Negotiating the Industry
Negotiating the Industry
Facilitator - Natalie Murphy-West
This one-off course is an introduction to equipping participants with practical knowledge and confidence to navigate fees, contracts, and working conditions within industry-standard and unionised environments.
Participants will learn where to find rates, how to negotiate fair changes, and interpreting contracts. Emphasis is placed on worker awareness—understanding personal boundaries, valuing your labour, and identifying what conditions and compensation are acceptable to you.
Course Description
This one-off course is an introduction to equipping participants with practical knowledge and confidence to navigate fees, contracts, and working conditions within industry-standard and unionised environments.
Participants will learn where to find rates, how to negotiate fair changes, and interpreting contracts. Emphasis is placed on worker awareness—understanding personal boundaries, valuing your labour, and identifying what conditions and compensation are acceptable to you.
The course also explores how to approach work both as an independent professional and as part of a collaborative team. Participants will examine professional conduct, communication strategies, and collective responsibility within industry settings, balancing individual goals with the realities of group-based and union-supported work. By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to advocate for themselves, work ethically and sustainably, and engage confidently within the industry.
Who This Course Is For:
This session is ideal for artists, producers, technicians, cultural workers, and anyone curious about the realities, and rewards, of a life in the cultural sector.
In-Person
This will happen at Accidental in the Theatre, in the Ground Floor theatre.
Remote
This will happen over Zoom, you will be able to see and hear the talk and ask questions remotely.
Facilitator - Natalie Murphy-West
Natalie Murphy-West has worked in production across stage & screen for 15 years. Beginning her career as a stage manager, she has progressed through production management, casting and producing. Natalie is a strong advocate for union-led work; previously sitting on the NI Committee for Equity for 3 years, and is now a member of BECTU. She is Vice-Chair of the Board at Tinderbox Theatre Company and has recently completed training in Screen Ireland’s Safe to Create programme for Dignity in the Workplace.
Her recent and notable screen credits include “Dead & Buried” for BBC One, “Murder Most Puzzling” for Channel 5, and the recently BAFTA nominated short film “Nostalgie”.
Talk to The Professionals
Accidental’s Talk to the Professionals Programme empowers artists and technicians to thrive within today’s fast-changing creative industries. As digital innovation, hybrid performance models, and new production technologies reshape how work is made and shared, creative practitioners need future-focused skills that combine technical capability with bold artistic thinking.
This programme offers a practical, hands-on pathway for early- and mid-career creatives to develop those skills. Through workshops, labs, and mentorship led by experienced artists, digital specialists, and production professionals, participants gain confidence in areas such as digital performance tools, emerging media, core production practices, collaborative creation, and innovative storytelling.
Funding by the James Kane Foundation.
Course Info
In-Person
Venue: 12-13 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, BT2 7DB
Access: Directly from Shaftesbury Square
Date(s): Thursday 26th February 2026
Starts: 7pm GMT
Age Guidance: 18+
Run Time: 90 mins
Disabled Access: Theatre (ground floor) is fully accessible. Toilets & Book Bar (1st floor) are accessible via a wheelchair platform lift. Carer tickets available: Call 028 9032 5881 to book.
Online
Access for the remote access will be emailed out a few days ahead, please check junk/spam folders.
Booking Info
Please book a ticket per attendee to avoid issues.
£10 - IN-PERSON TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you in-person access to watch the talk in the theatre.
£10 - REMOTE TICKET - a standard ticket that gives you online access to watch the talk from anywhere.
£20 - DONATION TICKET - a special ticket that gives a little extra to the exceptional and hardworking artists creating the event. Donation Tickets include both attendee options above.
