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Helen Ward

About

I joined Jack Drum Arts as a director in 2001 after 10 years freelancing in Yorkshire and the North East.  I grew up in Singapore and Devon and after 4 years travelling the world attended Plymouth University to study photography, film and media. Upon graduating I lived in London and then Yorkshire where I quickly established myself a freelance career working as lead artist for Corridor Arts in Barnsley.

In 2009 I took part in a Cultural Leadership Programme managed by Visiting Arts being selected as one of only 3 people in the UK.  After spending 3 months working in New York with the award winning youth media organisation Listen Up! I returned to the UK to develop a special focus of work  devising and managing international projects and subsequently founding Kids for Kids UK in 2009; a community interest company.  Kids for Kids UK now provides filmmaking opportunities for young people alongside an international film festival and young filmmakers competition.

In 2012 I was awarded a prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel to Asia to undertake research into youth film festival and filmmaking.  My trip took her to China, South Korea, Japan and Laos PDR where I have since developed work in partnership with a number of film festivals alongside work with a charity helping young people in Laos to tell their stories through film.

I am an Associate of People’s Voice Media and deliver ‘Train the Trainer’ courses in community reporting across the UK as well as leading on the BFI (British Film Institute) Network Academy for the County.  I am strategic lead for all projects within Jack Drum Arts and take responsibility for the management, programming and design of a wide range creative projects including creative lead of our Youth Music programmes as well as supervision of staff and contracts.