Who I work with

Since setting up Gillian Taylor PR, I have worked with a range of cultural clients, including the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Torbay Culture, CEDA (Community Equality Disability Action), Dreadnought South West, and a number of individual artists.

Here’s a selection of projects I’ve worked on.

Music in the Galleries

I worked with Devon Philharmonic Orchestra on a project which commissioned 13 new pieces of music inspired by objects in the collections at the Royal Albert memorial Museum & Art Gallery. The world premieres were performed by ensembles located around the museum, while the audience moved through the galleries. The project was a sell-out success, attracting a range of new audiences to the museum.

Torbay Culture

I’ve been working with Torbay Culture to raise the profile of arts and cultural events in the Bay. This has included gaining live TV coverage for Wavelength, an after dark experience in Torquay, and national coverage for Richard Chappell’s ‘Silence Between Waves’ as part of the (extra)ordinary festival. I’ve also sent out regular newsletters, updated the website and provided media interview training for staff.

Somerset Art Works

Somerset Art Works initiates a wide range of projects and commissions. The Festival takes place every other year, alternating with the biennial Open Studios event. I’ve worked on the Festival a number of times, regularly gaining local, regional and national coverage. I’ve also provided marketing training for artists, and more recently, I’ve been working with staff to streamline their marketing planning.

CEDA

I’ve worked with CEDA for a number of years, raising their profile through PR and marketing. I am also a consultant for their arts programme, which provides opportunities for disabled participants, as well as emerging and established artists. With Arts Council coronavirus emergency funding, we produced a series of online events during lockdown, and created an online drama in partnership with Exeter Northcott Theatre.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery

Arts Council CEO Darren Henley talking to African musician Chartwell Dutiro and looking at mbiras (musical instruments)

I jointly managed the Marketing and Audience Development team of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) for three years. This included designing and delivering successful campaigns, projects and events, as well as writing the audience development sections of a successful NPO application and related plans. I explored digital technologies as part of Civilisations, a BBC partnership with museums.

Carnival of the Animals

Supported by RAMM’s events team, I organised and ran ‘Carnival of the Animals’ a major event as part of RAMM’s 150th anniversary celebrations. With extensive media coverage and marketing, the event attracted 37,000 visitors to the city centre to see giant puppets, representing some of the animals in the museum collections.

Wheal Martyn

TV interviewer with microphone interviewing someone on a sofa outdoors, with decorative lighting. Camera operator filming.

Light & Clay was an after-dark event which took place over three evenings. Sound and light were used to transform Wheal Martyn, the UK’s only clay mining museum. Media coverage in advance of the event, and a live BBC TV broadcast on the first evening gave the event a real boost so that audience numbers exceeded expectations.

Natalie McGrath

Writer Natalie McGrath is an Exeter-based playwright. I’ve been working with her to raise her profile through her website and social media. This has included a number of Facebook live interviews. I also created videos about her work, including a trailer for the Come As You Are Festival at Exeter Phoenix.

All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts, Health & Wellbeing

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts, Health & Wellbeing published the report, Creative Health which presents the findings of two years of evidence gathering with experts in arts and health, as well as policy makers and parliamentarians from all parties and both Houses. The launch of the report attracted national print, online, radio and TV coverage.

Sue Austin and Freewheeling

During the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, I worked with underwater wheelchair artist Sue Austin, gaining regional, national and international coverage of her story. Newsrooms from USA, Brazil, Australia interviewed her about her artwork, which has gone on to be shared with millions of people throughout the world.