Lauren Joy Cameron came to work at EEA as Administrator (Maternity Cover), read about her journey with us & the impact it's had on her career.
I came to work at Emergency Exit Arts as the (Maternity Cover) Administrator in August 2018 after more than seven years managing projects for International film studios in the Digital Media Industry. Managing accounts for studios such as Disney and 20th Century Fox.
I was determined find more meaningful and rewarding work within the community arts sector so I decided to change careers. Having a BA in Theatre and Performance studies I wanted to re-enter The Arts and utilise some of my transferable skills that I developed over my career. Of particular interest was participatory and community based arts so EEA seemed like a great stepping-stone, as a pillar of the outdoor and participatory arts world. I had considered an MA in Applied Theatre or similar but didn’t want the additional student debt that this would entail. I instead decided that I could learn about participatory and community arts on the job and indeed I did!
My role was primarily administrative on paper, from collating reports for funders, day-to-day running of the office such as petty cash, scheduling meetings, space management and supporting the team. However, I was given the opportunity to assist with the delivery and preparation of multiple events over the seven months at EEA and this was a great opportunity for me to utilise and build on my events management experience. I was also given the opportunity to produce a weekend of events for the National campaign for science and the arts; Fun Palaces! As well as manage a float at the prestigious Lord Mayor's Show.
As such, EEA gave me the opportunity to dive into the deep end of working in an arts organisation and the community spirit of the team and everyone’s kindness, support and real passion for their work meant I was quickly able to learn about all the different facets of working in the arts. From reporting and evaluation process for funders, to producing projects and submitting funding bids, I gained a broad overview and had the opportunity to learn on the job.
EEA opened doors for me within the Arts industry and eight months later, I’m now about to start a full time role as Programme Coordinator at Kazzum Arts.
As such, EEA has been a great stepping-stone for me, at a key transitional point in my career and I been lucky enough to work alongside some of the most spirited people I’ve ever come across.
Thanks EEA!