UK - As part of its bid to engage young people with the production industries, Production Futures returned to stage a brand activation at Bludfest, which took place at Milton Keynes Bowl on 21 June. The festival’s eclectic lineup, curated by singer-songwriter Yungblud, attracted a diverse range of fans, including many young people for whom the Production Futures pop-up stand provided insights into possible careers in the production sector.
The Production Futures stand was located in the fan-zone entrance, and as well as providing information about the organisation’s upcoming On Tour shows, ran a series of popular competitions designed to attract the interest of young people with limited knowledge of the wide range of opportunities in the sector.
The stand was designed by Abigail Skelton and Ant Ioannou, two second-year students at the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, part of Nottingham Trent University, who also ran the AV and lighting elements. They collaborated with leading lighting and video rental and production house, Siyan, who supplied all lighting and video to the main stage for Bludfest, to enjoy exactly the kind of experience that Production Futures is determined to promote. The pair also spent time sharing their own insights with visitors to the stand.
Representatives from some of Production Futures’ brand partners made themselves available to speak to more than one thousand young visitors and provide hands-on experience of consoles and other technologies. Solotech, Special Projects Music Co., Exposure, Ox House Productions, Only Helix, AEG Presents, Siyan, KB Event, ER Productions, Vision Factory, and Viking Events, each of whom were key production providers to Bludfest, all contributed to the Production Futures initiative.
The Yungblud/Bludfest team extended their invitation to Production Futures after becoming aware of its work through monitor engineer Freyja Lawson, who is a keen supporter of the organisation.
Significantly, the show also saw two previous Production Futures Breakthrough Talent Award winners in active roles. Yungblud’s production manager Jake Mazzuca (head of production at Only Helix) won in 2022, whilst Tia Simpson (social media/marketing at KB Events) was a winner last year – further proof of the value of Production Futures’ aims.
Hannah Eakins of Production Futures, who co-ordinated the pop-up, comments: “We’re constantly seeking ways to connect young people with the production sector, and when Yungblud and the Bludfest team invited us to return to this unique event it was a very easy offer to accept!
“The event was once again a brilliant setting in which to highlight just how many suppliers are involved in the delivery of shows like this – we know that many hundreds of young festival-goers were inspired by the very real opportunities they could explore in our industry. As was the case at last year’s event, the level of interest shown by those in attendance was fantastic. There’s just no substitute for actually being able to speak directly to some of those responsible for the production on the day.
“We’re so very grateful to Yungblud for getting behind our mission and of course to all the event suppliers who contributed to such an exciting experience for everyone involved. It’s fair to say that the day proved to be an incredible success!”
