The Post: Founder and Director, AVA & UP Productions
The Post Holder: Sarah McBriar
Hard work, drive and passion have guided Sarah McBriar’s career.
Read all about her career journey
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I am the creative director and founder of Up Productions Ltd and AVA. I founded and pioneered AVA, an Electronic Audio Visual Arts movement, producing six festivals and conferences in Belfast, four in London, and over 45 satellite events across Manchester, Glasgow, Mumbai, Amsterdam and Dublin. My passion for community, creativity and development has been reflected throughout my career, from pioneering and project managing a large-scale tourism development project for Manchester City Football Club between 2012-2015 acquiring international investment and achieving leading attraction status in the City, to working as the assistant producer at Block 9 on the Glastonbury 2014 team, and artist management at Manchester International Festival.
Most recently, I have been appointed as an Entrepreneur Expert at Oxford University, as part of their O-Network, advising businesses on key challenges and supporting their development. I am also an active voice on the Northern Ireland Music Steering Group and a member of AFEM, the She.Said.So. Music Network.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Art and Economics (seems very obvious now).
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I did. I studied International Management at the University of Manchester and UBC, Vancouver (on my year abroad) and then did a Masters in Creative Producing at Central in London.
How did you get into your area of work?
A mixture of being involved in the scene in Belfast and Manchester, and now London, a lot of hard work volunteering at other festivals, interning at different companies, and other events, and then my masters was where I gained my first piece of funding to get things going.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I have always wanted to create work that was design led and to build an incredible team driven by passion. I am lucky it has become my day job.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
Live event experience, a love for music and the arts, understanding of creativity and what makes a great environment to create great work, an ability to work insane hours, understanding numbers and managing finance is key to the growth and ensuring everyone gets paid.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
Yes, very much so. There is no traditional route into what I do; hard work and drive is mainly it. Creating relationships and leaving a brilliant impression on those you work with and those who experience your productions is key.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Leadership, ability to take risks, organisationall skills, delegation, great attention to detail, design focused eye, and an ability to balance serious and fun – it’s important to be able to make a situation light when they feel very intense.
What does a typical day entail?
At the moment it is peak festival production time, so each day is incredibly busy. I will start between 7-8am, and work on mainly emails and requests and payments with our accounts team, then on-site for key meetings, then media and press and then meetings with my management team around any changes, budgets or issues that need addressed.
Before production time, I would be working across three main projects, the festival being one of them, and I work with a great team, across all aspects, including creative, programming, marketing, production and more.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The hours are probably the most challenging and the level of risk involved. The best is working with extremely talented, passionate, optimistic, and fun people, all driven to create the best work in their field. For me, designing the production and festival site is the best part of the job and seeing it come together in real life and people getting to enjoy it.
Why is what you do important?
We all need connection, the pandemic proved how essential this is in our lives. We create environments for people to connect in unforgettable ways.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business/role?
It decimated the industry and our business and stripped us back to ground zero. However, a lot of positive and new developments have come from that. We moved our focus to work on a new immersive project which we received R&D support to develop and we are now hoping to launch this in 2022. It is a unique and interesting time.
What adjustments have you had to make?
We have had to make a lot of adjustments. We began by hiring someone specifically to develop our Covid-19 plans for the festival, to ensure we met regulations but continued to progress as a business. We work closely with the authorities and remain fully up-to date with the latest regulations and we are ready to respond when they change.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
This business is about relationships, attention to detail and ability to go above and beyond. Understanding the industry is key, so take your time to build the right relationships, and be true to your craft, always have integrity and ensure you walk away from each job knowing you delivered and you’re proud of what you achieved.
Describe your ideal day off.
Climbing a mountain in the sunshine, swimming in the sea, drinking wine with a fresh paella, dancing through the night that follows.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Who you work for is as important as what you do. Don’t just focus on the job role – focus on the company, the employer and the ethics and vision behind that company.
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