Deaffest on Tour’s last stop of 2023!

Thursday the 16th of November 2023 saw the last stop of this year for Deaffest on Tour, which took place at Arlington Arts Centre in Newbury!

Deaffest was invited to curate a media-focused Careers Convention Day. The closed event took place on the grounds of Mary Hare School, and deaf pupils ranging from Year 7 up to the Sixth Form enjoyed inspiring and stimulating presentations, film screenings, workshops, and interaction with the Deaf professionals involved.

The morning started off with Deaffest and BSL Zone’s stalls, where Mary Hare pupils were welcomed with Deaffest’s goody bags and BSL Zone’s freebies!

Year 7 to 9 pupils were greeted in the Auditorium by Deaffest Co-Founders, Nikki Stratton and Marilyn Willrich, who kick-started the day with an empowering presentation outlining Deaffest’s history and highlighting the great milestones that Deaffest has achieved over the last 17 years.

Illuminating visual clips from Deaffest’s previous festivals, the Deaffest 2017 promo video, and the ‘I Believe’ music video were screened, enabling the pupils to experience Deaffest and witness the work of Deaf professionals.

“The day was incredible and it was so great to see so many young D/deaf pupils inspired by the days’ events! Only for the day but buzzing with excitement, it was an empowering day as we carefully curated the programme to educate and entertain the hungry minds of the young D/deaf generation. We were delighted to learn that pupils have expressed their interest in producing new films in the future, so watch this space at Deaffest! We want to thank Mary Hare School for inviting the Deaffest team and for providing an opportunity for D/deaf young people to gain an insight into the world of Deaf Media and Arts.” – Nikki Stratton, Co-founder & Director of Deaffest

BSLBT’s Audience Development Manager, Jen Dodds, and Executive Producer, Julian Peedle-Calloo, introduced BSL Zone with a screening of BSL Zone’s hip-hop drama ‘Here/Not Here’.

They inspired the pupils by sharing information about the various professions involved in the making of the drama, as well explaining the various job roles in the BSLBT team. This promoted positive examples and role models for those who aspire to pursue a career in the media industry.

After a fun and thought provoking morning of presentations and film screenings, lunch then took place at Blount Hall, which was a trip down memory lane for some of the professionals involved, who are former Mary Hare pupils!

Older pupils joined the afternoon events, which included motivational and inspiring presentations, such as ‘How to succeed, then fail, then succeed again in Film and TV’ by award-winning Producer and Director Louis Neethling.

With nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, Louis explained how he got to where he is today, progressing from being a runner to Executive Producer. He explained about the variety of skills he has learnt throughout career in his varied roles, and emphasised the importance of having passion in the role[s] you undertake.

High profile Deaf media presenter, performer, and content creator, Jazzy Whipps, shared her journey as a Social Media Influencer. Jazzy talked about her successes and challenges, gave tips and advice, and explained how to stay safe online. She revealed how having a channel opened doors for her, leading to roles such as facilitating workshops, presenting, and acting!

The day ended with informative workshops, where pupils had the opportunity to partake in a media-related group of their choice. Producer and Director, Louis Neethling, delivered a step-by-step guide to making a short film, Jazzy Whipps ran a taster on making a social media based video, and Julian Peedle-Calloo, and Production Executive, Stephanie Burke held a Television Career Pathways workshop.