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This year at The Big Idea we've been showcasing creative careers, including letting you know 'Who Got That Job' and recent appointments. Megan Lyon has been the Spark International Festival director for three years now, so for this interview we checked in to see how she's going and her plans for 2017.

Tasked with bringing creative minds from NZ and around the globe to Wintec in Hamilton each year, Megan has also shared some of those voices here with Spark 16 videos from Leonie Hayden of Mana Magazine, Scott Paterson senior design lead at IDEO, artist Lonnie Hutchinson and Christopher Doyle of CD & Co Sydney. 

Qualifications: MA (hons) and PG Dip management, University of Waikato

Tell us a bit about your background

I grew up in the Coromandel and the arts have always been important to me. My first proper job out of university was as an associate director of an art gallery in Auckland. I moved back to Hamilton in 2005 and was business development manager of the Hamilton city theatres for six years.  

Tell us a bit about your career

My previous role as business development manager for Hamilton’s city theatres involved bringing in events that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, and also supporting other companies using the theatres through marketing and audience development. I created a number of relationships with companies who had not previously toured in Hamilton before. 

What’s a highlight of your resume/portfolio?

I was part of a central North Island consortium when Creative New Zealand launched its distribution strategy which enabled further expansion of touring works and as a venue having greater ownership of curating programmes.  

Tell us about your role

I’m the festival director for the annual Spark International Festival of Music, Media, Arts and Design at Wintec, Hamilton. I’ve held this role since December 2013, so three years. It is tasked with bringing creative minds from NZ and around the globe to Hamilton and the programme comprises 30+ presentations, workshops and masterclasses and managing offsite events over a week long period.

Tell us about the mission and vision

The vision of Spark Festival is to create a vibrant, accessible, educative and entertaining international festival programme within the disciplines of media, arts and design for tertiary and secondary students, staff, stakeholders and the wider community.  

There are four key mission themes around connection, content, audience development and experience.
 
Why did you want this role? What was a perfect fit? 

I firmly believe that there is no substitute for the experience of people presenting face-to-face, in the same way that live theatre transports us from the everyday. I love curating a programme, with creative industry leaders who share their stories in an engaging and thought provoking way.

What did you need to adapt or learn?

My perception of Spark’s audience came from my experience of attending after I returned to Hamilton in 2005 so I’ve had to flip to director rather than participant. Being based in an educational institution is a new context however having staff who have been involved in Spark for many years has been hugely helpful.  

What combination of people, partners and resources do you work with?

I work with the Media Arts school team leaders and colleagues in shaping the programme. I also keep in regular contact with my wider networks and long term partners to talk through ideas that help to grow the festival. I work with three PR and design student interns.  

What are some of your recent and upcoming projects?

Most recent was #spark16 in August, our 17th festival, which was a dynamic programme and one of our best. We had amazing speakers from around the globe. We had a senior designer from IDEO in the US and the business manager of Blast Theory UK as well as speakers from around NZ and Australia.   

What’s your short and long-term goals?

Short term I’d like to do some ‘sparkettes’ in between the main festival to engage with audiences more often. I’d like to keep building relationships with synergistic partners to create collaborative projects that help to grow the arts and creative industries in the city and region. 

What advice would you give to someone pursuing a similar creative career or pathway?

Volunteer, take internships, and don’t be afraid to ask people in the industry for advice. Also recognising that career paths often takes a circuitous route so all sorts of things that you do have relevance eventually!  

What's your number one business tip for surviving and thriving in the creative industries?

Love what you do! Work hard, be optimistic and choose to surround yourself with people who are on the same page, but will give you honest feedback. Partner with people and organisations that make sense and make going to work a fun experience.  

What are the challenges and opportunities in your sector?

Attendance at the festival is pretty steady but an ongoing challenge is growing audiences and in particular getting and keeping our Wintec Media Arts students engaged. Therein lies an opportunity to use new technology and look at innovative ways to interact with these audiences. 

What’s your big idea for 2017?

Spark takes place 14-18 August 2017 which will be the 19th festival. An exciting performance aspect to the programme will be the ‘band in the bubble’ project whereby musicians/composers/ producers will showcase, in real time, the composition, rehearsals, performance and recording of new music.