IF it sometimes seems that only someone with superpowers could keep everyone in Scottish arts happy, then perhaps it is time to heed the comic book master credited with reinventing The X-Men.
Faster than a speeding ballet, Mark Millar has already made his pitch to run Creative Scotland whenever the role comes up for grabs again. While such touting might seem invidious, the national arts funding agency would do well to take Millar’s interest seriously – at least in some capacity.
We mean no criticism of the quango. Creative Scotland has put the worst of its recent controversies behind it, and has settled down under the stewardship of chief executive Janet Archer. However, calls have been growing for its responsibility for film to be hived off, and perhaps this could be right up Mr Millar’s alley.
Why consider Millar at all? Why not? With many of his comic books converted to film, he is well connected and experienced in that sphere. More generally, he is good at getting backing. He is iconoclastic. He has bags of energy. He is focused. And he is a successful business person in his own right. Once harbouring an ambition to be an economist, Glasgow-based Millar still reads the financial press first thing every day.
So, while some may see his ambition as fantasy, he is no lightweight and comes with more qualities than meet the comic-reading eye. Ultimately, this is a matter for Creative Scotland and perhaps nobody’s business but theirs. But, whether or not they ever consider Millar’s interest in a particular post, there can be no doubt that, if successful, savvy and committed people like him are offering their services to the Scottish arts, it would be short-sighted to discourage them altogether.
Having given the world Kick-Ass, Mr Millar is now offering to Kick-Arts. He may not have actual superpowers. But he does know how to make things happen.
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