Role: Development Manager
Company: Titanic Creative Management
Track Record:
On the job training has been far more important to Erika Clark’s career than any formal qualification.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I studied in London and Liverpool for a BA Hons in MultiMedia Arts. I returned to Belfast and have since worked in a variety of roles for various companies within the creative industries from admin and events management at theatre/visual arts venue OMAC, studio manager at artist studios Flax Art Studios, Project Manager for Music Theatre For Youth, freelance Illustrator, freelance animator, programme officer for Young at Art Events, producer for Green Shoot Productions and now development manager at Titanic Creative Management! It has been a busy career so far.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Art was by far my most favourite subject in school, from primary right through to my A-levels. I had a natural flare for it and loved to be creative outside of the academic subjects I studied.
Did you go on to further/ higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied for a BA Hons in Multimedia Arts in Central St Martins Art College London and finished off at Liverpool School of Art. Within this degree I specialised in animation, model making, illustration and graphic design. After I returned to Belfast I gained an ILM qualification in Business Management and Marketing at Belfast Metropolitan College.
How did you get into your area of work?
I was chosen for my current job because of my experience in both creativity and business management. Studying as an artist and working as a manager of various companies within the creative industries has enabled me to develop both a creative and business minded approach to my job. The perfect combination needed for my role as development manager at Titanic Creative Management.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
My career has come full circle. Throughout school I was always involved in doing theatrical make up and making props for our school productions. I moved away from this during my degree and in the initial stages of my career however I have now been given the opportunity to utilise the artistic skills I learned during my degree which I couldn’t be happier with!
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
I think a combination of qualifications in an arts based field and business management and marketing is ideal. It is also essential to have experience in running and/or managing a creative company.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
I think a degree in an arts related field isn’t essential these days, especially with the huge fees now involved. I have learned so much more from working on the job from the bottom up and being driven by my passion and determination to progress my career. Attitude and hard work is everything, more so than gaining a degree.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
For such a small and new company Titanic Creative Management is extremely busy, it has been a very successful 18 months since we launched and we have a small staff team. This therefore means I need to be able to multi-task and prioritise tasks well. It is a fast paced environment so I also need to be able to troubleshoot any last minute issues easily and quickly. It is also very important to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills as this industry relies a lot on building relationships with clients and having a good attitude and reputation.
What does a typical day entail?
With being such a busy creative company that is a social enterprise my days are extremely varied – which is part of why I love what I do. Typically in one day I would deal with a lot from project managing and scheduling courses, marketing and social media updating, maintaining stock on our materials online-store, selling and responding to enquiries on our courses, making, packing and developing our prosthetic products, completing funding and award applications, sourcing new customers and clients for our prosthetic products, maintaining communications with our current customers and clients, to sourcing alternative income sources such as corporate sponsors. Alongside our managing director, Nuala Campbell, I also make custom prosthetic pieces and products for various film productions which can range from prosthetics for the five stages of leprosy to customised gelatine mimicking blood, fat and muscle! You can’t be squeamish in this job!
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best aspect of this job is working for Nuala. As a managing director she has huge scope and vision, that is why we have come so far so quickly. She also really encourages development among the staff team which allows us to flourish and really be part of what makes this company work. I also really appreciate finally finding a job than combines my skills in management and business with my creativity, it is rare to find a job that gives you opportunities to use both.
Why is what you do important?
The film industry in Northern Ireland is beginning to really flourish with productions from HBO, Universal and Disney being filmed here. Sadly however there are very few local artists working on these productions in the prosthetics departments. This is because there is a skills gap here – until Titanic Creative Management was set up there was no dedicated professional training in this field in Northern Ireland. Titanic Creative Management is changing this by providing the best training available bringing the industry’s top artists from around the world to Belfast to teach emerging and established artists here on their home soil, improving their skill set and employability potential so they can compete both nationally and internationally in this field.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
The people that have made it in this field are the ones who have literally lived and breathed their art form. Dedication to learning, improving your skills and a having a real passion for what you do is essential. Attitude is everything, you could be the most talented and skilled person in this field but if you have a bad attitude it will get you nowhere.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I wouldn’t change a thing about the career I am in now, however, I have to answer the question so in an alternate universe where I didn’t have a creative job I would have loved to have been a Marine Biologist or Zoologist. I adore wildlife and the great outdoors and imagine a job in that field would be fun and challenging!
If you could go back, what is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Don’t take things personally. I struggled a lot in the early days of my career questioning myself and taking criticism personally. Firstly being critiqued is the only way you learn. Secondly, in any career, and especially the creative industries, you are going to come across many people with very challenging personalities which you need to learn to work with, people management and diplomacy is a key skill whatever industry you work in. Don’t take everything to heart.
Describe your ideal day off.
Making the most of days off is important. When I am not trying to catch up on my house work or gardening, family or friends my favourite place to be in in the great outdoors either in a forest or at the beach.