Film Hub South East’s annual series of free online training sessions for our members is now open for registration.
This year, the three sessions will focus on:
- running your organisation strategically and making the most of your resources
- building financial partnerships within your local community
- creating partnerships that can build your current audience and reach new people.
The sessions will be led by industry experts and feature a range of case studies from guest speakers from the region and beyond. These sessions are tailored specifically for organisations in the South East, aiming to address the issues members face and share practical steps to overcome them.
Not a Film Hub South East Member? If you show films in the region, it’s free and easy to join.
Programme
How to run your organisation strategically
Thursday 24 July, 10:00 to 11:30 (Session recording available until end of December)
In this first session, attendees will be provided with an overview of how your organisation can define its vision, build a strategic plan that maximises what you can achieve with your resources, facilitates communication with funders and stakeholders and helps you meet clear goals in reaching audiences. The session will include a case study presented by Hannah Jordan, Head of Events at Towner, Eastbourne.
Building financial partnerships in the community
Thursday 25 September, 10:00 to 11:30 (Session recording available until end of December)
We will explore case studies of how film organisations have successfully established small financial partnerships within their local communities to bring new funding streams into the organisation, both in cash and through in-kind support, and extend their community reach and involvement. The session will include two case studies from Leigh Film Society and Folkestone Documentary Festival – two organisations that have established brilliant initiatives and worked collaboratively with the local community.
Partnerships for Audience Development
Thursday 27 November, 10:00 to 11:30
For our final session, we will take a step back from the financial side of the organisation and look back at the audiences. The session will feature case studies from MAC, Birmingham and Chichester Cinema at New Park – two organisations that have successfully formed new partnerships that have enabled them to either expand on their current audience or attract an entirely new audience to their screenings.
Speakers
Catharine Des Forges
Director, Independent Cinema Office
Catharine started her career as a Film Exhibition Officer at the BFI and has worked with many venues over the last 30 years both as a funder, consultant and advisor as well as a period spent at Arts Council England in a similar role. She set up the ICO in 2003 and took it from a start-up with 3 members of staff and 10 months worth of funding to the present day, with a capital asset and a turnover of just under £2m. Over the years she has led on funding strategy and organisational development and has raised millions of pounds from organisations such as BFI, ACE, Esmee Fairbairn, Creative Europe, Screen Skills and numerous film institutes and other partners. She is an advisory board member for Be The Business (www.bethebusiness.com).
David Baldwin
Producer, Cinema & Screen, MAC, Birmingham
David Baldwin has worked in the cinema exhibition industry since 2008, beginning at Birmingham's Electric Cinema where he launched the Shock & Gore horror festival before becoming cinema programmer at the Midlands Arts Centre in 2018. Before that, he was a staff writer at Metro newspaper and a freelance radio journalist. He has made two short films, compiles the monthly Filmwire newsletter for Film Hub Midlands and is also founder of the annual Square Eyes TV festival.
Anne-Marie Flynn
Executive Director, Chichester Cinema at New Park
Spent 16 years in magazine publishing, predominantly on Screen International, as Ad Director and then Publishing Director. Five years at BAFTA as Head of Awards was followed by 14 years at the BFI, initially to develop the reach of the London Film Festival and grow its international profile, then as its Head of Business and Industry and latterly as Managing Director of the Festival. I then got a bit burned out and four years ago decided to leave London and live by the sea. The intention was to spend my days gardening and painting, but then a little independent cinema in the heart of Chichester captured by heart, and after three years on the board, I became its Executive Director in 2023 and I love every minute of it. It’s a complete contrast to my previous work with a tiny team and really feeling embedded into the community.