Toni Attard spent several years working in the public sector and eventually realised that he had reached a ‘glass ceiling’ that he could not break through. The only way forward was to step outside institutional structures and create his own space.
Attard founded Culture Venture, establishing an independent practice working across cultural strategy, policy, research, and training at national and international level.
He also founded Udjenza, an arts production company focused on original productions across the performing arts, which reached its fifth anniversary, marked by the launch of three new original productions in 2026.
Attard was the first Maltese member of the 10-person international panel responsible for the monitoring and selection of the European Capitals of Culture, also winning the silver award as local cultural contributor in the 2025 Malta Business Awards.
He launched the Valletta Resounds series, a crossover between performance, cultural heritage, and tourism.
The series, he says, stands out as a defining initiative. It demonstrated that performance, heritage, and tourism can intersect in a way that is artistically credible, economically sustainable, and beneficial to artists.
It shifted the conversation from one-off events to long-term cultural products and proving that cultural tourism can support the performing arts without diluting artistic value.
“Starting as a freelancer allowed me to test ideas, take risks, fail, learn, and grow organically – without permission. Culture Venture grew from that process, responding to a gap between cultural ambition and the strategic, structural support needed to sustain it.”
For Culture Venture, openness and sustainability are core principles. They believe in evidence-based work, long-term impact, and ethical practice.
Across both Culture Venture and Udjenza, the defining spirit is collaboration – working with diverse partners, disciplines, and talent, and recognising that our work is shaped by a wide ecosystem of associates and collaborators.
With Udjenza especially, Attard says, a culture of care is essential. Udjenza’s values are outlined here.
“Creative work is labour-intensive and inherently vulnerable. Our role as producers is to ensure that this vulnerability is supported – creatively, structurally, and emotionally – while still delivering work that is artistically ambitious and viable at the box office.”
Attard believes that success is multi-layered. At a company level, sustainability is key – initiating diverse projects, working with different clients, and doing so in a way that is manageable, measurable, and impactful.
For Culture Venture, success means leaving a positive imprint on the creative ecosystem, whether in Malta or internationally. For Udjenza, it means contributing meaningfully to Malta’s cultural life.
In production terms, success is not defined by box office alone.
While strong ticket sales allow reinvestment and experimentation, true success also lies in the impact a production leaves – on the creative team, and as a memory, impulse, or moment of reflection for the audience.
Udjenza’s tagline, ‘Where the arts meet’, reflects this belief, he says.
“Without audiences, Udjenza cannot exist. Our work lives precisely at that intersection – where creative work meets lived experience.”
AI is increasingly central to his work, Attard says, particularly through research and data-driven decision-making. At Culture Venture, they are investing in technologies that use AI to monitor and forecast visitor flows in creative spaces.
Audience data is also critical. At Udjenza, they continuously collect and analyse audience feedback through surveys and qualitative responses, ensuring that artistic decisions are informed without compromising artistic integrity.
Structurally, they have also clarified our business model, creating a clear distinction between Culture Venture and Udjenza.
Early on, combining production, research, and strategy under one banner caused confusion, he states. Separating these strands has strengthened both brands and allowed for more focused growth.
One of the most important decisions Attard made early on was to create clear physical boundaries.
First, by designating a proper office space at home that genuinely felt like work – not a kitchen table or an informal corner. Later, as the team grew, they established a dedicated office space which they call ‘The Creative Incubator’.
Even in an era of remote working and constant travel, having a place we can go to, meet and call work became essential. That separation helped protect his personal space.
“Finding balance has always been challenging for me, largely because I’m deeply passionate about the arts. Even when I experience culture for pleasure, it often feels like I’m still working. The thinking never really stops.”
That said, he still relieson solitude when he needs to think deeply – to write, reflect, or develop ideas.
Stepping away from work entirely usually means long walks in nature and slotting in time for the gym. He also values spending time alone to process and recalibrate.
In recent years, Attard has also placed much greater emphasis on his mental wellbeing, including seeking regular professional support.
Running two very different aspects of the organisation, he says, requires operating in two mindsets at once.
Culture Venture is analytical, strategic, and structured, while Udjenza is emotionally driven, vulnerable, and creatively uncertain by nature. Holding both spaces simultaneously is very demanding and sometimes very difficult to manage.
What has made the biggest difference to Attard is moving from working solo to building a small, trusted, and complementary team.
“Knowing that parts of the organisation are now led by people who can do things even better than I can has been incredibly grounding. It gives me space to think, to imagine new ideas and hopefully, to improve personal life.”
What advice would you give to someone looking to start or scale a business in your industry today?
Understand both creativity and business. Passion is essential, but it must be matched with business literacy and strategic thinking.
Don’t romanticise precarity – the gig economy can be exhausting, and constantly moving from one project to another takes its toll. It does get easier with time but only if you build solid foundations early on.
While many people in our industry start out alone, you are rarely truly alone.
Seek out peers, mentors and alliances. Others are navigating the same challenges and shared knowledge is one of the strongest forms of resilience.
Finally, ambition should never come at the expense of integrity.
Fight for your space, but do so through knowledge, innovation and honesty. Long-term success in this sector is built on trust not competing through aggression.
Websites: www.cultureventure.org | www.udjenza.com
Email: [email protected]
