COVID 19 has been tough on everyone but undeniably the entertainment industry has been hit especially hard. With large gatherings out of the question, how have jobs that depend on live performances coped this year?

Today I spoke to Joseph Lott, director of Quantum Creative - a company that does lighting and video design for a range of events from tours with George Ezra to lighting the BAFTAs - and asked him about his experience of 2020.

‘It’s been pretty tough,’ he said, ‘After the first lockdown, every bit of work we’d had scheduled was cancelled.’

It wasn’t until August that they could continue - this time live streaming performances, including projects such as TikTok’s virtual festival, the Blackpool Illuminations and Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ at the AMAs. They were even lucky enough to receive a grant through the Cultural Recovery Fund, set up by the government. A highlight of the year was working with the Vamps at Hackney Round Chapel which was, suffice to say, ‘a very intense day’, although Joseph admitted that ‘it was also just nice to be out the house.’

However, while things may seem to be looking up for now, the future remains uncertain.

‘The trouble is that regulations keep changing. It seems like every other day is different, which just makes planning events even more difficult.’ 

With Christmas fast approaching and the vaccines still a way off, businesses like Joseph’s need your support more than ever. Visit https://www.wemakeevents.com to donate or check out https://www.quantumcreative.co.uk/broadcast to learn more about Quantum Creative.