From Stage Lights to Spotlight: 10 Questions with our Founder Katie Haddock

Katie Haddock, founder of Berry Productions, a live Event Production Company, transitioned from watching live shows with interest as a young child to running a thriving events and AV company by the age of 26.

Winner of the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' Breakthrough Talent Award 2024, she’s rewriting the rules of live production and proving that passion, purpose and persistence equals success. 

Production Futures sat down with Katie for 10 quick-fire questions about her journey, lessons, and what’s next.

Katie, What made you take the leap into this industry?

From a very young age watching theatre shows and live TV, I wanted to know how it all worked! I would watch the lights rather than the performers and listen to radio shows thinking of them all pressing the buttons. From 16, I tried it all TV, radio, and then accidentally events. As soon as I worked my first event I knew it was for me. I loved the quick pace of live events and how varied each day could be. I was learning every day and still am now! 

What’s one thing you’ve learned that you wish you knew earlier?                                                       

Balance. It’s not an even split. Thinking like this is unattainable and has caused me so much stress over the years. I’ve learnt it’s choosing that week or year what you are going to achieve and prioritise. It’s setting boundaries and making decisions based on what’s right for you. Some weeks that’s being solely a business owner, sometimes cleaning the house or walking my dog and other days I just prioritise 'me'. I still have to remind myself, don’t expect to have it all at once. But, I think this is really transferable to all stages of life including business ownership, parenthood and a great one to remember as the Summer event season approaches and we don’t have the usual time for our hobbies, families etc. 

What’s been your proudest moment so far, a ‘pinch me’ moment?                                                                     

A ‘pinch me’ event would be the first concert I worked on, Hits Radio Live, Birmingham. With a relatively small in-house department team I got to see it all and work across so many aspects. It was the first time where I really saw a slice of where this career could take me. However, now my proudest moment is my every day. I have a successful business at the age of 25. Even writing that feels still feels a little surreal. So even if it’s not the ‘coolest’ event of the year that week or I’m stuck at my desk past 9pm. I have to pinch myself that I’m doing this, I’m building not only a career but a lifestyle and if it all ended tomorrow (which I really hope it didn’t) I would be so proud of what I had achieved. 

How has winning the Breakthrough Talent award changed things for you, personally or professionally?                                                                                                                                                       

Personally, it gave me a self confidence. I won only 6 months after I began working for my business full time. It was a moment I’ll never forget as something clicked that afternoon that I could really do this. Professionally, I met so many professionals that day, it put Berry Productions on the map with clients and suppliers. It was also my first award and it’s true that people do notice it and it’s a great accreditation. 

What did winning mean to you in that moment, and what does it mean now?

At the moment, I won, it all felt a little surreal but something genuinely clicked inside me that I could do this. It’s since given me a confidence I couldn’t get from family and friends that what I’m building has potential. Since the award, I also feel it has given me another foot in the door as both suppliers and clients hold the award quite highly.  

What skills are you working on right now?

One of the joys of the industry is you can always be learning. I am currently working on making our AV offering the best it can possibly be. That means continually brushing up on the basics such as lighting control and rigging whilst also exploring the best tech we can be using. With this, I’m aiming to banish the bland from AV hire as it can be so much more than flat stages with speakers either side.

Who or what inspires you to keep going when it gets tough?

“This is just the start” I struggle to take everything in, live in the moment. I am always pushing forward to the point that imposter syndrome and comparison would take the joy out of my work. I’d forget I was only young with so much time ahead of me. So now, I think of little me who watched the stage lights, dreamt of having her own business and always knew what she wanted. So when, I think of little me, it spurs me on as she would have just nervous giggled and never believed I had got to work with some of her favourite artists and ticked off some of our ever growing bucket list.

What is the hardest part about running a business and what is the most rewarding?

A business doesn’t stop, it doesn’t stop for weekends or life events - good or bad. It’s constantly evolving, moving and can change outside of your control depending on the world’s current affairs. But when it goes well, it really goes well.  The self satisfaction and sense of achievement when an event goes well or a client we’ve always wanted books in. The high you get from these things when you work for someone else is nothing compared to that when it’s your own.

What advice would you give someone who’s just getting started and wants to set up a business?

Just keep going. Learn from everything and everyone. You are going to need to put in the hours, miss out on things but in my experience, it always pays off. Build a network of people not just people who can give you work but collaborate with suppliers and other companies in your industry. You never know when you might need each other. Lastly, enjoy it. It’s a rollercoaster for sure, the lows make the high’s higher but never make so many sacrifices you lose your love. Your passion is what’s going to make your business successful. 

What is next for you? 

This year Berry Productions has just invested in more AV equipment, doubling our event capacity compared to last year so we are set on making everything bigger and better. I am so excited to share soon some of our more immersive and interactive concepts using our AV later this year. I am also continuing my mission to make Berry Productions an inviting space for female crew in a very heavily male dominated AV world, with a goal to always have a 50/50 male to female crew.

Katie isn’t just building events, she’s building a legacy. Her story proves that in live production, the biggest spotlight is the one you create for yourself.

Berry Productions Ltd is a production house that combines bundles of imagination with awesome AV technology. ​With talented technical whizz's on hand they can support on all event production needs and end to end event management promising quality and attention to detail every step of the way.

Read the Original Article with Production Futures here: https://productionfutures.com/news/2764598