I am leaving my job at Young Giant. I have been with Beatfreeks pretty much since it began in 2013 and have worked at Young Giant since it started in 2015 when it was called Beatfreeks Consulting. My role has varied and I have worked on developing, organising, performing, delivering, producing, strategizing and co-creating; never being just one thing, there’s always constant change and I enjoy being able to dabble my hands in different projects. I have sat in the office in the dark (sort of out of choice, sort of because the lights were on automatic) working on incredible projects, reports, events and ideas. I have worked on big & gorgeous events and smaller & beautiful events, and I kid you not there is not one or another that I love less. People who know me know I like to be busy and on the go, my life is literally built around my work. You may be wondering “why are you leaving then?”
I have spent the last nearly 5 years exploring my skills and honing them whilst at the same time being an artist on the side.
I never wanted to be a full time artist for the rest of my life, I enjoy working with people far too much – in many ways I get more out of putting people on a stage than being on one. I have produced some cool sh** with Young Giant, from our Selfridges Music Matters events, to Heritage Lottery Fund’s Routes2Roots campaign through to Secret Museums where we visited museums across the West Midlands and secretly evaluated their stories, content and guest experience to feedback to senior staff.
When Beatfreeks received the news that Free Radical had NPO status, after about a week of shock, we started talking, what would it look like if I moved over to Free Radical and focused on politically driven conversations. After talking with Anisa and reflecting on my skills and passions, we decided that this will help me to implement everything I have been learning in Young Giant into my arts practice and to work on building Free Radical as it embarks on its greatest adventure yet of becoming a part of Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation & Kick The Dust. I am ready to develop artists, my arts practice and drive conversations around where the art and activist meet in artivists. It didn’t take long for the decision to be made.
There are a few things in my life that I am sure of, one of them being is I know what I want out of my career: and it has nothing to do with a success scale but more to do with how I want to feel, what I want to give the world and who I am as a person. This is the next step of that journey for me.
As of January 2018 I will be a Producer at Free Radical.
Being a part of a Collective with different creative organisations means that we get room and investment to go where our skills and passions take us.
I have been with Beatfreeks for nearly five years and each role has been designed around my skills and passions. People see the team and I often wonder what they think of us – we are a happy dysfunctional family that supports one another and ensures that we are all challenged, developing and thriving in our roles – kind of like siblings. That’s what The Beatfreeks Collective gives you: that sense of immediate family, extended family and friends all bulked into incredible humans.
I’m deeply invested in making sure Young Giant flies – it’s a special company doing amazing things. We are looking for a General Manager, to be able to grow Young Giant and be a part of the family. I won’t leave Young Giant without a new General Manager, so please help me find the right person.
I reckon in another life I would have been half living in a cave and half living the lavish life in NYC. Don’t ask why. That’s what I reckon. Maybe one day? There’s still time.
Written by Amerah Saleh
For more information about Young Giant and Free Radical.