The team behind the Manchester International Festival (MIF) shared their varied career journeys as well as insights into working on major events with our community in our latest industry Masterclass.  Ebony Montague chaired the discussion. Ebony joined MIF in 2019 in the role of HR Administrator, having previously worked in a call centre environment. Working […]

Four creative professionals working for The Guardian across advertising and journalism shared their career journeys with the Creative Access community in a wide-ranging Masterclass chaired by Creative Access alumna Jacqueline Otagburuagu. Adam Foley, Director of Advertising, UK, spoke about his journey from a small town in Devon to The Guardian, via a range of roles […]

In the week where it was announced that theatres in England might reopen by mid-May, we were delighted to have our minds opened in a Theatre Masterclass during which Kwame Kwei-Armah, the Artistic Director of the Young Vic Theatre, joined Creative Access alumna Olivia Nwabali for an engrossing evening of conversation that flitted effortlessly between […]

To kick off our first Masterclass of 2021, we were joined by James Dale (Managing Director) and Benji Haigh (Head of Client Services) from Sine Digital, a digital marketing agency specialising in entertainment, leisure, and fashion. James and Benji gave listeners a whirlwind tour of the rise of social media and of future digital trends. […]

To mark this year’s #workinpublishing week, we were thrilled to be joined by Stephen Page (Creative Access Board Chair and CEO of Faber & Faber) and Silé Edwards (CA alum and an Agent at Mushens Entertainment) for our lastest masterclass. We could not think of a better way to brighten the gloomy November afternoons! Creative […]

This month we were joined by Sarah Brown (Creative Director, Drama) and Claire Armspach (Head of Drama Development) from STV Studios – a leading independent television production company – for a deep dive into Drama Script Development. Sarah and Claire worked on the script development of the BAFTA-winning drama Elizabeth is Missing. During the masterclass, they […]

We were thrilled to partner with Radiocentre – the industry body for commercial radio – for the fifth time, but the first time in a virtual world!  The event was hosted by radio and TV legend, Margherita Taylor. She was joined by KISS FM’s AJ King, BBC Asian Network’s Pria Rai and Podcast producer and […]

This week we were be joined for our Thursday Thoughts session by Satmohan Panesar, ITV Commissioning Editor of Factual Entertainment and Bradley Cumberbatch, Creative Access alumni and Senior Producer and Director of Celebrity Gogglebox. Sat began by introducing his role commissioning shows on channels including ITVBe and ITV4, which he has done for the past […]

For this week’s masterclass, we were delighted to be joined by Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East and Shadow International Development Minister, who was interviewed by Communities Reporter and CA alumni Sabbiyah Pervez. Beginning with an insight into the early foundations of her life, Yasmin spoke about the inspirations and motivations behind her political […]

Robert Peston is ITV News’ political editor and presenter of the politics show Peston. A journalist, presenter and writer, he has published four books and won over thirty awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year from the Royal Television Society. As part of his work making the creative […]

For this week’s Thursday Thoughts, we were thrilled to be joined by British television presenter, children’s author and wheelchair basketball player Ade Adepitan and Raj Sandhu, Westminster Correspondent for BBC Scotland. An international athlete (his team won the bronze and gold medal at the Paralympics), Ade then made his debut on the screen presenting the […]

We were thrilled to be joined by the team behind the new standalone BBC drama Sitting in Limbo for this week’s Thursday Thoughts session. Written by novelist Stephen S. Thompson, the drama is based on the experiences of his brother Anthony Bryan who was wrongfully detained by the Home Office and threatened with deportation. This […]

Q&A with Yamin Choudhury and Stephenson Ardern-Sodje We were delighted to be joined by Yamin Choudhury and Stephen Ardern-Sodje for this week’s Thursday Thoughts on theatre! Yamin is Artistic Director of Hackney Empire, a renowned theatre that has seen a score of talent come through its doors over its one-hundred-and-twenty-year history. Yamin first joined the […]

Every fortnight, we hold a discussion with leading figures in the creative industries, each one hosted by a former Creative Access trainee. Yesterday we were thrilled to be joined by Jonny Geller and Cameron Myers. Jonny is CEO of Original Talent and Chairman of Curtis Brown Literary & Talent Agency which represents actors, presenters, authors, playwrights and directors […]

From Spike Lee, to Martin Scorsese… we were thrilled to host a Q&A between Times journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera and award-winning writer, producer and director Asif Kapadia on all things film… Hosted on the 17th floor of News UK, yesterday’s masterclass boasted beautiful views of the city and a night of illuminating advice. Sathnam’s insightful […]

