From reality TV to real lives: why I left London to support neurodiverse creativity in Newcastle

Mark Butcher, Community and Media Coordinator, Ngage, shares his career journey which led to his current role working in learning disability support.

If you’d told me 20 years ago that I would leave behind a career in television to help run community allotments, LEGO exhibitions and neurodiverse podcasts in Newcastle, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

For many years I worked in London as a Producer Director making reality television. It was fast-paced, exciting and creative. I worked on major productions, travelled, met incredible people and learned how powerful storytelling can be. But over time, I started to feel that something was missing. I wanted my work to have a more direct impact on people’s lives. I wanted creativity to mean something more than entertainment.

The truth is, the seeds for that change had been planted long before television.

I grew up in Kent with my brother Adrian, who is non-verbal and autistic. Watching the world through Adrian’s eyes shaped me in ways I probably still don’t fully understand. Growing up, I saw both the beauty and the frustrations of the support system around disability. I saw how easily people could underestimate someone simply because they communicated differently.

My mum Joy became a huge inspiration to me. She dedicated so much of her life to charity work and supporting other people, often putting others before herself. My sister Helen has also become an incredible support for both Adrian and my mum over the years, giving so much of herself to help our family navigate life together. Seeing that compassion and resilience up close taught me that community and kindness can completely transform lives.

Eventually, I realised I wanted my own work to reflect those values.

That journey led me to Newcastle and to Ngage NE Ltd.

Working with Ngage has completely changed my life. Instead of making television about people, I now help people tell their own stories. Instead of chasing ratings, we focus on confidence, inclusion and giving people opportunities they may never have believed possible.

One of our biggest projects has been the award-winning Wey Aye Lego Man exhibition. What started as a creative idea combining LEGO, photography and community has grown into a nationally recognised exhibition celebrating neurodiverse creativity. The project recently won a national Markel 3rd Sector Care Award for Creative Arts, something we are all incredibly proud of.

But the real success stories are the people behind the exhibition.

People like Julie. Julie has grown enormously in confidence through our projects over the years. One moment I’ll never forget was when she spoke at a major “Being You Is Not a Crime” event in front of more than 200 police officers and staff. Public speaking on that scale would terrify most people, but with support and encouragement she stood up and shared her experiences as a person with a learning disability. Watching her speak so honestly and confidently was one of the proudest moments of my career.

Then there’s Glyn, who appeared on ourNeuro-Mind Podcast to talk about his passion for British television soaps. Neuro-Mind is one of my favourite projects because it celebrates people’s special interests rather than trying to change or suppress them. The podcast gives neurodivergent people a platform to speak confidently about the subjects they love. Seeing people grow in confidence behind microphones and cameras reminds me exactly why I left television in the first place.

Another person who inspires me enormously is Ashleigh. Like many of the people we support, creativity and helping out at our allotment became a way for her to express herself, build confidence and connect socially. Seeing people move from isolation to becoming active contributors in exhibitions, podcasts, photography projects and filmmaking has been incredible.

At Ngage we also run an award-winning community allotment in Walker, Newcastle. On paper it’s “just” an allotment, but in reality it’s become a therapeutic, welcoming and inclusive space where people can socialise, learn new skills and reconnect with nature. We’ve created wildlife areas, sensory gardens, accessible growing spaces and volunteer projects involving local organisations and businesses. Watching people who once struggled with confidence now proudly showing visitors around the allotment is something truly special.

What I’ve learned through all of this is that creativity changes lives.

Not because everyone wants to become famous or successful, but because creative projects give people ownership, identity and confidence. Whether someone is building LEGO sculptures, recording podcasts, photographing mini figures on Newcastle Quayside or planting vegetables in an allotment, they are telling the world: “I matter. I have something to contribute.”

That is far more meaningful to me than anything I ever achieved in television.

I still use the skills I learned in the media industry every day — filming, editing, storytelling and production — but now those skills help people who are too often overlooked by society become content creators, artists, filmmakers and storytellers in their own right.

Leaving London was a huge leap into the unknown, but it turned out to be the best decision I ever made.

Because somewhere along the way, I realised I hadn’t walked away from storytelling at all. I’d simply found stories that mattered more.

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