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Gareth Interview: Otter Voice Meeting Notes

Gareth Interview

Alice Wheal19min

Alice Wheal

00:00

That's okay. Thanks. Yeah, so basically what how have you been involved with the bed? What was your like? What have you been doing for it?

Gareth

00:10

So cars will go does business has been involved with city of culture really from from the outset. And we, I guess we we've kind of dipped our toes into it a little bit over the last couple of years, but we're a gateway club member. So it's the kind of business group that there's run by city of culture, where that's probably our main area of involvement with it. But we do a lot of work with the City Council, and we know the players involved with it. And we are quite a strong voice in the city, and a supportive city and culture.

Alice Wheal

00:55

Okay, cool. So where you're part you're a part of the bed or you weren't part of the bed.

Gareth

01:01

What's been the big

Alice Wheal

01:03

didn't really understand what you did, but what what have you done for the bed like

Gareth

01:08

so for the, for the two pieces. So we we have to be honest, we've not like said we've not been that close to it, we've not really been been working kind of proactively with them. To put together the bid forces of culture. Our closest part of it has been, has really been as a as a gateway club member and, and a bit of a sounding board with with some of the players involved with it. I think that I was on the board, but I'm not on the board. So we got that.

Alice Wheal

01:48

I think Tim just didn't want to talk to me. Because basically what was happening? Yeah, okay, so you haven't really been that involved with it?

Gareth

01:58

Not massively No, but close to it. So if I my I'm part of the Southampton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Group, which is which is heavily involved with it. So some of my colleagues on that team are very close to it. So it's something that does come up in discussions a lot and and it's something that we're we're very aware of, but I don't know I mean, what from this conversation what what do you want to get out of it? What's your what's your

Alice Wheal

02:30

well I'm just kind of trying to bind I guess because my days it can you like me unless you're on a roster together? And because I I've lived in Manhattan my whole life basically. I don't know I'm like really, I'm a really community based like designer and I always have been so I wanted to look at like obviously the city of culture bed but also like post bed. What what I kind of wanted to find someone everyone's about heart heart. I spoke to a lot of people so far, and everyone's like, we can't disclose that is really hard. But yeah, I basically just wanted to look at postpaid, like, what Samsung kind of sees, like, what they want to be, like implemented throughout the city, like what the kind of aims are, like off the bid. Yeah, just have a general conversation about like, why this is needed for Southampton. And, like the key, the key moves really

Gareth

03:25

a lot I mean, a lot of it is planning to generate investment in the city. So it's trying to highlight Southampton sort of the good and the bad of it, if you look at previous winners, then they've not been you know, the most kind of glitzy cities in in in Britain, they've been the ones that actually have some some pretty big issues that that need to be solved as well. So and that the aim is that culture can play a role in in enhancing the lives of people in the city as well as highlighting the great things about that city that wins it and encouraging people to invest both in terms of bringing the cultural offer during its its time assistive culture, but also those longer term investments in the city as well. So I think that some of the numbers that are bandied about in terms of the investment that was made in whole during its time a city of culture, justifies why they want to go for it and why they want to be part of it. So the aim really is to try and try and lift Southampton up and highlight the great things about Southampton but also bring new things in to the cultural landscape in Southampton and and and yeah, drive investment and you know, we're as a city we're always looking for businesses to locate here and and people To to actually want to come and visit as a as a tourist attractions as much as anything as well. It's often people going on cruise ships, they, they turn up, they get on the cruise ship and they don't spend any time on city. So a big push for visiting cities always how do we get people to get here a little bit early or stay on a little bit late and spend some time and, and money in the city, you know, as part of their as part of their holiday and and if you look at Southampton's cultural offering, we're actually we're actually in a very good place at places like the Mayflower Theatre and the gallery in Southampton is world class. And it's a bit of a hidden secret, isn't it? That, that we've got what we've got there. And I bet if you asked a lot of people residences signups and they're not even aware of it, let alone people further afield. So, so yeah, so city's culture is trying to highlight all of that great stuff that's happening and generate some new things that helps to enhance the lives of people that live and working in the city.

Alice Wheal

06:08

Yeah, no, that's that's a really good explanation. Yeah, so what's this steering group that Tim was talking about? In his email? Do you know what he's talking about? Like? So what is the steering group? Because he mentioned that you were on the steering group.

