What if a successful event was as much about the emotional terrain as the run sheet? What if curating talent was more like gardening than harvesting? What if Zoom could feel less like an endless work meeting and more like a big warm hug? Drawing on more than a decade of event production in person and online, Tilly Hinton, Ph.D. will share her principles for humanizing the event experience, during Peninsula College’s February 25 Studium Generale event.
This session will take you inside the usually-hidden inner workings of public programming, to explore how cultivating belonging, attentiveness, and sustenance can transform audience experience. These principles apply to gatherings of every scale, so whether someone is crafting an event, a conference, a birthday party, a symposium, a staff retreat, a dinner with friends, or anything else, they'll find actionable strategies for reflecting on their values and approach.
“Gathering together is one of the most important aspects of being human, and so it's imperative to make sure that the production values of events make them effervescently humanizing,” Dr. Hinton said.
Hinton is a cultural producer, author, and strategist who moved across the planet to live near, and work with, the Los Angeles River. An Australian who calls Los Angeles home, her current creative projects include LA River X, I Am The LA River, and Storytime for the Apocalypse. For the final quarter of 2020, she was the startup catalyst for the ambitious Rose River Memorial project, a handcrafted national monument to COVID-19 deaths. She has a Masters and a PhD about the LA River’s recent social history, exploring the ecological and socio-cultural importance of damaged urban landscapes. Her curation and cultural production builds community through exploration, hospitality, and creativity.
Dr Hinton’s first book, about people’s love for the LA River, is in development. Her expertise spans research, volunteer management, strategic writing, grants and awards development, and cultural production. Tilly's higher education leadership has influenced national, institutional, and personal practice across Australia and internationally. With over 16 years in secondary and higher education, 14 years as a cultural producer and researcher, and a lifetime of curiosity, Tilly is a seasoned professional, whose work is described by others as luminous, powerful, uplifting, ridiculously efficient, heartwarming, and mind sharpening. Dr. Hinton describes herself as equal parts heartfelt and strategic – inviting audiences to pay close attention to ideas and possibilities in environmental humanities, higher education, and live and online events.
The online event begins at 12:30 pm and is free and open to the public.
Join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82419155703. Meeting ID: 824 1915 5703.