Small Green Shoots Magazine - Summer Edition 2023

welcome to the shoots culture

sixth edItIon

helping young people grow their careers in the creative industries

sMall sgreen hoot

c s

who we are

Small Green Shoots is a youth-led charity offering an alternative to the conventional system for education, training and entry into the job market.

This allows our Young Shoots to build a career, rather than just seek a job.

It’s in this way, Small Green Shoots has established itself as a trusted partner to a wide variety of music and creative businesses, supporting them in diversifying their work force.

our va lues &vision

AMBITION

We are brave and bold

We feel the fear and do it anyway

We help you realise your potential

NURTURE

We give people the freedom to fall and fly

We go above and beyond for everyone

We make the impossible possible

EXCELLENCE

We deliver quality over quantity

We make space for spotaneity

We are dynamic and creative

Short

Mental health awareness

unveiling Mental health: Insights froM aluMni shoot dwight gibson

In our lives, myriad factors can contribute to a sense of melancholy. Whether it stems from work, academia, relationships, social encounters, self-perception, or life-altering transitions; these challenges can weigh heavily on our well-being.

Coping with anxiety presents its own set of difficulties. However, there are steps we can take to regain control.

Join us as we engage in a profound conversation with Dwight Gibson, Alumni Shoot, as he graciously shares his personal journey and insights into navigating anxiety. Together, we’ll explore the strategies he employs to effectively manage his anxiety, offering hope and inspiration to all who grapple with similar tribulations.

How long have you been suffering from anxiety?

I was diagnosed in 2006, the diagnosis most definitely gave me clarity and closure in my teenage years.

Why is mental health awareness week important to you?

Talking openly about mental health can reduce stigma and bring more awareness especially in workplaces, It can also bring network and community to people which is very important!

What techiques do you use to control your anxiety?

Going for a walk and switching myself off completely. Techniques are different for everyone but it is just finding the right technique that fits you.

To find more: Get involved by visiting https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ mhaw #ToHelpMyAnxiety

Scan here for advice on how to manage anxiety

dwight gibson

introducing our

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined Small Green Shoots because I love what they do for young people. I want to be surrounded by fellow creatives and make new contacts in the industry so I knew that SGS was the place to be!

what are you lookIng forward to?

I am looking forward to getting stuck in with the work and being creative. I am also looking forward to learning new skills and software.

what are your goals for the future?

My goal for the future is to work in marketing. An area of marketing I really enjoy is social media management.

eartha junior content producer

our new shoots

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined Small Green Shoots because I liked the idea and how it gives young people like me an opportunity to achieve their dreams.

what are you lookIng forward to?

I’m looking forward to upgrading my skills, learning new things and connecting with other creative people like me.

what are your goals for the future?

My future goals are to create social media content and run social media campaigns for a company as a social media content producer/creator.

junior content producer diogo

why did you join sMall green shoots?

It’s Inevitably hard to get your foot in the creative space. So for me, Small Green Shoots is the perfect place to build a foundation. This is an opportunity for me to develop my professional and creative skills, with a supportive team to encourage the best from me.

our

what are you lookIng forward to?

I’m excited to connect with all the other creative individuals.

I’m deeply passionate about interacting with others from all different walks of life, as there’s always something to learn from others’ experience. Also learning and adapting new skills whilst building a professional profile.

what are your goals for the future?

I’m determined to create a career within the creative industry, specifically talent management/PR. I would love for this to branch into casting talent and potentially creating my own management business!

our new shoots

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined SGS for their support in aiding my creative growth. I also wanted to be immersed in a vibrant community of like-minded individuals and be apart of something that challenged me to push my creative boundaries.

what are you enjoying the Most?

The team. The team at Small Green Shoots continually present innovative ideas that challenge me creatively, which makes for a stimulating work environment. Each day brings me new insights and knowledge, allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.

what are your goals for the future?

I envision myself not only as a performer but a creative behind the scenes, organising events with Riffs N Rhymes. My ultimate goal is to establish a parent company that fosters a vibrant community embracing music, fashion, and art.

junior content producer

introducing our

tehya

personal assIstant

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined Small Green Shoots to gain experience in the creative industry and to develop my skills and confidence. I also wanted to explore possible career paths within the music industry. The work SGS does is incredible, I love their ethos and I wanted to be a part of the mission to create a more diverse industry.

what are you enjoying the Most?

I love working with a creative team that’s passionate about music. I’m really enjoying being a PA, it has allowed me to get involved with a variety of areas within the company, plus I’m always learning new things and expanding my network.

what are your goals for the future?

