Patrick O’Mahony - Creative Director NEWSUBSTANCE

This episode sees us go to one of the UK’s most ambitious art projects - See Monster, down in Weston-Super-Mare near Bristol. 

This is a gas platform or perhaps more commonly known as oil rig, repurposed into an interactive environment to explore and inspire conversations around Climate Change and renewables.

We caught up with the Artistic Director of this Project- Patrick O’Mahony- and record this episode in their custom-built podcast studio overlooking the See Monster project itself. 

I first came across Patrick when his drone show appeared over Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee and thought- now that is a job of the future and I HAVE to interview him.

That company is called New Substance. 

This episode is the first time on the show with someone from the creative industries - so we talk through Patrick’s story and he came to lead his 50-person team in Leeds. 

We talk about how he started out at University, what it was like working at Buckingham Palace as well as how the art and events industries have changed over the past decade. 

Look out next week for episode 2 of this interview where we do a deep dive into the See Monster project itself. 

In this episode we talk about:

• How does Patrick describe what he does?

• What’s the coolest project he’s worked on?

• The pressure of working at Buckingham Palace - and could he really enjoy the moment?

• His fleet of 2,500 drones.

• How he came about making a huge drone Corgi for the Queen’s Jubilee

• How his career started in university.

• His favorite projects he has worked on.

• The changes in the events space over the past two decades