Gareth

06:26

So I'm not on the steering group. But what is so the steering group is made up of people from around the city that are either running businesses or involved in the cultural offering to help shape what city of culture will be in through to how the biggest put together? And also what goes on? If if should we win it? So it's a mix of people? I know, one of the worst couple of people on there include people like Laura Belinsky, who is the commercial director Newsquest to only echo. And there's also people like Peter Taylor, who's managing partner at Parris Smith. So it's kind of business people are in that mix from from all walks of life, really, but it will also be Kelly, who runs UCC 101, the control radio station? For I think it's for Asian and ethnic audiences. So yeah, people running those kind of community focused initiatives as well as people running businesses, and it will be educators as well. So I think Sarah Stan, art at the city, city colleges is involved, as well as people at the City Council. So the new leader, recently elected tax that vehicle is, is that I think she she heads up the bid. And then you've got people like Selena perlu, who's the restaurants her and MasterChef winner. So these are all people that I don't know if they're on your kind of hit list to talk to, but it's definitely worth tapping them up. I think Chalene has, I think she's the chair, actually. So she's definitely if you can get an audience with her she's definitely worth speaking to.

Alice Wheal

08:28

There isn't really anywhere other than like, on the bit website, like, yeah, the bit website where it kind of says about people in the trust. But other than that, I haven't really found like, I haven't heard of any of those people in our lives. So that's completely new information to me, but I feel like if there was someone that said all of this information, obviously, maybe it's not like public knowledge. Well,

Gareth

08:50

I don't know. I mean, is it Claire Whitaker, who's the person that's like the CEO, or the person running it, so she appears on most of their promotional stuff. So she's probably as your number one target to speak to, she's probably the person to speak to. I've only met her a couple of times. So I don't know that well, whereas Gemma, and it's just Gemma's surname, let me just double check. I did like say attach her up on LinkedIn to speak to you. But feel free to reach out to her directly as well. And just say you can mention my name, Jennifer Nichols. She's the I think she's director of marketing for the bait commercial and marketing director.

Alice Wheal

09:33

Okay, cool. Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah, and I feel like I've messaged like, I mean, I've added everyone on LinkedIn that was on the trust yesterday. So I've kind of been messaging some of those people. But yeah, it's hard. It's hard to get in contact with obviously it's very busy time as well, because the people coming tomorrow I

Gareth

09:49

think that's probably why and what are your timescales for your project when?

Alice Wheal

09:54

I mean, I'm not really in any rush like if he's really in any Um, but yeah, my deadlines like August. So as long as it's done before then it's fine.

Gareth

10:03

Yeah. So I bet. Certainly, at the end of this month, the the decision is made, isn't it whether we win or not? So you'll either find that you've got people who have nothing to do and loads of time to speech or not that certainly after this week, I think you might get a bit more success, but I would I mean, one, it might be, she's going to be busy this. So Sofia, who is the, from the political side, she's leading, but she was the leader of the opposition until last week, and then they got elected. So she'll be the leader of the council from next week. So she might be quite busy, but she's somebody really worth speaking to. And because she's a politician, she might, you know, you're one of her constituents, so she might find time for you. But I would say the best people to speak to her probably Gemma sat via Claire Whitaker, or shoe Lena, they're probably because they're the they're the key players in terms of decisions being made. Especially as Tim doesn't want to speak to you

Alice Wheal

11:17

guys, with my email. That's really helpful. Thank you. I think we just needed some names to go off. And then I can find out a bit more information for you.

Gareth

11:31

Just Lizzy was saying that you're, you're working on your projects develop brand for the city? Is that right? Or?

Alice Wheal

11:39

Yeah, so I'm my basically like, as I don't my aim is like to look at if Southampton wants to win the bed. I'm looking at collaborating with artists and designers to create kind of like a cultural landmark for the city. So different cultural landmarks that then sort of the outside community of Southampton can kind of see that actually, there is a creative like community here. And that I do want to be a part of it, because I've just literally come from meeting actually, with Mary who's a part of like a space arts and she runs the artist development programme. And she was basically saying that there are artists here but they're like she doesn't know where they are or like why aren't they engaging with a lot of the programmes that are within Southampton at the moment. So yeah, I'm just really want to bring like the creativity to the forefront of the city and kind of like make it as like a very clear thing. Like when I came back from university that I was at university in Cornwall, and I came back to do my masters in Southampton. Obviously, I've lived here before but came back to do and I was like trying to find a community that obviously isn't part of my masters but was in person. And I found it really difficult like going even tours to art galleries and like a space and Gods has power in different artists studios and just different people and they just weren't able to point me in a direction where they were, like my types of people in Southampton. So I think like a lot of the other like, a lot of the city might be confused that actually do we even have a creative community. Obviously, the city of culture bed has brought a lot of that to light, but actually post bed, what are we going to do to like, bring it to the forefront? Yeah. So I think it's really interesting. And like, obviously, there's like illustrators, like Nathan, who's He's done a lot of the illustrations across like West key and the main part like the main town, and so Hampton. And they're obviously like commissioning artists to do like murals. And there's like bursaries that are going on, but like, what are the actual projects that they're going to be like, the creative like, the community is gonna be like, Okay, so this is what the city is, but like city culture bit, this is what they