My goal is to fully emerge myself into the industry. My main interests lie within event management, artist management and live agency. I’m still learning about the music industry and the career possibilities out there!

our new shoots

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined SGS because I knew I needed to surround myself around a group of creators who have the same / similar creative identity as me. Being around a community of creatives who uplift one another is the best thing a creative can have.

junior content producer

what are you enjoying the Most?

I’m definitely looking most forward to becoming a part of the SGS family. Seeing the events that we have available to us and even hosting our own events, I can’t wait to experience this whole journey with everyone else beside me.

what are your goals for the future?

My main goal I would say is becoming a renowned designer. I take huge inspiration from Virgil Abloh & KAWS and their story. Hopefully one day I can be seen as someone who’s left a mark on the world in the creative arts especially within the music and fashion industry.

introducing our

why did you join sMall green shoots?

As a creative its hard to know where to start, Small Green Shoots, gives their young people a foundation and a way into to the industry. I see this as an opportunity to grow and learn and experience what other Small Green Shoots alumni that I have met and am friends with have experienced.

what are you enjoying the Most?

I am looking forward to making meaningful connections with other creatives and growing and being challenged as an individual.

what are your goals for the future?

I want to be an established singer/songwriter and be able to market myself in a way that is authentic to me. I also want to create spaces where young people can access the music industry and succeed.

Malaika adMin assistant

our new shoots

why did you join sMall green shoots?

I joined Small Green Shoots to both develop my employability skills and take up the opportunities they provide to become employed within the music industry.

what are you enjoying the Most?

To work with likeminded creatives, further grow my network and work at realising my dream career.

what are your goals for the future?

To work in either A&R admin or A&R for a major label or company in the music industry.

Meet our chair of trustees eunice obIanagha

pavIng the way as the fIrst head of dIversIty for uk MusIc!

tell us about your new role and what it entails?

I have been appointed as the first Head of Diversity for UK Music. UK Music is known as the collective voice of the UK Music industry as it represents all the major trade bodies which themselves represent the various sectors of the music industry. This spans everything from major labels and music publishing companies to producers and artists.

My job will be to work closely with UK Music’s members: AIM, BPI, FAC, Ivors Academy, MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL, PRS for Music, supplying support to them as needed, alongside working together to create strategies for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the music industry.

A key part of this role will be overseeing the management of UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of representatives from each of UK Music’s member organisations. Its aim is to act on matters of diversity and create strategies to address them. I will be working closely with its chair and deputy chair Ammo Talwar MBE and Paulette Long OBE to develop a programme of activity for the Taskforce, including ongoing work in support of The Music Industry Action Plan and related initiatives.

So, day-to-day this looks like working with our members to support them in reaching their diversity strategy outputs, producing a biennial diversity report, insight papers, events, and activities that aim to boost diversity and inclusion in the music industry.

In your opinion, why is your new role iMportant and needed in this industry?

Firstly, from an ethical perspective everyone should be afforded dignity and the opportunity to flourish in society and in turn their workplace.

Secondly, the UK music industry is a world leader. People are the life blood of the music industry, the fuel that keeps it going. To maintain our industry and the social and economic benefits it delivers to the country we must look after the people behind it.

Outside of UK Music I run a project and event management consultancy called ENSPIRE Management. We specialise in producing events and offering strategy and project management services to businesses in music and entertainment space.

how does your role support individuals in navigating the challenges of the Music industry?

From my experience in this capacity and getting to interact with lots of different people, I can confidently say that though the music industry is a glorious sector it can also be hard to navigate without support and direction. Therefore, roles like mine, and organisations like UK Music and its members, are important as they aim to campaign, champion, and find solutions to matters that are important to the music

improve the industry and enhance people’s everyday work experience.

Meet the sharps

this spring we welcoMed our 7th cohort.

