Phil Douglas is the mind behind Curious Arts, a North East based arts and youth charity championing and developing opportunities for artists and participants from the LGBTQIA+ community across the region, as well as offering a global workplace training programme focused on inclusion to organisations including Twitch (Amazon), Sky, and Nexus Tyne & Wear Metro, among others.
What was your first job, and what did it pay? I grew up in Teesside and I was a glass collector at the Middlesbrough Empire for £4.10 an hour (they thought I was 18, don’t tell anyone).
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business? A manager in a previous role once told me “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and that has really stuck with me. I like to be in control of my relationship with stress and list making, forward planning and organisation is my way of doing that.
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What are the main changes that you’ve seen in your business/sector, and what are the challenges you facing? Stagnating funding for arts and culture sectors is a constant issue, but one of the main issues we are facing is an increased awareness of the work that we do, which might sound positive, and it is… but it comes at a cost. With broader awareness of our work, sadly, comes an increase in abuse - hate crimes and negative comments, especially on social media which is increasingly hard to navigate as a small arts charity.
We have a responsibility to keep our people (staff, artists and participants) safe. There is a lot of uncertainty for the LGBTQIA+ community in the 海角视频 at the moment, for example we are still waiting for a ban on conversion therapy in this county and there has been a significant rise in anti-trans rhetoric which has a direct impact on the community and the work we are producing. As a result it makes creating moments of safety, joy and inclusion increasingly harder to do.
What would your dream job be? I know everyone says this but I think I do have it! If I wasn’t leading Curious Arts or I won the lottery tomorrow I would love to be a voluntary consultant for great charitable Trust or foundation (if they happen to be based somewhere sunny and warm, even better!). Outside of that I think I would make a great advisor or assistant to an ethical, successful philanthropist who wants to invest their wealth in amazing, worthwhile life changing causes.
What advice would you give to someone starting a career in your sector? Be brave, champion your own abilities and ask for help. Throughout my career I have been surprised and grateful at the amount people who have been prepared to help me on my journey - there will be more than you think.
What makes the North East a good place to do business? The North East is a gritty and glorious place with proud people with a history of making things happen, with very little, for themselves and others. That determination and innovative way of thinking makes it an exciting and dynamic place to do business. While we have a lot of challenges as a region, there is so much generosity, kindness and under celebrated talent.
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How important do you think it is for business to play a role in society? Businesses are made up of people and playing an active role in society keeps businesses anchored, human and real. Businesses ideally reflect the communities that they serve and it is important that they look at their impact beyond pure profit. Investing in making our region a better place to live, work and visit isn’t just a nice fluffy thing to do, it has a direct impact on our ability to develop and attract the best talent for the North East, to make our communities happier and healthier and to collectively thrive, not simply survive.
Outside of work what are you really good at? I love bringing people together and I’m definitely the usual organiser of my social circle. I also think I’m a good listener and I’ve been told that I’m good at learning, empathising and supporting people around issues that are important to them.
Who would play you in a role about your life? What a great question. I’ve had to have some help coming up with this one but one suggestion was Dan Stevens, which I’m happy with!
Which three people would you invite to a dinner party and why? It would have to be Maya Angelou, Alok Vaid-Menon and Meryl Streep because it would be an unforgettable conversation with kind, intelligent, brilliant humans.