Firefly Productions is wholly owned by Donna Macrae
HONORARY & VOLUNTARY POSITIONS Current Board Member of the following 2 x companies Former Eden Court Theatre, Inverness - former Member of the Board of Governors Midas (Music Industry Development and Support) Member of working group setting up this organization. INTERESTS Flying light aircraft, Art and the Renaissance, History of The Near East, Comparative Religion, Russia, Swimming/Snorkelling, Visiting Islands, Hillwalking, Watersports .. and Knitting. LANGUAGES English ( fluent) Russian and French (reasonably good but not fluent ) Learning Gaelic very slowly (spoke only Gaelic till age 2 ) 1983 – present As the founder and owner of this business, I am involved in many different strands of Project and Event Management including Festival and Event Management, Agency and Tour Coordination, Artist Management and Liaison, Accounting, Media Relations, Artwork and Design, Project Management, Database Building,Teaching and Television Production. I subcontract others to work with me and usually have two assistants in place. Clients past and present include 1. The internationally acclaimed duo of Dr Aly Bain & Dr Phil Cunningham 2. Irish supergroup ‘Moving Hearts’ 3. A further 15 acts including Chilean, Russian and Spanish artistes 4. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, 5. The Scottish Arts Council 6. The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama 7. Fèisean nan Gàidheal 8. The Blas Festival of Highland music 9. Belladrum Festival (pop and rock) 10. Unique Events 11. Skye Festival 12. Highland Print Studios 13. Hebridean Celtic Festival MUSICIANS AND BANDS Throughout the Year – General Tours and engagements for a small select roster of acts. Occasional Special projects for Multi-Media productions. EVENT PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT Highland 2007 Launch Event Inverness (January 2007) Subcontracted by Edinburgh’s Unique Events to take care of some of the practical logisctics. Tune-Up 2007 – ‘Bellows and Bows’ Under the auspices of the Scottish Arts Council’s Tune-Up touring network, put together a tour for February 2007 for Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain along with the Savoy-Doucet Cajun band from Louisiana and Bjorn Stabi and Bengan Janson from Sweden, these 7 performers being considered among the world’s traditional ‘greats’. June and November 2007 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra…event promotion. ( 2 x events one in Smoo Cave, Durness, one in Dornoch Cathedral ) Calanais (1994) Acted as Overseer on the production of the music for the ‘Calanais’ project dealing with general liaison with all the artistes involved, collating all the copyright information, liaising with the graphic design company and putting together all the text information for them, dealing with MCPS in London, arrangement of An Lanntair record label, general assistance and advice with all aspects of the promotion and distribution of the recording and arrangement of estimates and subsequent copying and casing of CDs and cassettes to meet the deadline for the opening of this major exhibition Java St Andrews Society (1995) In 1995 Donna put together a team of 16 musicians to attend and perform at the Java St Andrew's Society 75th Anniversary, in Jakarta, including 4 members of Capercaillie and travelled to Java with the team. Balalaika (1993/1994) Set up national tours for this 25 piece classical ensemble from Rostov-On-Don in Russia. FESTIVAL DIRECTION & MANAGEMENT Blas Festival: 2004-current Administrative Director As Administrative Director of the BLAS Festival, I set up 3 trial launch events in 2004 and a first full festival in 2005 in conjunction with artistic director Brian o hEadhra. The festival has grown from an audience of 1300 in Year 1 to around 10,000 in its 4th full year in 2008 May 2007-02-21 The Skye Festival-Broadford Airstrip The Shipping Forecast Stage Programming and Management of a new 2000 capacity marquee at The Skye Festival WRITING & RUNNING COURSES, TEACHING & MENTORING Scottish Cultural Enterprise – ongoing contract Act as a mentor to aspiring or unemployed musicians. Assisting them to develop a plan for their career and better understand the business. Fèis Alba (2008) Teaching Music Business Studies National School of Musical Excellence 2006 Teaching Music Business Studies Fèis Alba (2006) Teaching Music Business Studies St Mary’s Music School Edinburgh (2005) Talk and Workshop 'Fast-Track' (1996 and 2001) Donna was commissioned in 1995 by the National Gaelic Arts Project/CTG to write a comprehensive business and music training course for young professional musicians. This four month course was incorporated into the CTG (Gaelic Television Committee) three year media training programme. The 10 young people who took part in this course all went on to have viable careers in the industry The course was repeated and expanded in 2001 with the introduction of a 'pilot television programme' designed by the students themselves.The students participated in every aspect of the production from wardrobe to editing. The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (1999/2000) Donna was invited by the RSAMD to write and teach a 'Music Business' module for 3rd year music degree students. PROJECT MANAGEMENT March 2007 Highland Print Studios Project Management Produced Budget and Timescale for the relocation of this Inverness Printmakers Studio. Hebridean Celtic Festival CD Compilation for Festival 10th Anniversary(2005) Put together this CD and negotiated all licensing agreements with the various record companies involved and took the project through from inception to delivery including producing budgets and forward projections for the festival. Recording Studio Management (1993-2003) Management of CAP Recording Studios from 1993 till 2003...the first digital 24-track fully professional recording facility in the Highlands. This involved all business aspects of the work involved in producing a recording from assisting a prospective client in drawing up a full budget to dealing with copyright and licensing requirements and the overseas work involved in licensing recordings to foreign companies including Spain, Germany and the USA. TELEVISION PRODUCTION & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Current Ortha Film and Media Productions Ltd Have set up a new production company with colleague and friend Jennie Macfie Move-On-Up Line Manager for 1 hour documentary for BBC – ‘Cycling The Danube’ Production phase in September/October 2009 Some Programme Production Details (1996-2000) BBC Television 1 x 30 min "EXS" Arts Documentary Series ‘Linwood No More’ Production Manager 1x 30 min "EXS" Arts Documentary Series ‘This is MacKay Country’ Production Manager 1 x 30 min "EXS" Arts Documentary Series ‘Toe The Line’ Production Manager 1 x 30 min "EXS" Arts Documentary Series ‘Gavin Maxwell’ Production Manager 1 x 30 min "EXS" Arts Documentary Series ‘Phil and Aly’ Producer GTV/STV 3 x 30 min ‘Highland Fling’ Contemporary Music and Arts Special Producer 1 x 30 min ‘Shooglenifty’ Music special Producer 1 x 50 min ‘Shooglenifty’ Music/Documentary Producer CHANNEL 4 5 x 15 min ‘Haud Yer Tongue’ (Educational - C4 Schools) Production Manager Promotional Video/Ad for 'Seagrams /Europe & Africa' and 'Survival Records UK Production Manager DATABASE BUILDING I design and build complex relational databases for any type of business Database build for PAN (Promoters Arts Network (2009) Database build for Fèisean nan Gàidheal (2006) Database build for Blas Festival (2005) Other services on an ‘ad hoc’ or consultancy basis MUSIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTS Donna has 31 years of experience in business management and in keeping complex and varied accounts. Since 1982 she has kept "Music Accounts" for both the self employed sole trader status and Limited Company accounts in relation to the music business. She is completely familiar with all aspects of accounting relating to the music industry including
Previously ….. For 10 years between 1978 and 1987 I also ran a large hotel and farm on The Isle of Skye The business had 25 employees and the hotel accommodated 72 guests. We farmed sheep and pedigree Jersey cattle, producing all our own dairy requirements. |