What a night! Not only did our new Chair take up the reigns, but for the first time ever our annual showcase was hosted by a panel of superstar Creative Access alumni; a huge reflection on all we have achieved since setting up; that our community are rising to senior levels and become stellar ambassadors for […]

Creative Access hit the road for the first 2020 event in partnership with The Publishers Association. Aimed at encouraging under-represented audiences to pursue a career in publishing, we were thrilled to be hosted by University of Brighton in the Sallis Benney theatre… With a 100 strong audience of wannabe publishers, our panel kicked off by talking […]

The first masterclass of the year was held at the award-winning news and media powerhouse ITN. Put together by the brilliant former Creative Access alumna Hila May, the event offered a unique insight into the world of broadcast journalism The legendary Jon Snow kicked off last night’s masterclass, making an appearance to give an inspiring […]

On Monday 16th December, Creative Access celebrated the end of 2019 with our annual awards ceremony. This year has been a brilliant year for us with a raft of incredible masterclasses and events; dozens of fabulous new media partners and of course our interns and alumni continuing to achieve great things. It’s always difficult to […]

Creative Access celebrated the end of a brilliant year at our final masterclass of 2019. Hosted by LinkedIn, we learnt all about the professional networking service and the inspiring people behind it… We were introduced to the world of LinkedIn by Josh Graff, LinkedIn UK Country Manager & VP EMEA & LATAM, who spoke about the […]

This month’s masterclass was held at social media titans Facebook in their London HQ. Chaired by Creative Access non-exec director Ajoy Roy-Chowdhury, the panel imparted wisdom that left all of us feeling inspired… First up was Annie Lawrence, Solutions Engineering Apprentice at Facebook, who talked about her journey in securing her apprenticeship. “Practical and people […]

Want to know all the ins and outs of the music industry? Everything from signing a new artist to matching them up with a prolific brand, we have covered it all… This month’s masterclass saw us return to High Street Kensington to the fabulous offices of Warner Music. Adenike Derrick, Label Manager at ADA Records, opened […]

We didn’t think we could top our radio masterclass in London, but our Salford radio enthusiasts certainly gave it a run for its money… Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre, the industry body for commercial radio, opened the evening for us with a message on the importance of emerging talent in radio and how we must nurture […]

We’re back from our summer holidays with another cracking masterclass, this time, based in our home, ITV Studios! More than a hundred young people gathered in Waterhouse Square to listen to a top panel of experts talking all things television… There was certainly a buzz in the air as the audience was treated to an […]

Got a good face for radio?  This is the perfect opportunity for you to learn how to get your foot in the door! Get ready to head to Salford for an evening full of expert advice, tips and tricks from industry specialists … Off the back of our radio masterclass in London earlier this year, we’re delighted […]

Love books? Not sure how to create a career out of it? Live in the Midlands? If the answer is yes to the above questions, then you’re in luck… Sign up for an evening of inspiration, information and networking with the Publishers Association and leading industry professionals to learn all about how you can turn your […]

For this month’s masterclass, we were hosted by a crack team from the Financial Times, in their fabulous new offices in Bracken House We were greeted by a wonderful FT panel consisting of Robin Kwong, Pricilla Baffour, Madhumita Murgia, Kay Josiah, Mariam Lolavar, chaired by Abbie Scott. To hear some of their words of wisdom, carry on reading… Abbie […]

At the heart of the Twittersphere, this month’s masterclass saw the Creative Access community gathered at Twitter HQ for a ‘speed dating’ session with a host of leading industry professionals We were joined by nine experienced creatives with bundles of knowledge ready to bestow on our interns and alumni. The room – packed to the […]

Creative Access hit the road for the first of three events in partnership with The Publishers Association. Aimed at encouraging under-represented audiences to pursue a career in publishing, we were thrilled to be hosted by Aardman Animations in Bristol for our first Publishing Masterclass of the year… Set in the offices of the Academy Award winning […]

There’s a first time for everything, and this month’s masterclass saw Creative Access’s head to the prestigious offices of global auction house, Sotheby’s. We were joined by a panel of Sotheby’s own professionals; from jewellery experts to client developers, who showed us that there is really more to auction houses than meets the eye. Set […]

Straight from their HQ at Southbank, March’s Masterclass had us visiting the contemporary art company, Rambert.  We were thrilled to be hosted in the beautiful Rambert building, home to Britain’s oldest dance company. The panel for the night included a range of industry professionals who make the magic happen both behind the scenes and on […]

