Joanna (Hartle) McLoughlin

Joanna (Hartle) McLoughlin :

Joanna (Hartle) McLoughlin started working in the Live Events industry at the tender age of 16, learning to do lights at the famed Pink Toothbrush Club in Essex. Over the period of a few months she moved from club nights to live acts and was then asked by the visiting bands to tour with them for PDs Her works as a lighting designer led her to be a regular touring LD for the up and coming bands of the then new indie scene and grunge bands from Seattle.

Her creativity with Light, she claims came from always having a love for the music she was responding too and the fact that she sees music in colour, shape and form, almost like a type of synesthesia. She was the youngest person in the world and the first woman to train on the the LSD IKON, and worked across the world designing and operating lights and eventually all aspects of production for the first six years of her career. Towards the end of this period, she moved into Production and Tour Managing before side stepping to return to study and qualify as a Professional Youth and Community Worker.

From Divas to DIvas...

After the birth of her first child, Joanna spent time working as a Professional Youth and Community Worker, teaching, educating and empowering young people and students to learn develop and in some circumstances reengage with the world, Using the Arts and Music as a tools to empower change in their lives, her projects won awards and she was asked to sit on national bodies to develop future working practices further. Her greatest gift from this time was being told that she had inspired others to want to be like the way she managed to create change in the lives of others. That accolade is in itself a priceless gem.

During her time workng in the public and third sector Joanna worked with many hard to reach young people and established funded and award winning education programmes to reengage young people and adults back into education and training, Including the building with volunteers of a straw bale building to create a new sustainable education and training centre for the organisation.

The return of lady with the lamp ...

In 2001, Jo returned to the Live Events Industry and began to recconnect with Lighting and Set design, and because of her background in project management and remaining calm under pressure, she was asked to crew chief some large shows, and became in house as a resident LD at the sadly now closed Ocean venue in Hackney, following this she was asked by the Beta Band to Production Design their shows and remained in situ with them until leaving the live music industry again to have her second child in 2003.

Joanna has designed and managed mulitple corporate events, both as an event designer, stylist, floral designer and Producer. In more recent times she has moved more into the field of Production Managing mainly for large scale outdoor events, corporate. At present she is working on designs for for

As a creative soul Joanna works to develop her artworks incorporating the tools of her passion for live design, light and the mechanics involved, plus throwing in emotion, history and social changes. The majority of her artworks are created in the public realm, are ephemeral and challenge the veiwer on one level or another. At present Stone 2 stone is in development - a piece that uses light to cross between two points across the Thames Estuary.

Its all about inspiring..

Joanna is a keen advocate of Women in the live events industry and serves on the steering committee for Women in Stage Entertainment. She is at the present time working with colleagues to ensure that WiSE has an increased presecence in the global arena.

Joanna Is a University Lecturer in Concept Design, Live Event Planning and plans Quality Assurance for Industrial Placements to ensure the next generation meet the high standards of the current practitioners.

Joanna splits her life between being the creative driving force behind both the education and creative aspects of her career,and the lead for the team around her that allow it too happen including working with Nicola McLauchlan to inspire around naturespacecreative - an organisation that empowers responses to environment through the Arts and education, as well as producing and creating unique and memorable events and experiences, but most importantly being a mom to three children aged 16, 9 and 4 and a creating a happy home!

Her special qualities are her tireless enthusiasm for ideas and finding ways to make things happen, a passion for educating and inspiring, bending time, dynamic and creative thinking on many levels and her ability to dispel tension with compassion. She is an avid tea drinker and loves The West Wing.