Earl's Court has always been a place where people from everywhere meet. It has a long history as one of London's most international neighbourhoods, and a creative community that deserves a stage. The Earl's Court International Film Festival gives it one.

As Special Advisor to the festival director, my role covers communications, marketing and partnerships. In practice that means helping the festival tell its story clearly, reach audiences beyond the usual film crowd, and build relationships with partners who share its values.

A festival of this kind works on three levels at once. It gives independent filmmakers a platform. It brings audiences together in a shared space, which is rarer than it should be. And it gives local businesses, venues and residents a reason to take part.

My background in music, retail marketing and publishing shapes how I approach it. With The Court, Earl's Court's free arts, culture and community newspaper, I learned how much a neighbourhood values seeing itself reflected. The festival extends that idea to the screen.

Good partnerships matter most. The best ones go beyond sponsorship, and each side gains something real. A sponsor reaches an engaged audience, a venue fills its seats, a school or charity finds a way into the creative industries.

In my experience culture is part of what makes a place work. A well run local festival brings visitors, supports small businesses and gives young people a glimpse of careers they may not have known existed. To me, that is profit with purpose.