.jpg)
About
The Scoop
I'm Elma Glasgow, an award-winning and innovative consultant focusing on storytelling for social change.
I use the LUCK Principle to help organisations tell inclusive, emotive and compelling stories:
Listen
Uncover and understand
Create
K
This work can include a wide range of activities, depending on the project I'm working on, for example...
-
Inclusive engagement strategist.
-
Inclusive communications for brand and marketing professionals.
-
Exhibition storytelling.
-
Decolonised historic research.
-
Audio interviews.
My background
Instead of overloading you with text, here are the key events that have inspired my work. The full version is here if you fancy a longer read.
2020 -
Created a new Black Cultural engagement initiative that ran alongsife
2021 -
Set up Aspire Black Suffolk CIC after being offered a start-up grant from Suffolk County Council in recognition of the need for a representative culturally-focused organisation.
2022 -
Led Aspire Black Suffolk CIC which delivered multiple cultural education projects, including the tour of Power of Stories (see below),
2023 -
Working as project officer Suffolk Chamber of Commerce's, Celebrating Diversity, as part of its forthcoming 140th anniversary celebrations in 2024.
-
Power of Stories
Ran by Ipswich Museums in 2021, Power of Stories featured three original costumes from Marvel Studios'
Black Panther 1 blockbuster and was co-curated with the Black community, comic book experts and allies.
Working throughout the pandemic, initially as a volunteer, I created never-seen-before levels of engagement among the local Black community and people of other ethnicities.
I was driven to maximise on this amazing and one-off opportunity to work with and for people who'd been horribly underrepresented and overlooked for generations. Despite their significant contributions to local culture and the economy.
My skills in relationship development and project management made the project - which I named Aspire Black Suffolk - pivotal in generating record-breaking footfall to the exhibition. It even triggered a local movement after bringing a renewed sense of optimism, pride and belonging.
Naturally, BLM and the pandemic leveraged interest and engagement, however, planning was well underway before both events. But it was important to recognise that these historic crises could become something positive.
I also secured national and local PR coverage in addition to this engagement work, as I didn't want this work to go un-reported.
In late 2021, Aspire Black Suffolk became a company of which I'm a co-director. I went on to work closely with local museums and venues to tour Power of Stories to extend its impact, tell more Black stories and open up more opportunities for engagement. Find out more about the company here.
Awards
Power of Stories won a 2022 Museum + Heritage Award (the Oscars of British museums, no less), despite being shortlisted alongside the Natural History Museum, Blenheim Palace and the V&A. Judges loved its pioneering approach, high quality production, emotive curation, honest storytelling, and high levels of engagement.
In 2022, I won a Museums Association national 'Radical Changemaker' award. And Aspire Black Suffolk won a BBC Suffolk Make a Difference Award.
Power of Stories has won other regional awards for co-curation and volunteers.
Game-changing work
The exhibition and engagement activity were game-changing - not just locally but for the national museum sector. In fact, all sectors can take important lessons from this work.
Together, Power of Stories and Aspire Black Suffolk demonstrated how excellence can be achieved when communities and organisations hold each other to account.
Not only did I create a winning formula for engagement, I also became the figurehead of a movement which has produced off-shoot projects, new collaborations and many new friendships.
What to expect when working with me
I work with integrity, dedication and sincerity. I'm bold with my approach but not pushy.
I'll strive to treat everyone with the respect they deserve. I love pioneering work - it's exciting but requires resilience and an attitude of acceptance.
When working in this progressive area of communications, you must be open to learning, listening - I mean, really listening - and be willing to adjust your practices.
I'm resourceful too, and I'll let you know what can realistically be achieved on your budget.
My background includes many years of PR, copywriting and journalism. My experience includes an array of organisations, including Comic Relief and the British Red Cross, Scope, Sony Music, Warner Bros., delivering campaigns that drove footfall, donations, awareness, downloads and sales.
Let's work together
Drop me a line: hello@elmaglasgowconsulting.com.
WhatsApp: 07738004670.