Hands Up for Trad’s Women in Music and Culture 2023 list has been announced to celebrate just some of the women working in Scotland.
Launched as part of International Women’s Day 2023, we shine the spotlight on 15 women who all contribute towards Scotland’s cultural landscape through their work. Read the list here.
We asked Hannah Innes to tell us more about there work, influences and ambitions for the future.
How did you first get involved in the arts and who were your early influences?
Since I was a little girl, I have had a huge passion for music and arts. I played multiple instruments growing up and competed in Mòds and music festivals across Scotland. I loved singing and this took me into musical theatre in my early years which was the most amazing fun. I was a right wee drama queen, who’d have thought it!
When I left my home in Taynuilt, near Oban, to go to the University of Glasgow at 18, I embraced the incredible traditional music scene of Glasgow and attended as many gigs and festivals as I possibly could. I definitely decided at that stage that I would do better promoting these amazing musicians than joining them with my fiddle or the likes… I couldn’t compete with the talent on show!
When I finished my English Literature degree I started working as a press officer for Glasgow Life and this took me into working for Celtic Connections and promoting all projects for Glasgow Arts and Music across the city. I also worked on Glasgow Sport and was seconded to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, which was an incredible experience. It was a fantastic few years of learning for me where I honed my craft, but also where my passion for arts and music in Scotland grew even more. I moved on to work with an agency where I worked on further music and arts projects before starting the company in 2017. My business partner Corrie Campbell came on board in 2019 and here we are!
At a time which has been very challenging for many people working in the arts, how did you use the last 3 years to develop your creativity?
In 2020 when the world started closing down, almost all of our work for the year got cancelled and we were facing the possibility of the company going under. It was at this time that Corrie and I decided that we could either sink or swim and we decided to keep on swimming. We were in the jobs we do because we loved telling the story of Scotland’s culture and we believed that our role as storytellers and engagers would be more important than ever as the scene navigated its way into a post-Covid world. We wanted to do everything within our power to make sure our clients’ voices were heard amongst the noise when the day came that we could move away from that time of uncertainty.
We started by taking some time to try and see what kind of world we might live in post-pandemic and what key things the cultural sector would be looking for when we finally re-emerged. We took stock during the summer of 2020 and looked at what we could do to equip ourselves in the most effective ways for the challenges and opportunities our forever-changed landscape would offer post-Covid. This meant blending media relations with copywriting, stakeholder engagement and a heightened focus on digital marketing in order to succeed.
We worked pro bono on some fantastic initiatives that were helping raise money for the likes of the NHS and mental health charities. We consulted on funding opportunities with a whole host of Scottish musicians and helped try to plan for a brighter future for us all.
We created social media consultancy sessions for young emerging musicians to work with them on where they could improve their online presence, as well as what they could do to increase their followers and improve their engagement. Although this was not a financially viable option for us, we felt it was something that would help the wider industry to further sustain itself as more artists started connecting with the right people through their channels in an effective and engaging way.
We were incredibly lucky with our clients who tried to give us work wherever possible during these difficult times, including promotional support for a host of online events. They were also fantastic with their ongoing communication with us and came back to us to deliver on previously planned campaigns, with an even bigger focus on digital marketing, as soon as the event could go back into the live arena.
Who or what interests you creatively?
Our incredible clients and the wider Scottish cultural scene continue to amaze us. The resilience Scotland’s creative sector has shown in the last three years makes me so proud to be a tiny cog in this most amazing wheel that keeps on turning in the face of adversity. I am continually inspired by the emerging talent who continue to push boundaries and by the artists who continue to strive and raise the bar. I am in awe of the festivals and events who continue to provide invaluable opportunities to musicians, engineers, and crew. I am inspired by the agents and the managers who continue to push our musicians forward. I am forever in debt to the lighting and sound engineers and stage crews who continue to prove year on year, event by event, that we all couldn’t do it without them, and who would want to! Our community’s dedication and hard work during these challenging times, that still continue today, is awe-inspiring and we work hard every day to support everyone within the sector, and beyond, in whatever way we can.
What are your plans for the next year or so and/or what are your longer term creative ambitions?
We will continue to do all we can to promote Scotland as a centre of artistic and creative excellence. We have gone from a team of two to a team of six and we are looking to add to our ranks again in the coming months.
The company has an ever-increasing portfolio and we will continue to keep every single one of our clients at the centre of what we do. Being trustworthy, transparent, and loyal will stay at the heart of our ethos and we will up-skill wherever we can to ensure we are always the best people for the job.
Scotland is our home and we are proud to be skilled at talking about this incredible country and its unrivalled reputation for arts and culture. Our long-term creative ambition is to keep doing this in the most effective and forward-thinking way.
Find out more about Hannah Innes here.
Hands Up for Trad are an organisation who work with Scottish traditional music, language and culture. If you would like to support our work you can donate here.
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