Sound advice from MC4C helps Lewis build a career in the film industry
AMBITIONS: Lewis in Trinity Market, where he first met members of the MC4C team
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A talented creative who has already built up a wealth of experience from a variety of arts and culture projects is working to develop the sector locally after setting up his own business with the help of an organisation dedicated to helping young entrepreneurs.
Lewis Chadwick’s CV includes producing multimedia events, coordinating eight film festivals, curating virtual arts programmes, and as organising and collaborating on numerous live events, broadcasts and music concerts.
His strategy is to build a platform of strong business practices and principles with the help of Making Changes For Careers (MC4C), which works to give young people the inspiration and support they need to realise their entrepreneurial ambitions.
His ambitions range from working as a freelance with high profile local arts organisations to launching his own arts company working on events, programmes and festivals as well sound and music processes in film, TV and other forms of multimedia.
Lewis heard about MC4C when he was preparing to set up as a sole trader, and he arranged to meet members of the team in Trinity Market.
He said: “They’re a wonderful team and I’ve been to all the workshops and learned so much. They really helped me come out of my shell.
VARIED ROLE: Lewis as lead sound engineer for ‘Reparation’ with gaffer Harry Chapman, left, and assistant director Callum Ahmed
“One specific area they helped with was tax and HMRC. There are all sorts of fears around that because you don’t want to get it wrong. MC4C provided support one-to-one, by email and over the phone.
“It was also really helpful that they sent all the presentations as well because there is a lot to take in and some of the guidance is more for the future than the present so you can go back to it when you need to. You can set the pace to suit your workload.
Lewis added that the highlight was joining another MC4C entrepreneur, Chelsie Cannon-Bowie of Donche Designs & Events, to deliver a presentation about neurodivergence to an audience of entrepreneurs at the Business Unite event in South Shields organised by Farr North – members of the Micro Business Alliance.
Lewis began learning the ropes of a creative career by curating concert events with local grassroots artists in Peterborough. He trained in events education at the Royal Albert Hall and in 2020 gained a first-class BA joint-honours degree in Music & Film Studies at the University of Hull, falling in love with the city along the way.
His studies opened the door to an array of projects including representing the University as an arts programmer and helping it build partnerships with professional arts groups and organisations, including BBC Humberside, Opera North, Absolutely Cultured and Century 21 Films.
While studying, Lewis also started working professionally in the screen industries, helping to produce several feature films, complementary film merchandise and multimedia projects in all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production for theatrical cinema, streaming and retail releases. The experience also sharpened his awareness of the challenges facing creatives in the north.
ON SET: Lewis as part of the crew working on the Amazon Prime film ‘Warlord’ at Chillingham Castle, Northumberland
Lewis said: “I've always dedicated my career to inspiring creativity and innovation by forming opportunities and initiatives in the creative industries for marginalised and underrepresented groups, removing restrictions of discrimination, prejudice and socio-geographical barriers in support of diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility.
“This is especially important when 70 per cent of the film and TV industries are concentrated in London and the South East, with northern regions such as Yorkshire, Humber, North East and North West totalling only 6.9 per cent overall and further studies revealing that just 8 per cent of creatives in film and TV are from a working-class background.”
A short film, ‘Reparation’, which was completed recently, featured a local team of talented cast and crew, and coming later this year is the Unthinkable Film Festival. Lewis’s temporary role as producer and communications manager embraced such duties as writing arts fund and grant applications, developing arts resources, and designing and leading presentations for major stakeholder and networking events.
Lewis said: “Working as a community coordinator for three years I managed seven annual films festivals in England, Wales and America – contributing to sold-out screenings with more than over three-hundred attendees per day, building festival fan communities and helping to secure new partnerships with such organisations as The British Museum, The BFI Future Film Academy, WARP Snacks, Werewolf Beer and local businesses.
“A personal highlight was curating volunteer initiatives to generate work experiences by offering festival training and opportunities to support creatives building their portfolios – which is how I started my career.”I believe everyone deserves access to arts and culture events, activities and equipment, and I will never stop helping and supporting under-represented working class, diverse, gender non-conforming, D/deaf, disabled, neurodiverse, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ groups to feel included, respected and represented in the creative industries. MC4C can help me do that.”