The greater part of the Culture and Creative Sector is an innovative, dynamic and  commercial operation. It operates like every other business sector – just with access to less funding and fewer supports.

I work with  organisations to scale what they do, to pivot their business models, and to reposition them either within their industry or within their market, so that they can grow their customer base, increase their revenues, and respond to the social financial and technological challenges of a rapidly changing cultural environment. These. are really exciting areas of work, and they demand a relentless focus on the customer/audience, an honest appraisal of market potential and organisational capacity, and a realistic and deep understanding of the business environment in which we’re operating.

My job is to make sure you can clearly see the potential and the limitations of your organisation,  the constraints and the opportunities you need to respond to,  and make the necessary organisational changes to take effective action.

Like it or not the almost mythical character of The Entrepreneur , that dynamic, disruptive, and endlessly creative persona, is now a major character on the cultural landscape.  We all have to be entrepreneurial and innovative these days. Is this possible and what do these words even mean?

Entrepreneurship is one part myth, one part personality and one very big part context.  It’s the ability to see and make connections between ideas, and between people; to move fast and recover quickly.

Entrepreneurship is nearly always a team effort, and I bring a very specific skill set to teams: asking the hard questions, understanding complex situations,  discarding ideas and solutions quickly, and keeping the focus on the customer, the solution and the value.

Its been a great pleasure to work like this with people such as Scott Coombs on the Digital Transformations project, with Barney Spender, director and producer of The Road to Sparta and now director of Ragged Rock Productions, with Conor Harrington of Giant Animation and the driving force behind the Greystones Media Campus and many others.

“I have known John for over 30 years as a colleague, collaborator and friend. We have worked together on theatre productions; collaborated on consultancy projects; and co-taught arts and management modules at UCD. I have found him to be a constant source of creative insight particularly in relation to big gnarly complex issues. John isn’t afraid to think dangerous thoughts and he is gifted at framing those thoughts into inspiring questions. And the answer to every question you can throw back at him? Is always Yes! Hire him” – Annette Clancy Director of the MA in Cultural Policy & Arts Management Assistant Professor of Management at UCD School of Art History & Cultural Policy