ANDY BRYDON

creative placemakers Project manager/Producer

Andy Brydon is a creative director, producer, consultant and trainer with over two decades of experience at the forefront of the UK and international cultural sectors. As founder and director of Curated Place and creative placemakers he works across festival development, cultural strategy, creative economy, and capacity building, with a particular focus on place-based approaches to art and community engagement.

Andy has led some of the UK's most acclaimed cultural projects, including a decade as Creative Director of SPECTRA Aberdeen's Festival of Light, which grew from a pilot into a major annual event attracting over 120,000 visitors and winning multiple Drum UK Event Awards. He served as Creative Director of the Púca Festival in Ireland and delivered the International music programme for Hull UK City of Culture 2017. He has also directed multiple Creative Europe projects including the Moving Classics series, NATUR: North Atlantic Tales, and ENLIGHT, connecting artists, composers and communities across Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Cyprus, and the Western Balkans.

A respected international consultant, Andy has developed cultural strategies and frameworks for local authorities, national agencies, and governments across the UK and Western Balkans, working with partners including the British Council, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council England. He leads the British Council's Creative Producers Training programme across Wider Europe, having mentored over 150 producers across the region. He holds a BA in Philosophy from Durham and postgraduate degrees in Social Anthropology from the University of Manchester, and is a Clore Fellow.