He was lucky enough to have been involved from the beginning working with South Essex College developing industrial training concepts. Basically, he’s been here from the start.
During this time, the key players building the Centre were CC Skills Chief Executive, Pauline Tambling CBE, Capital Projects Manager and Operations Launch Director, Robin Auld, and Director of Partnerships for CC Skills, Rob West.
What’s your favourite part about being the Director of The Backstage Centre?
It is an enormous privilege to work at this prestigious building; world-leading in its innovative design and being emulated around the planet. My favourite part about being the Director has to be the staff and how their passion and professionalism supports everyone coming into the building.
Receiving positive comments from our clients is by far the best bit – such as the feedback we got from the production team for the BBC’s ‘Little Mix The Search’, they thanked the team for their hard work and professionalism. Oh, and the view of the working river Thames and busy Dartford crossing… you can’t beat that.
What’s your favourite part about working at The Backstage Centre?
Always remembering why it was built I think? The team and I are working flat-out at the moment to build our community projects and help develop and widen our connection between industrial hires, near neighbours, and people in creative pathway training.
We are part of an amazing community at High House Production Park and consider our site neighbours as part of our journey. Producing creative opportunities fuels the company heartbeat, which cannot be done in isolation. That is one of my favourite aspects of the work. Meeting new people is always a pleasure, which we experienced while developing a new professional partnership with The Dickens Theatre Company, who we are happy to support and work with us over the coming years.
What’s the hardest part about your job?
Predicting what tomorrow brings and what the commercial and entertainment industries will then require from us keeps our brains going… If you think about how technology changes so rapidly, I mean, just look at what most people wear or hold and how much technology is wrapped up in such a small space! Without a crystal ball, future developments always provide the real challenges to our job. We have some exciting announcements we will be making in next year, so keep tuned-in to our social pages, and here on our new website!
What’s the number one tip you would give a new member of staff joining The Backstage Centre?
It’s a line from the great Russian dramatist, Konstantin Stanislavski: ‘There are no small parts, only small actors’. In other words, every component that makes a business succeed is because we are all a part of the journey, and that doesn’t come from a room full of egos!
