Will Gompertz Andy Lane

Fee Band


Will was the BBC’s first ever Arts Editor, entitling him to express his opinions on things like the Turner Prize. He is now the Director of Arts and Learning at the Barbican. The role brings together the arts and creative learning departments, and he will lead the creation and delivery of the next phase of the Barbican’s artistic vision.


Biography

Will Gompertz is the Director of Arts and Learning at The Barbican. Previously, he was the BBC’s first ever dedicated Arts Editor covering all aspects of the arts from funding and policy to criticism in the theatre, music, film, visual arts, and literature.

Prior to his BBC appointment Will served for almost a decade as director of Tate Media where he was responsible for the institution’s award-winning online presence and for Tate Etc. the UK's highest-circulation art magazine. Before working for Tate Will had a varied career that took in working at a holiday camp, as a stage-hand at Sadler's Wells and as a runner for a TV company. He also founded the DVD-magazine Shots covering international short films and commercial promo films. Will set up a dedicated arts TV production company making programmes for Channel 4 and ITV and a film with Aardman Animation.

An experienced host and interviewer, Will can not only talk about the all aspects of the art world and creativity, but also has a wealth of tales from his time in broadcasting, whether it’s mispronouncing the subject’s name in an obituary, or interviewing superstars from Mick Jagger to Damian Hurst and Meryl Streep.

Will is the author of a layman’s guide to 150 years of modern art, What Are You Looking At?, See What You're Missing: 31 Ways Artists Notice the World: and How You Can Too, and Think Like an Artist, a manual to help anyone think creatively, be productive and be fulfilled by work. He has also written on the arts for The Times and the Guardian and even wrote and performed a show at the Edinburgh Fringe called Double Art History.

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Videos

JLA Speakers Breakfast

More Details

Agent Recommendation

Will challenges any perceptions of the artistic world as a breeding ground for tormented, penniless outcasts. Instead he describes the most celebrated exponents as entrepreneurs with a sharp understanding of the zeitgeist. Along with some genuinely hilarious stories, Will’s message to business is crystal clear: to survive and thrive, we must all begin to think like artists.

JLA Agent Tom Disley
Read More

Books

Book written by Will Gompertz
Book written by Will Gompertz
Book written by Will Gompertz

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH