The Gosport Routes consortium has appointed Leo Burtin as its Programme Director. Taking up post in August 2026, Leo will be responsible for developing a three-year programme designed to bring more creative and cultural activity to Gosport.
Gosport Routes is part of a national scheme called Creative People and Places funded by Arts Council England, which invests in towns and communities across England where people have fewer opportunities to get involved in arts and culture. Gosport is one of 12 new places to join the programme this year, receiving £750,000 over three years.
As Programme Director, Leo will be tasked with working with local organisations and residents to ensure activity responds to the opportunities, needs and interests of people in the town. With Gosport based youth work charity Motiv8 hosting a consortium of local partners, youth involvement is at the heart of the project. The Gosport Routes team will also work to recruit a panel of young people to help shape the programme and ensure more pathways to creative careers are offered locally.
Of this appointment, Kirsty Robertson from Motiv8 said: “Leo is a fantastic appointment for Gosport Routes. All of us in the consortium group were so impressed by his local knowledge, enthusiasm, and the expertise he brings. The young people involved in the recruitment were also very impressed and felt confident he cared about what they had to say. This was an essential part of our decision making. Gosport Routes is a fantastic opportunity for the borough. As someone who grew up in Rowner I can’t wait to see it come to life under Leo’s creative and professional direction, working closely with everyone in the Consortium and across the community
Leo Burtin brings over 15 years of experience of cultural leadership, with a significant track record of championing young talent development and place-based cultural activity through positions at universities including UCL, and in the community arts sector including Manchester Jewish Museum.
Leo said: “I am incredibly privileged to be leading a programme which will shine a light on a community with such a strong sense of self, and I cannot wait to see what we can achieve together. In the next few months, I look forward to connecting with people to make sure we build something that genuinely belongs to Gosport and is an outstanding arts programme that couldn’t exist anywhere else.”
To stay in touch with the programme as it takes shape, people can join a mailing list. Opportunities to work on the programme are also on the horizon, with recruitment for an Audience Development Officer beginning this Summer, and a Community Producer expected to join the team in early 2027.
Leo Burtin Biography
Leo Burtin is a creative producer, practitioner-researcher and artist with over fifteen years of experience of cultural leadership. Leo’s diverse portfolio of work is connected by a commitment to positive social transformation, community and talent development through creative practice. Prior to becoming Gosport Routes’ Programme Director, Leo has held academic and management positions at UCL, the University for the Creative Arts, the University of Salford.
In parallel to working in education, Leo was a co-founder of arts development agency Making Room, and of the 35k+ member strong UK Theatre Producers network. As Creative Producer, Leo oversaw a range of place-based commissions and participatory projects at Lancaster Arts and was Manchester Jewish Museum’s first artist in residence to explore the Museum’s collection through food-based community engagement. This passion for food as a vehicle for creative practice is the backbone of Leo’s artistic practice which includes the critically acclaimed performances The Midnight Soup and with bread and a range of projects commissioned by organisations including The Lowry, ARC Stockton and Camden People’s Theatre among many others.
Recently, Leo also acted as a strategic advisor to cultural organisations including East London’s art walk The Line, and queer arts group Downtown Pompey. Leo’s work for Gosport Routes is also strengthened by the experience of having served as the Graduate Futures’ Institute Research Lead for the creative industries task group, championing inclusive access to sustainable creative careers for young people. Locally in the Solent, Leo currently serves as co-chair to visual arts organisation Aspex. Leo is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the Royal Society of Arts and holds a doctorate in socially engaged practices from the University of Leeds.
