08 Jul Our International Community: Nicoletta Cataldo
Tell us about your path into the creative industries.
After my degree in “Cinema, television and multimedia production” in 2007, I started my apprenticeship. I worked with film production companies in Italy and abroad and was part of “ZEN.movie”, a Cultural Association where I produced live-action short films and documentaries until 2015. I launched Insolita Film in 2018, an independent film production company and creative hub of cultural projects. I have created an innovative digital platform for entrepreneurs outside the creative and cultural sector supply chain. CIAK-in is a community designed for artists and businesses which supports entrepreneurs in different business areas and offers them creative business solutions from a network of professional artists.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on finding new companies and entrepreneur customers interested in being part of CIAK-in. I work on the various aspects of the strategy to grow the platform, on communication (creating content for the social profiles of Insolita Film), training artists, and managing companies already registered in CIAK-in.
On the film production side, on the other hand, I take care of the distribution of projects already executed and am in the development phase of new films: “Icarus”, a documentary on the genocide in Rwanda; “The battle of frogs and mice” an animation movie on the absurdity of war; “In the middle of the night”, a first work with horror tinges, on the awareness of one’s own ‘dark side’.
Why did you decide to do CLOCK? And what impact has it had on you and your creative process and work?
I completed my CLOCK training course in 2019. I was attracted to it by the unconventional way of learning from my personal and professional experiences and the opportunity to evaluate all those skills that you cannot deduce from a curriculum vitae, and which are imperative qualities, especially in the world of creative and cultural industries. I’m referring not only to soft skills but also to problem solving skills and above all, to creating a cultural and social impact on collaborators and outwards to the outside world.
The CLOCK path opened my mind. The CLOCK approach also helps me in the dynamics of training with artists. I also found strengths in the role of peer reviewer thanks to the positive and enriching exchange with the candidates I supported in their CLOCK growth path.
While doing the CLOCK programme, what did you discover about yourself that you hadn’t realised, valued, or appreciated?
I discovered that all my soft skills could be formally assessed and recognised on a par with technical skills and that I have excellent problem solving skills. Despite my work as an entrepreneur (when you think about managers, you associate them with images of spreadsheets and calculators), my creative skills are necessary for working on strategic projects and my relational work, which takes place in groups.
What would you say to someone who wants to be a CLOCK peer reviewer?
I would say that the exchange with the candidate is enriching for the peer reviewer too. To be a peer reviewer, you need to listen and be careful to communicate your suggestions as professional support and not as judgments.
Author Liz Appleby
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