Last night saw a group of CA interns, alumni, and local University students make their way to the iconic Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester to get an insight into the world of theatre from some of the industries leading luminaries.           The panel was chaired by our wonderful former Creative Access […]

It may be Valentine’s Day but we’re still dreaming about last night’s fabulous Creative Access Showcase, held at Channel 4 HQ for the seventh consecutive year The event saw industry professionals gather with a full house of over 200 eager young creatives, ready to pick their brains in how to make it in their chosen […]

Today we were thrilled to hold our first ever Scottish Creative Industry Showcase in the Chapel on the beautiful old campus at the University of Glasgow. The event was attended by students from around the City including the Glasgow School of Art, City of Glasgow College and Glasgow Caledonian University. We had a phenomenal panel […]

Kicking off our first masterclass of the year was our star-studded panel live from the BBC’s iconic radio theatre, talking all things radio; showing us just where a little ‘grafting’ can get you… Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre, the industry body for commercial radio, took to the stage with Ben Cooper, Controller of Radio 1, 1Xtra and […]

Our annual festive party took place last night at our friends and partners, Bloomsbury Publishing. This has been a fantastic year for Creative Access, so what better way to celebrate our success than with the wonderful people who have helped Creative Access grow? The room was filled with our talented interns – both past and present […]

Our November masterclass saw over 90 folk gather in the cosy conservatory of Bloomsbury Books UK, for a talk on what it means to be British, by a very British Man; Kamal Ahmed. From student newspaper to Editorial Director of News at the BBC, Kamal Ahmed talks about his route to journalism – spoke in […]

A perfect setting for our autumnal masterclass – this month’s event saw Creative Access interns and alumni gathered in the Palace of Westminster to speak to a cross-party group of MPs and Lords on all things politics and diversity. Hosted by Baroness Margaret McDonagh, former Leader of the House of Commons, the panel gave us a valuable […]

Current and former Creative Access interns arrived en masse for our August masterclass last night. Hosted by leading book publishers Pan Macmillan, we were privileged to have an evening with  New York Times Bestselling Author of ‘Children of Blood and Bone’, Tomi Adeyemi. Tomi kicked off the evening with her thoughts on how ‘British” Love […]

Last night saw our Creative Access interns and alumni based in Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester head to Media City, Salford for an inspirational evening on the set of ITV’s iconic Coronation Street. We kicked of with a wander through the legendary streets of Weatherfield and a quick chat with some cast members including Steve McDonald […]

An audience of more than 100 young people assembled last night at the Curzon Bloomsbury for a brilliant masterclass hosted by leading media organisation, ITN, focusing on the world of news broadcasting.                 Channel 4 News Presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy chaired the panel and kicked off the evening by talking about […]

Last night saw a phenomenal panel of top music gurus assemble at the incredible offices of Warner Music UK in High Street Kensington for our May masterclasses. Hosted by the inspirational Alec Boateng (or Twin B), the panel told the audience about their career paths, their work highs and lows and their secrets of success. […]

Last night we held our March workshop at touring contemporary dance company Rambert. Approximately 50 young people, made up from Creative Access interns and alumni, came along to hear from a fantastic panel of Rambert staff, with panelists ranging from dancers to archivists. We were thrilled to be in the beautiful Rambert building, hearing from one […]

Creative Access was lucky enough to be welcomed into the world of advertising for our latest masterclass hosted at the UK’s largest advertising agency, AMV BDDO. Our first two speakers, both Account Managers at AMV BDDO, Jean-Luc Gentilli and Vanessa Wise, both spoke of their experience coming into the advertising industry. The pair described their […]

In a departure from our normal masterclasses, this month we decided to focus on looking after ourselves; with an evening of mental health awareness and a first aid tool kit, hosted in the beautiful offices of the Wellcome Trust in Euston. Sarah Mason, Project Coordinator, Mental Health First Aid and Environmental Sustainability, at the Wellcome Trust kicked off […]

This month’s masterclass saw us focus on the world of television. Hosted in the fabulous offices of top law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, the evening kicked off with Dawn Beresford, Talent Executive at independent production companies CPL Productions and Arrow Media talking about her route into the industry. She said: “Work with people you respect […]

In this month’s masterclass, our interns were taken to the famous BBC Radio Theatre, where a panel of inspiring producers and DJ’s delved into the ins-and-outs of how to break into the word of radio. For the second year running, the lucky Creative Access interns were treated to an evening of wise words, humour and […]

Topical, engaging and coloured with a whole range of different views, Creative Access’ April Masterclass took place at News UK – the newspaper conglomerate that plays host to The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times at its lush, 17-storey office block that was opened next to The Shard in 2014. Led by a panel […]

