At the beginning of an exciting new collaboration between Wired4Music (W4M) and What Does Not (WDN), Wired4Music member, Sassan, discusses his key takeaways from the momentous first meeting between W4M’s Young Event Producers and the WDN team, as they work towards ‘NOISE’, an open jam event, on November 16th at The Ministry.

Book your free ticket here >

The meeting was hosted at The Ministry – a beautiful, multi-story workspace which was created as an extension of the well-known Club and Label – Ministry of Sound. I was very kindly asked by the Wired4Music team to come down for the day to take some pictures and write-up an article regarding this eventful meeting, enjoy!

What exactly are ‘W4M’ & ‘WDN’?

W4M (an acronym for Wired4Music) is a platform and network, providing high-quality music opportunities, guidance and support for young creatives in London (aged 16-25).

In attendance for this meeting was W4M Programme Producer Tee Peters, an established artist who currently amasses 50 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, has headlined for both Sofar Sounds and the Royal Albert Hall, and has previously been interviewed by major news networks such as Sky News and ABC. Whether it’s running 1:1 mentoring sessions, hosting group drop-ins, sharing an expansive range of opportunities via W4M’s monthly newsletter, or creating paid opportunities for young creatives, Tee Peters is at the heart of it all.

Created during Covid, WDN (an acronym for What Does Not) is a culture agency and creative incubator led by an all-female team, which creates thought-provoking and unique events. Whether it’s showcasing grassroots musical talents (‘NOISE’), immersive storytelling nights (‘Raw’), or discussion panels uncovering and exploring hard-hitting topics (‘POV’), creating a culture of understanding and connection is at the heart of what WDN is currently creating.

WDN’s team consists of:

• Founder, Christine Charitonos, who has been working in the creative industries and hospitality since she was 13 years old. My general impressions of her were that she is an extremely experienced, creative and pro-active individual who seems fond of creating a culture which is reflective of her upbringing, one based on acceptance, togetherness and openness.
• Events and Community Director is Tamara Mikaberdze, who left her twelve-year career at Universal Pictures to ensure that the WDN vision came to life. With a very well-established background in Events and Communications, she is unsurprisingly a brilliant speaker and an extremely organised individual.
• Head of Partnerships and Content, Mary Valiakas. Previously working on content for organisations such as the NHS, The Guardian, and The Department of International Trade, as well as hosting the WDN ‘POV’ panels, she is a prominent content creator and seems to me to be the glue of the group.

W4M + WDM =?

Wired4Music’s young Event Producers being shown around The Ministry by the WDN team.

The collaboration between these two creative entities is centred around Wired4Musc’s Young Event Producer Programme, in which four creatives – Anamaria, Anne Marie, Nathan and Xanne – are set to work together to create and organise the next What Does Not ‘NOISE’ event. ‘NOISE’ is an open-jam event series which, in true WDN fashion, has no headliners (promoting equality amongst artists), with artists all getting the same ten-minute slots. NOISE events take place within ‘Zone 1’ areas of London, aspiring to reignite community culture, and bring the sounds of the talented underground to spaces where gentrification has all but endangered authentic grassroots culture.

The Meeting & Wizdom Throughout

I felt that the WDN ethos of openness and connectivity was expressed throughout this four-hour meeting, most of which consisted of discussions over different cultures, languages, and favourite types of food, whilst members of WDN and W4M passed on wisdom regarding creating successful events, and the importance of working in unison as a team.

Strategic advice such as; ensuring that audience members’ attention is captured throughout the event (it was suggested that ten minutes of performance per artist was the sweet spot); creating ‘buddy systems’ for Event Producers with similar attributes and interests; and introducing the idea of breaking down promotion into planned weekly actions, were all insightful to me.

Wizdom (Sound Connections) and Tamara (What Does Not)

Another key piece of information came from Wizdom Layne (the Deputy Director of Wired4Music’s hosting charity, Sound Connections), who was also in attendance at the meeting. Wizdom explained that to run a successful event, you would have to get the three “P’s” right. Stating that if the producers can bring People to the event, ensure that there are strong Performances from acts, as well as a good Place for all the above to take place, then the event will be a triumph.

Producers’ Insights

Xanne and Nathan, Wired4Music Event Producers

The impact of such advice was evident in the quotes provided by the Young Producers following the meeting. With Nathan stating, “I found the idea of keeping the audience’s interest throughout the show interesting as I believe I can implement this within other areas of life” referring to the music production that he currently does. Xanne also agreed with his notions, additionally finding the idea of having a ‘headlineless’ show compelling and gaining further inspiration from the genesis of WDN itself, citing Tamara Mikaberidze’s brave career change as an example that it is never too late to change paths and pursue what you want.

Conclusion

From the meeting it was clear that, like W4M, WDN were here for change. They were here to impact lives, not for today, not for tomorrow, but for lifetimes. With a quote from Christine encapsulating this, “You have to teach the future to be the future”. This is not only a great synopsis of the meeting, but a true reflection on both organisations’ mission statements – that they are both here to create long-lasting change. I am excited to see what this extremely talented group of Event Producers will create over the next six weeks, as they prepare for their event on 16th November, and I look forward to witnessing the ways that they will benefit as creatives and individuals, from such an experience.

Written by Sassan, Wired4Music member.

Come and experience NOISE for yourself, hosted by Dia Day and Shogun Shato on November 16th at The Ministry.

Book your free ticket here >