Take a look at the career interest of our most recent Sharps and what they liked best about the programme.

jenifer

interested in A&R, Playlisting and Journalism

favourIte part of the prograMMe

Listening to industry professionals helped me change my goals and find my real passion

interested in Music Supervision

favourIte part of the prograMMe

The support from everyone at Small Green Shoots helped me to find my passion

interested in A&R and Marketing

favourIte part of the prograMMe

I really enjoyed the Q&As as it rare to get the opportunity to sit down and get insight from people as the music industry is so busy

interested in A&R and Marketing

favourIte part of the prograMMe

Being able to see first hand how these companies operate, and explore different career paths was truly eye-opening

interested in Sync and A&R

favourIte part of the prograMMe

The personalised approach and emphasis on practical experience created a nuturing environment where I thrived.

daniel shelby

Mansoor surafeal

interested in Artist Management

favourIte part of the prograMMe

The wide range of topics we covered related to the music business.

leah

interested in A&R and Marketing

favourIte part of the prograMMe

Getting an insight into music professionals day to day and being surrounded by like-minded people.

interested in Video Production

favourIte part of the prograMMe

The great network of people that were brought in for Q&A’s

interested in Artist Development

favourIte part of the prograMMe

Being in rooms with people I may have never had the chance to meet.

siMi caMron naoMi

sharps prograMMe

This May we said goodbye to our 7th Short Sharp Shot programme cohort.

Whilst on the 9-week development programme, the Sharps had over 60 guest speakers come in from across the industry, sharing their tips and experiences. The Sharps also had tours at Atlantic Records, BMG, Island Records and Sony Music Publishing where they got to spend time with various departments.

PPL brought the Sharps to their headquarters for the first time on the programme and delivered a session on royalties including the ins and outs of their business.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who visited and spent time with our Sharps and contributing to yet another successful programme.

This September, we welcome our 8th cohort in collaboration with Islington Council. Keep an eye on our socials for more information and application deadlines!

check out what our have been up to...

junteenth block party

Mobo unsung

On Thursday 15th June the Shoots and Sharps helped at the Juneteenth Block Party held at CampFire, Tileyard. This event was curated by Tileyard Education’s Diversity Committee, ‘Block Party’, to shine a light on black emerging artists, DJ’s, creatives, and black owned businesses. The Sharps and Shoots ran a SGS stall, bringing attention to the work we do and networking with industry professionals.

A big thank you to Tia De Gannes who organised the Juneteenth Block Party and got SGS involved.

This May, our Shoots were part of the selection panel for MOBO Unsung. They were all assigned a different genre and went through every artist application in their category and scored them in various areas. From the artists that scored the highest, 20 were then chosen to perform at a live showcase in front of some invited guests and a panel of judges.

A big thank you to Wisdom for getting the Shoots/Sharps involved, we all loved the experience and a great introduction to A&R!

our shoots

axs europe

MusIc week

Tehya, Kade and Simi, spent 2 weeks at AXS Europe, they spent time at the Head Office and onsite at BST festival. During their time in the office, they got to know the ins and outs of the ticketing company.

During the BST festival Tehya, Kade and Simi worked in the box office on site and supervised at the festival gates. They were also involved in briefing and overseeing volunteers, and troubleshooting ticketing and scanning issues.

A massive thank you to the team at AXS and a special thank you to Brogan and the Managing Director Chris. The Shoots had an amazing 2 weeks, they felt incredibly welcomed and learnt so much, what an experience!

Our Shoots were given the chance to work at this year’s Music Week Awards in May for the second consecutive year. Our Shoots were assigned a variety of tasks, including working at the door, welcoming guests to their seats, and helping the event planner on the day of the awards.

A special thank you to Danielle and the Music Week team for allowing our Shoots to participate for a second year running.

get Involved

There are lots of different ways that you can support us. As a charity, we wouldn’t be able to continue our great work without your support. You can get involved by:

1 2 3

Supporting a Shoot or Sharp during their time on our programme Partner with us for secondment or placement opportunities

Nominate Small Green Shoots to be your Charity of the Year and fundraise for us

Junior Content Producer

“I loved the fact that Small Green Shoots were offering young people from low-income households opportunities that they wouldn’t usually get. It was also an opportunity to make strides toward my goals without going to university.

I see myself being a top videographer, video editor, and social media manager in the industry

Use our QR code to make a donation.

a sMall green thank you to the paul haMlyn foundatIon and youth Music

We are absolutely delighted to be a recipient of a funding grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, joining the many other youth and arts charities they have supported over the years. We look forward to working with them over the next three years and sharing our successes.

We are absolutely delighted to be a recipient of a funding grant from Youth Music. We look forward to working with them and we are passionate about the work they do for inclusion in the music industry and inspiring the next generation.

We are abolustely delighted that Universal Music are donating £900 in match funding for their team members who ran the Hackney Half Marathon on behalf of SGS.

and thanks to all the teaM on their hard work on creating this Magazine edition Abigail Sam, Dwight Gibson, Tomi Afolabi, Diogo Rui Pereira, Eartha Stasaityte, Tasmyn Wint, Shanice Jones, Muhammed Bryan and Ashleigh Scott.