Gareth

13:33

have you blindfolded at the moment, it's, it's a bit of a case of, we don't know, we just got to get through the beat and then guide. But I'd be amazed if there's not if there's not that community, I tell you another another name, who is brilliant is and it's not art as in graphic design, or, or, you know, kind of painted art or, but Zoe Golding, who runs Zoe logic is on the bench. She's very involved with the big, it's, she's a dance producer, the official term is, but she's ace and she's very Southampton very involved, maybe would have, you know, more kind of energy and time to talk to you, but she'll be right at the centre of it. What I'll do is I'll tap up a few more of those people on LinkedIn and just forward on your message that you put on there the other day. And then but I think you'll probably find that someone like Zoe is you'll get more out of them because they'll know everything that's going on at City of Culture, but actually she's kind of a bundle of energy and just you know, she'll which will be really helpful. So I'll send it on to her. Try the whilst that I mean, it's kind of it for me it's interesting because we we are we've been involved as a business about a brand for the city for years and years and years, and we've never managed to get everyone to come together in the same place. So we've been involved in various various kinds of steering groups and panels. And we're working on a project at the moment, it's kind of on hold because of city culture, because, quite rightly, they don't want to send out confusing messages with one brand saying one thing, but it's it's something Lizzie's working on, actually, which is it's about trying a brand, an international brand for Southampton, why, kind of why should people are trying to inspire people to invest in the city? So it's a more kind of a b2b play, but it's all tied up with? What is Southampton? And what is the the one clear narrative that we want people to think and feel about about the city? So so I'm sure it'd be whatever we ended up doing, it will be in, you know, in partnership, or, or, you know, in consideration with with the route, that city of culture goes down, but, but certainly, you know, if you're independently thinking about this and developing it for your project, then do you know, do keep us in the loop is through lazy or directly? Because it's, you know, it's nice to have someone doing a master's project and thinking about these things that are kind of bad. They're related to what we're doing in, in the business world. So yeah, do do keep us in the loop however you want to. But yeah, like, probably the best thing I can do is try and just connect you with a couple of people. And hopefully, you'll get more sense out of them than you have for me, but

Alice Wheal

16:43

it's really helpful. Yeah, I think the main thing is just, which is why I've been trying to speak to a space and you're different, like organisations as being a lot of the time I just need like, mainly just to talk to someone who knows everything that's going on to the culture, but also someone who's in charge of like, a lot of the artists and designers because I've messaged probably like I've had about three years.

Gareth

17:06

So just thinking about this the lady call Carolyn Abel, who is she's worked for the city council, but culture, she's head of culture or something along those lines, who, again, I'll reach out to her, but that she might be it for that very point you just made she might be somebody who's connected with all of those kind of arts groups and and artists.

Alice Wheal

17:35

Yeah, that'd be really helpful. Yeah. Just having conversation with people is just very interesting. And just learning that perspective. But yeah, I think the whole identity like, Yeah, I think it'll be really interesting. And even talking to I've had started to interviews with artists and like, their main inspiration, like one of them I spoke to His name is like Joss Lopez. And he's a part of like Archer studios, and his like, main inspirations like the city and the history. But then I'm gonna do one I've literally been in for 12 with a girl Katie, who's like a graduate, she's a part of like, the, she got the bursary as part of the city of culture. And she does like sculptures and stuff, but I think her inspirations, and the organisations that she's a part of, will be completely different. So I think then me creating identity from all of this at the end. Yeah, it's gonna be really interesting. It's gonna be a long process, but I'm excited.

Gareth

18:24

Yeah, keen to where I can because like, so it's, it's relevant to what we're doing projects we're working on. And so if you, you know, if you want to have a chat about anything, or run anything past once you get a bit further on then. Yeah, so what do you do? What are you do? Are you a graphic designer? do you what do you do as a job?

Alice Wheal

18:49

So by my BA, I'm an interior architecture, like, that's what I graduated in. I'm actually I work at a pub part time. Which is guy love your waitress, which is great. But no, I because I graduated in COVID. I graduated in 2020, in peak COVID times, those weren't any jobs. So this is why a bartender masters, and I haven't yet been successful in getting a job within the industry. So hoping at the end of this, there might be something

Gareth

19:17

we're always looking for good designers. So keep in touch on that side of things as well. And you know, when when you're ready ping over a CV or something and at the very least, we can look at it and, and and you know, keep it on file and then if there's something comes up we can we can we can reach out to them as well.

Alice Wheal

19:37

Amazing. Thank you so much for your time, as well.

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