“There’s a lot of voices that aren’t always heard, and I want to get those voices in the media. And you know, a lot of times I was that voice that wasn’t heard,” says Jonathan Mayo. For him, it comes back to education and community within the arts, and he’s on a mission to help build that into the artistic focus of all the organizations he works with.
Community healing is a part of his core value, and his artistic process derives value from his experiences in various communities. “I think it’s vital. I think it’s imperative to be a part of different communities to be able to understand them and to be able to help share their stories and to give you a better understanding and a more open mind about how the world works because that’s going to influence future projects,” he mentions.
Having worked extensively in the creative arts, he’s been involved with both sides of theater production. However, he realized he needed to expand his scope and joined the MSLCE program to help kickstart the process. “I’ve got all this experience, right? Yeah, but I want to use this program to refine my skills and to give me direction on how to take my career to the next level,” he says. His experience combined with the skills he picks up during his time here are going to be key in the value he brings to his future workspaces.
His experiences have a vast range: “Not only in the creative industry but also volunteering in different communities with lots of different issues like homelessness and racism and homophobia. I’ve worked with a lot of organizations that help fight those things. I think my experience inside and outside of the creative industry is what really sets me apart,” he adds.
In the next 10 years, Jonathan wants to be running his own creative consulting firm as well as being an independent producer. He wants to focus his work on theater and music and ensure he imparts his core values while working with others to embed them further into mainstream practices of the creative arts.
Read more on our blog and follow Northwestern’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises program on Facebook and Instagram.
By Priyanshi Katare