Assistant Producers

Each year, 15 participants from across all three faculties at Queen Mary come together to build skills as creative producers, working directly with artists, researchers and cultural organisations. This is a knowledge exchange project which supports the local cultural sector in east London by providing skilled project support, from planning and producing to evaluating and reporting.

The skills that students develop on the Assistant Producers scheme are wide ranging and include creative problem solving, communication and collaboration. Producing events in partnership with east London cultural organisations connects participants to a wealth of knowledge and expertise, giving them a unique opportunity to produce and curate events on Queen Mary campus across our performance venues, cinema and gallery spaces in BLOC and the Pinter Studio.

Since the scheme started in 2021, students have connected with many local arts and culture organsations through taking part in workshops and supporting events.  Some have also secured paid placements and work opportunities in the creative sector, while others have taken the skills they developed with them back into their chosen career path in science, medicine, engineering or the humanities.

Quotes from previous participants:

My ideas can lead to something amazing and meaningful. So, this experience taught me to be more confident and outspoken about my ideas.

During this project, I’ve understood that through communication, you can reach a compromise and share your responsibilities. I’ve learned that I actually can get an amazing job done as a part of a team, rather than always trying to make the most of work myself.

Within the last two months of immersing myself in this program, I've gained valuable insights. I've learned the importance of trusting my intuition and maintaining an unwavering belief in oneself creative potential. Doubt may have crept in momentarily, but I've emerged with newfound confidence

I believe I explored my creative side a lot more than I thought I could do through my degree programme. It was amazing collaborating with artists and be a part of such an exciting event.

These skills enhance collaboration, efficiency, and productivity in the workplace. Effective communication and teamwork foster creativity and synergy, while time management ensures tasks are completed punctually, reducing stress. Overall, mastering these skills is crucial for success and advancement in any career.

These skills will help me in my future career by making me a more versatile and capable professional, able to take on diverse roles and projects within the arts and event management industries.

 I've learnt how to market and promote their projects effectively by creating strategies to reach the target audience, generating buzz, and maximizing visibility and audience engagement

I took part in the scheme because I was aware of how difficult it was to get experience producing. The scheme provided knowledge of what producing entails and showed me how varied it can be. 

I joined the scheme because I studied Biomedical Science and want to do something to develop my creativity. Also, I was involved in the arts whilst I was at school but due to personal circumstances, I had to let it go so I wanted to reconnect with the arts.