Tony Butler OBE is Executive Director of Derby Museums and a leading figure in the UK museums sector. In this wide-ranging interview he shares valuable insights on the topics such as:

• The recent DCMS funding announcement and the opportunities (and questions) it raises
• His verdict on the Hodge report
• How civic museums have had to adapt business models and what the future might hold
• The draw of locally known artists and cultural figures
• The difference between entrepreneurialism and "magic thinking"

A useful and enlightening listen for anyone involved in the sector, particularly those looking to balance purpose and community-delivery with the ever-changing financial context.

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Wentworth Woodhouse is a vast heritage site in South Yorkshire. It requires restoration that could cost hundreds of millions of pounds and take decades. Located in an economically challenged part of the UK, it receives no public funding... and yet manages to survive and thrive.

CEO Sarah McLeod - who grew up in a low income household and firmly believes arts and culture are for everyone - skilfully combines her passion, values and commercial nous to bring stability, progress and success. From investing in re-training heritage crafts, to creating revenue from recycling non-reusable materials from the restoration project itself... this is an organisation that grafts and innovates to stay afloat. And it always stays connected to its local community.

In this insightful and inspirational chat with host Tom Dawson, there are vital lessons for anyone in the sector on getting purpose and profitability to work hand in hand to make cultural heritage accessible to all.

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Expert Panel:

Catherine Pinkerton, Group Retail Manager, Amgueddfa Cymru | Museums Wales

Sonia Solicari, Director & CEO, Museum of the Home

Erin Thompson, Retail Manager, V&A Dundee

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Couple Alex and Oli fell in love with a 600 year old (and famously wonky) house in Lavenham, Suffolk. They bought it, they live in it... and they've transformed this former tea-room into a commercially-successful and ground-breaking heritage venue harnessing the power of story-telling and immersive experiences.

In this episode, host Tom Dawson speaks to Alex and Oli about their story, the lessons they have learned and the unique strategies they use to leave visitors delighted and revenues healthy and growing.

Alex and Oli will be guest speakers at the upcoming Cultural Enterprises Conference at ICC Birmingham 9-11 February 2026. Find out more and book your tickets here.

To find out more about The Crooked House visit crookedhouselavenham.com

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Expert panel of guests:

Jocelyn Burnham - Founder, AI for Culture

Owen Hopkin - Director of New Technologies and Innovation, Arts Council England

Duncan Mann - Founder and CEO, HoxtonAI

Sean Waterman - Head of Intellectual Property, Naomi Korn Associates

Key links:

Art Council England's Responsible AI Practical Toolkit

AI for Culture website

HoxtonAI website

Naomi Korn Associates website

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Joining host Tom Dawson are:

Lizzie Dunford, Director, Jane Austen's House Museum

Susan Rayner, Head of Commercial & Visitor Experience, Jane Austen's House Museum

Director Lizzie Dunford and Head of Commercial & Visitor Experience Susan Rayner share how Jane Austen’s House, a small but world-famous museum in rural Hampshire, thrives as a self-funded organisation. They discuss the impact of the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, their strategy for running at a surplus, and how retail is used not just for income but as a marker of visitor engagement. With a supportive team culture, creative programming, and a global fanbase, the museum delivers once-in-a-lifetime experiences for visitors while planning strategically for a sustainable future.  

There are important lessons and helpful advice here for cultural and heritage venues of all sizes who would also love to grab opportunities with positivity and an innovative outlook.

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Richard Morsley is the CEO of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. It's a vast site with a unique history. Although no longer in active service, this heritage site has managed to embrace its challenges (a vast footprint containing many unique buildings in need of preservation) and turned them into commercial opportunities. 

For example, its iconic rope-making facility, which not only keeps a local craft alive... but also provides sellable products that end up everywhere from movie sets to gyms.

In this episode Richard shares his advice on building a multi-revenue stream model, harnessing enterprise opportunities from property to filming locations and TV fan tours to partnerships with outside IP like Lego.

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

With the school summer holidays just weeks away, parts of the country where visitor numbers are massively seasonal are preparing themselves for the most important time of their commercial year. Cornwall is remote and experiences vast seasonality in visitor numbers... yet it has a vibrant cultural enterprise scene and boasts some of the UK's most iconic attractions.

Two Cornwall experts join host Tom Dawson to reveal lessons, insights and inspiration that will be useful to anyone involved in the operation, marketing and financial health of cultural venues readying themselves for the summer season.

Guests:

Zoë Curnow - formerly Executive Director Minack Theatre, now Head of Operations, St Michael's Mount

Julia Twomlow - Creative Director and CEO, PK Porthcurno

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

How can cultural venues best serve the increasingly important families market? What are examples of current best practice? Where are the challenges and opportunities? What trends are emerging that organisations should be aware of and adapt to? Host Tom Dawson gathers an expert panel to address all these questions and more:

Amy Akino-Wittering, Head of Operations & Commercial, Young V&A

Alison Bowyer, CEO, Kids in Museums

Caroline Jones, CEO & Director, Story Museum

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/

Many cultural organisations and venues still need to improve how different parts of the organisations understand each other and work together. When collaboration happens well, stories from all teams can be harnessed by Marketing to bring both commercial benefits and progress on overall purpose and mission. This episode's expert panel explains how to break down silos and do collaboration well - especially between Marketing and Commercial.

Expert Panel:

Caroline Reid, Director of Commercial Enterprises, National Trust for Scotland

Lucy Paul, Marketing Executive, National Trust for Scotland

Abbigail Ollive, Visitor Attraction Director, Castle Howard

Frankie Wakefield, Deputy Head of Marketing, Shakespeare's Globe

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www.artsandculturepodcast.com

The podcast for the Cultural Sector.

The Arts & Culture podcast delivers best-in-class thought leadership, with industry heavy hitters and crucial sector-defining topics, going behind the scenes at the UK's museums, galleries and heritage sites. 

Host Tom Dawson is COO for the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

https://culturalenterprises.org.uk/