Students on Wakefield College’s Music courses had the opportunity to hear from professionals working in the creative industries on 22 May.
Experts from BBC Radio 4, Screen Yorkshire, Leeds Beckett University, Music:Leeds and Higher Rhythm had a series of talks and Q&A sessions with students at Wakefield College’s Advanced Skills and Information Centre.
Students had the opportunity to put their questions to professionals about life working in the creative industries and get tips about how to get started with a career in the film and music businesses.
Among the speakers was Sam Fray, manager of Screen Yorkshire’s ‘Beyond Brontës’ programme, seeking to address the lack of diversity in the screen industries by supporting young people in the Leeds City Region to develop the skills to succeed.
Students also heard how former student Paul Littlewood became Studio Projects Coordinator at Higher Rhythm, an award-winning provider of services to the music industry in Yorkshire.
Also appearing was Samuel Nicholls of Music:Leeds, a former musician, promoter, manager and record label owner who now works as a Lecturer in Music at Leeds Beckett University. In addition to this extensive experience, he is also an advisor for PRS Foundation and Arts Council England, is part of the Artistic Programme Advisory group for the Leeds 2023 International Cultural Festival.
Yorkshire is home to an ever-increasing number of businesses in the creative sector, with Screen Yorkshire, Music:Leeds and Higher Rhythm all having a base in the region.
Last year, Channel 4 announced they would move their headquarters to nearby Leeds, creating 200 jobs. The new HQ is expected to open in late 2020, with the potential of hundreds of additional supporting jobs across the creative industries in the Leeds City Region being created in the years to come.