Make It Happen

Facilitated by Carl Sciberras

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About the program

Make It Happen is a nine-week program of weekly two-hour sessions for creative practitioners and producers to refine their skills in making project or program ideas happen. Delivered through a project-based learning methodology, participants in the program are encouraged (though not required) to come with an idea at the ready and will utilise the skills developed throughout the nine-week program to consolidate a working project plan around their project idea.

The areas the program covers include:

• Entrepreneurship and innovation: design thinking and lean methodologies
• Contextual analysis: positioning your idea as part of a series of systems
• Stakeholder management: how to conduct stakeholder analysis to develop and manage relationships
• Understanding your ‘customer’: motivation and market research
• Strategic marketing: dynamic and targeted approaches to marketing
• Project planning: using the iron triangle principle to scaffold project plans
• Project management: budgeting, risk assessment and timelines
• Making a case: fundraising and partnership development
• The impact of learning: evaluation as an embedded process

The program will be delivered in-person across Western Sydney from 2022-2024, and will also be made available to participate online for those in the region who cannot travel to in-person sessions.

Participants will need to bring a laptop to access resources and templates used throughout the program, and will be provided with access to a secure folder with these resources prior to each session.

Camden Program
For creatives based in, or who can demonstrate a connection to, the Camden Council LGA, the program is held in-person 6:00pm – 8:00pm every Thursday for 9 weeks, commencing 9 February 2023.

Venue: Ferguson Gallery, Camden Civic Centre, Cnr Oxley & Mitchell St, Camden, NSW 2570
Dates: Thursdays February 9, 16 & 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 & April 6.

Cumberland Program
For creatives based in, or who can demonstrate a connection to, the Cumberland City Council LGA, the program is held in-person 6:00pm – 8:00pm every Thursday for 9 weeks, commencing 27 April 2023.

Venue: The Granville Centre, 2A Memorial Drive, Granville NSW 2142
Dates: Thursdays April 27, May 4, 11, 18, & 25 & June 1, 8, 15, & 22.

Blacktown Program
For creatives based in, or who can demonstrate a connection to, the Blacktown City Council LGA, the program is held in-person 6:00pm – 8:00pm every Wednesday for 9 weeks, commencing 18 August 2023.

Venue: The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown NSW 2148
Dates: Wednesdays August 16 & 23, September 6, 11 (Monday), 13, 20 & 27, October 4, 11 & 18.

About your facilitator

‍Carl Sciberras is a producer, choreographer, performer, teacher and arts advocate from Western Sydney. Carl has co-founded two successful creative enterprises: Dance Makers Collective, a not-for-profit company that produces performance works, skills development and education programs with a focus on community-led practice – and Flatline, a visual art and dance collaboration that creates performance, installation and art works that have been presented internationally.

Having worked in management and marketing positions for a range of performing arts organisations, and having produced the work of independent artists, Carl is adept at helping people navigate a range of creative business challenges. He has extensive experience in writing and assessing grant applications (as a peer at the Australia Council and an assessor for Create NSW and others), as well as in complex project management with a wide range of stakeholders. Carl effortlessly blends the ‘business’ side of company management, administration, planning and development and the ‘creative’ side as a maker and performer.

Carl is currently employed by Creative Plus Business as a Business Advisor, is on the Artform Advisory Board for Dance & Physical Theatre at Create NSW and has held various positions on boards and committees for local, state and federal government arts bodies and independent arts companies. In 2017, Carl was a participant in the Australia Council’s Future Leaders Program and in 2016 was awarded the City of Parramatta’s Creative Fellowship.

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To participate in the program, we ask that you attend all 9 sessions to the best of your ability. If travelling to the venue poses difficulties for you, you are able to join via video conferencing from your own home, though we do encourage you to come in-person as often as you can to get the most out of the workshop experience.

This program is accessible to artists with a disability, AUSLAN interpretation is available, when registering for the program please let us know your access needs.

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Due to the limited capacity of the program, interested participants are asked to register by completing this form.
Registrations close when program capacity has been reached. There is a capacity of 15 people for this program.
This program is supported by Create NSW through the Service Needs Fund and our host partners across Western Sydney.