Our March masterclass was hosted by the UK’s largest publishing house, Penguin Random House, at their beautiful offices on the Strand overlooking the Thames. First up was former actress, Morwenna Loughman, who spoke about her role as a non-fiction editor at Ebury. She said “being an editor is incredibly proactive and you have to make […]

Chaired by Google’s Abi Gyimah and Janay Sor, we were also joined by an inspirational panel of Google staff – Chuck Stephens (Diversity Lead), Will Usdin (Brand Marketing Manager) and Hana Tanimura (Senior Designer). The session covered the company’s diversity, marketing and digital education strategies and gave us a detailed insight into how one of the […]

Last night we were given a taste of history as we gathered at the historic Tower of London for our first masterclass of 2017. We were thrilled to be accommodated at such an iconic building and for the first time, to be focusing on museums, galleries and curation. We were joined by a phenomenal panel of speakers and staff of Historic Royal Palaces – […]

Following the huge success of their event in 2015, on 9th November 2016 the National Theatre hosted their second Creative Access masterclass. The evening was hosted by Martin Prendergast, Director of Communications and we were joined by a panel of industry experts; Rufus Norris, Charlotte Bevan,Emily Lim, and Rishi Coupland. Rufus Norris, the Artistic Director at […]

Last night we were privileged to have the esteemed ITV London newsreader Ronke Phillips interview Sir Lenny Henry CBE at the offices of leading law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. Lenny kicked off the evening by going back to his childhood in Dudley and telling the audience how he made his first foray into performing by […]

Last night we were privileged to have the award-winning author Malorie Blackman OBE join us for an entertaining, thought-provoking and hugely inspirational September masterclass. Claudia-Liza Armah, a TV Presenter and journalist on Sky News and This Morning, interviewed Malorie in front of a 150-strong audience in the fabulous Wellcome Trust building in Euston. Malorie began […]

On Tuesday 9th August, we gathered with our interns and alumni at ITV Studios for the latest event in our fabulous Masterclass series, this time based on the television industry. We were joined by an inspiring panel of industry experts: Angela Jain, Andi Peters, Satmohan Panesar and Andrew Mackenzie. Interestingly, these four senior level speakers, although […]

After the fall out over Brexit, it couldn’t be a more relevant time to visit the House of Commons in Westminster again for a Creative Access masterclass on Politics. The evening was hosted by Baroness Margaret McDonagh, with a panel of speakers: Conservative MPs, Helen Grant, Alan Mak, James Cleverly and Labour MP Dr.Rupa Huq. […]

Last night Creative Access interns and alumni received a comprehensive masterclass from the publishing powerhouse, Hachette. We were welcomed into their beautiful offices overlooking the Thames, where we were surrounded by books, books and more books – no surprise really given that they publish over 8,000 books a year! We were welcomed by Hachette’s HR Director, Dominic Mahony […]

Last night Creative Access interns were given an amazing insight into the world of advertising by the team at AMV BBDO. We were given a warm welcome by HR Director Kelly Knight and Laura Yeoman, HR Advisor.  They both shared how delighted they were to be hosting the masterclass and to be given the opportunity […]

Last night Creative Access were privileged to attend a Masterclass on the world of social media from the industry vanguards Twitter. A panel of senior Twitter personnel were there to provide a unique insight into the Twittersphere by talking about every thing from their recently introduced feature, moments, to the future of the social media platform. Moments […]

Last night, Creative Access held another phenomenal masterclass at the BBC’s iconic Radio theatre, hosted jointly by the trade body for commercial radio companies in the UK, the RadioCentre, and the BBC. As usual, the evening included a fantastic panel of speakers who discussed the different opportunities in the radio sector and offered our interns […]

Over 200 interns came together last night for a truly fantastic masterclass at the headquarters of technology powerhouse, Google. Their trendy offices spurred on plenty of selfies which aptly led to the evening’s subject topic on YouTube. The Masterclass covered everything from content planning and citizen journalism to the importance of collaboration and embracing competition. The panel, all […]

Creative Access kicked off 2016 in style with a masterclass about the newspaper industry at News UK’s stunning offices opposite The Shard. With over 150 interns and alumni in attendance and an outstanding panel of journalists and leading industry figures, the evening was the perfect opportunity to network with the sector’s best and discover more […]

Creative Access hosted our penultimate masterclass of 2015 with a fantastic networking session at the BBC. Over 150 current interns, alumni and BBC industry figures attended the event. It was also an opportunity for the BBC to honour the achievements of the 20 interns who have just completed internships across the BBC. The BBC’s Director General, […]

