You work across a broad range of sectors, including government, education, arts, creative, not-for-profit and corporate… do you have a favourite space to work within and if so what makes it stand out?
The arts and creative sector is definitely where my heart lies. I love experiencing art and creativity in all its forms – so my drive to produce these experiences comes from the desire simply to see more of it in the world, and play my part in making the work of creatives available to the world. It’s so fulfilling to me to be able to support the work of creative people, and help give them a platform to showcase their work or develop their skills.
Who are you listening to right now?
As it’s summer, which means road-trip season, I’m a shameless fan of anything pop – so Harry Styles, Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, Gaga have all been regulars on the playlist. But I really love a whole range of music – I’ve recently been reacquainting myself with broadcast radio – and have found myself listening to The Sound and The Hits a lot, because they generally crank out a lot of good up-beat tunes that I wouldn’t think to look up for myself.
You have recently moved from WLG to AKL to start post-grad study in Journalism and Broadcasting at AUT – what are you most excited about in this next chapter of your career?
I’m mostly looking forward to broadening my skill-set and scratching an itch I’ve had to move more into the screen world. Particularly with COVID, the lines between live events and screen are starting to blur and I think the future of events is going to be much more tied to broadcast. The way I see it, online events and live television are essentially the same thing, the only difference is the level of complexity and how they’re distributed to their audiences – so I’d like to explore the other side of the equation more. I’m also looking forward to upskilling my presenting skills – I’ve hosted a lot of events in my time, but I’ve mostly been self-taught and developed the skill out of necessity – having some formal training in that space, I’m hoping will help me grow in confidence there. Ultimately though, I’ve always said my dream job is to produce and host a travel show – so, maybe this will be a good step in the right direction to help make that happen!
Your insta account is exceptionally curated and you have an eye for photography and visual art – do you have a favourite NZ photographer, artist or designer?
This aesthetic was all very much inspired by iconic NZ photographer Laurence Aberhart. I saw an exhibition of his work in Christchurch about 10 years ago and it really stuck with me. His black and white aesthetic invokes such a strong sense of nostalgia, and which I’m quite naturally drawn to. In general, I have always connected to photography and visual art as a way of communicating, as I find it easier to create an emotional connection through image than through words – particularly when capturing a particular moment in time. As an amateur in that space however, my instagram feed is a simple way to indulge my creativity. The black and white aesthetic is inspired by the idea being that my instagram is a catalogue of memories that I look back on fondly; echoing that nostalgic feeling I get from Aberhart’s work.
What is coming up in the 2021 DA events program that you are excited to deliver?
Oh, there’s so much good stuff coming up! Personally, I think the Autumn and Spring Conversations series are what I’m looking forward to the most – mainly because as our bigger events happening across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, they’ll be the best opportunity I’ll have to get out and meet the breadth of the Design Assembly community – and I know they’ll be great events where we can all come together and connect. I love a good panel event too, because it gives the opportunity for incredibly talented people to share their stories and expertise with the community too. Obviously, we’re still pulling the specifics together at the moment, but they’ll definitely be something to look out for.