The Postal Museum
From dreams of being a tap dancer, to CEO of The Postal Museum, via nearly two decades at Tate, Laura Wright is the final guest of series two of the Cultural Enterprises Podcast. Laura speaks with honestly about how self doubt can be a positive attribute in leadership, why those who struggle with networking are the ones who need to do it most, and how your career should all be about following your passions.
An Audience with Gordon Morrison – CEO, Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions
Honest. Passionate. Inspiring. Gordon Morrison, CEO of ASVA (the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions) tells us about his career (including the mistakes he's made), the importance of visitor attractions to the cultural landscape of the country, and the skills needed to lead an organisation with close to 500 members. This one is unmissable.
An Audience with Darren Henley OBE – CEO, Arts Council England
In this fascinating episode, Arts Council England CEO and author, Darren Henley OBE, tells us all about his life and career, from his roots in radio and how how he got in to writing, to his unexpected ascent to lead Arts Council England. Darren also gives tips to both future and current leaders in the sector – you're never too important to make the tea!
An Audience with Lycia Lobo – Commercial Director, English Heritage
From the High Street to Commercial Director of English Heritage, via the V&A and the Ashmolean, Lycia Lobo has had a fascinating career. Hear all about her journey, including what drives her career and how she learned about the importance of the customer experience when she was just 5 years old.
An Audience with Bernard Donoghue – Mayor of London’s Culture Ambassador and CEO of ALVA
Episode two of the second series of the Cultural Enterprises Podcast sees Gabriela Gandolfini chat to one of the most influential people in the arts and heritage sector – Bernard Donoghue – the Mayor of London’s Culture Ambassador, CEO of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), Chair of WWF UK’s Council of Ambassadors, Chair of LIFT Festival and Trustee of the People's History Museum. Bernard gives an open and honest account of his life and career as well as offering advice to the next generation of leaders.
An Audience with Julie Molloy – Managing Director, National Gallery Company
The Cultural Enterprises Podcast returns for series two – with a new presenter and a new format! Each episode Gabriela Gandolfini will chat to a top sector leader to find out how they got to where they are, what inspires them, and what advice they have for the next generation of leaders? First up we have Julie Molloy, Managing Director of the National Gallery Company and Trustee of the Association for Cultural Enterprises. Julie tells us how, via C&A, Windsor Castle, and the Royal Academy, she got one of the most prestigious positions in cultural enterprises – and how she stays motivated after two decades in the role.
The Big Picture – Creating a Successful Commercial Strategy
It's widely recognised that a strong commercial strategy is a key component of any cultural organisation. What's less clear is what makes a commercial strategy strong! What should it contain? Who needs to be involved? When should it be revised / rewritten? Join us on the fourth Cultural Enterprises Podcast to hear answers to all of the above, and more, courtesy of Kari Coghill, Director of Enterprise & Communication at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Phil Smith, Commercial Director at ss Great Britain, Michelle Lockhart, Commercial Director at Science Museum Group and Karen O'Connor, Director of Commercial Enterprises at National Museums Liverpool.
Always the Bridesmaid? Raising the Profile of Trading Within a Wider Organisation
Generating unrestricted income for cultural organisations has never been more important, and attitudes towards commercial thinking have changed, but to what extent? On this episode, with the help of consultant Louise Emerson and cultural enterprises professionals, Deborah Hunter and Lycia Lobo, we ask whether trading as part of the wider organisation is always the bridesmaid and never the bride?
Leadership Skills
You might be a boss, but are you a leader? Join us on the latest Cultural Enterprises Podcast where senior industry figures Gabriela Gandolfini (Freelance Performance Coach and former Head of Audience Experience and Deputy Director of Visitor Experience at the National Theatre), Ione Saroyan (Director of Merchandise Operations at the New York Historical Society Museum & Library) and Gillian MacDonald (Head of Business Development and Enterprise at Historic Environment Scotland) discuss the differences between the two. We also give you our top leadership tips, and discuss a free Cultural Enterprises Academy course introducing you to the concepts behind performance coaching and mentoring.
The Importance of Evaluation
Plan, do, and don't forget to review! In the final episode series one of the Cultural Enterprises Podcast, Caroline Jones, CEO of The Story Museum, Kirsty Schaper, Publishing Manager and General Editor at Royal Museums Greenwich, and Owain Taylor-Shaw, former Head of Business Development at Wales Millennium Centre, discuss the importance of evaluation, why it can be so problematic, and when it should be done.
Successful eCommerce
Want to get started in eCommerce? Already have an eCommerce offer but want top tips on how to improve it? If so, the third Cultural Enterprise podcast is for you, as we focus on why eCommerce is vital for museums, galleries and cultural attractions in general. With contributions from Jeff Sheridan, Founder and MD of Matrix Internet, Zak Mensah, Head of Transformation at Bristol Museums, and Bradley Platz, Assistant Director of eCommerce at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, we discuss bespoke versus off-the-shelf software, how to improve your margins, the benefits of using Amazon (or not), and much more...
Better Buying
The second Cultural Enterprises Podcast focuses on the crucial, yet often overlooked, subject of Buying. You'll hear the Association for Cultural Enterprises' very own Desi Evangelides (former Buying Manager for the National Trust) explain what makes a good buyer, and why they are so essential to an organisation with retail in the mix, before retail consultant Perry Bushell and Retail Managers, Catherine McGoldrick (National Museums Northern Ireland) and Laura Pryke (Kettle's Yard) discuss whether Buying is art or science...or both.
Darren Henley OBE: Talented entrepreneurs are talented cultural leaders
In the first episode of the Cultural Enterprises Podcast, Chief Executive of Arts Council England Darren Henley OBE talks about his excitement and admiration for cultural enterprises, the growth in the sector, the importance of the mixed model, and the interplay between entrepreneurialism and leadership.