Last night, Creative Access was honoured to host our October masterclass at the world renowned, National Theatre. With well over 125 interns in attendance, the session gave a comprehensive insight into the theatre sector. Our fantastic panel were on hand to offer our interns amazing advice on everything from the origins of theatre, through to […]

Creative Access Autumn masterclasses kicked off with a brilliant session on ethics and the media, which was hosted by the law firm Osborne Clarke. In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the phone hacking trials and the uncovering of the MP expenses scandal, the way in which the media obtains and reports stories has become an […]

Last night, Creative Access were delighted to host a masterclass on networking at ITV Studios. With well over 100 interns in attendance it was a lively event. The session was facilitated by the fantastic Mia Costello. The evening was designed to encourage our interns to utilise the power of networking and expand their own professional connections […]

Creative Access were honoured to host our June masterclass at the spectacular House of Commons in Westminster. The session on Politics and the Media attracted over 130 current interns and alumni and our fantastic panel of speakers were on hand to provide inspiring words of wisdom. Baroness Margaret McDonagh hosted the evening and kicked off the session by […]

Last night, Creative Access hosted an amazing masterclass on the film industry at ITV studios. We were delighted to welcome our growing network of Creative Access interns and alumni with over 130 people in attendance. Our experienced panel were on hand to give the interns a valuable insight into the film industry and offer some fantastic advice. […]

Last night, Creative Access hosted a fantastic masterclass at the advertising agency BBH. As usual, we were joined by our growing network of Creative Access interns and alumni. BBH’s Business Lead and partner, Paul Matuszczyk, hosted the evening and gave us a comprehensive insight into the world of advertising. Paul started off with an overview […]

Last night, Creative Access hosted another brilliant masterclass at Viacom, home to some of the world’s most iconic media brands including MTV, Nickelodeon, BET and Paramount. As usual, we were joined by our ever growing network of Creative Access interns along with a number of alumni. We were delighted to have MTV News presenter, Becca Dudley, as […]

Last night we were thrilled to host our first masterclass of 2015 at Google’s London HQ. It was a fantastic evening with over 140 current interns and alumni in attendance. As well as hearing about the work of Google’s Creative Lab there was a chance for our interns to network with the Creative Lab team. […]

Yesterday, we were delighted to host another fantastic masterclass at our offices in Freuds. And with it being Christmas and our final session of 2014, we thought we’d take the festive opportunity to invite all of the wonderful people who have helped Creative Access grow from strength to strength. From our bright and enthusiastic interns, […]

Last night, we hosted our latest masterclass session at Hearst publishers. The aim of the evening was to give our interns the chance to meet their peers and network with our panel of creative industry professionals. The panel included the Women’s Health Editor, Farrah Storr, Hearst Publisher, Duncan Chater (Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Runner’s […]

Last night, we were delighted to host our latest Masterclass at The Telegraph. It was a truly inspiring evening where our fantastic panel of journalists discussed some of the most challenging issues the industry currently faces. The panel included the wonderful Sathnam Sanghera from The Times who was on hand to host the panel, former […]

After a summer break, the Creative Access Masterclasses came back in full swing, with a brilliant event at the Donmar Warehouse. Our September Masterclass was an insightful event into the multifaceted world of theatre. Our speakers gave our interns advice on how to make it in the creative industries and the importance of collaborative working. […]

Hosted at the House of lords, our July Masterclass was an inspiring event and gave a great insight into the world of politics, entrepreneurism and film.   A big thank you to our speakers on the night: Baroness Margaret McDonagh – Labour Peer, member of the Creative Access Advisory Board, former General Secretary of the Labour […]

Creative Access was delighted to host an event for budding news journalists at the BBC in London on Thursday 5 June 2014. Led by Director of News and Current Affairs at the BBC, James Harding, we were joined by 30 members of the local, national and international news teams from the BBC’s radio, television and […]

Hosted at the BBC’s Old Broadcasting House, our May Masterclass was an insightful event focused on the subjective nature of ethics, in the journalism and broadcast. A big thank you to our speakers on the night: • Aaqil Ahmed – Head of Religion and Ethics, BBC • Prash Naik – Head of Legal & Compliance, […]

Penguin Random House held a brilliant Masterclass last night leaving our interns inspired, learning first hand about the future of publishing and how exciting and varied the industry is. A big thank you to our speakers on the night: •Tom Weldon, Chief Executive Penguin Random House UK •Layla West, Digital Engagement Director, Penguin •Jack Fogg, […]