Fourteen19® – the Huddersfield-based youth agency – together with C+K and Evoke have created a suite of exciting digital resources to provide information about what it is like to have a career in the creative sector.
The company has produced five 40-minute ‘Exploring Careers’ podcasts and 15 short films that feature interviews with local creative professionals and careers experts – all of whom provide a honest, warts-and-all picture of what it like to have a creative job.
The podcasts and films cover five creative areas: Visual Art; Textiles; Theatre; Film & TV; and Music.
The creation of the resources was overseen by Fourteen19® head of agency Graham Sykes, who also hosted the five podcasts.
He tapped into the extensive network of local creative professionals to specially select the people that he thought would provide great insight for the young people listening or watching the resources.
Graham said: “I was born in Huddersfield and have worked in the creative industries for over 30 years. Over this time I’ve met and worked with lots of great people.
“We are lucky that we work in such a great industry but for some reason lots of people are reluctant to consider it as a career.
“We started the project with a survey to around 500 young people. Around 45% of people described themselves as creative, yet less than a third felt as though they knew about the career opportunities in the creative sector.
“We want these resources to demonstrate what a creative career looks like and enable young people to make an informed decision as to whether it is right for them.”
Graham added: “I think the films will appeal to both young people who are interested in a creative career but also to parents who might be unsure what a job in this area entails.
“Parents play a key role in influencing their children’s careers choices – however if they unaware of the opportunities, then they can’t provide the full facts.
“We hope our resources will help parents to understand the breadth of roles available and that it can be a viable career option.”
The recording of the podcasts took place at the University of Huddersfield and the production also provided work experience opportunities for five Creative Media students.
As well as undertaking research on the subject areas they also took full responsibility for producing and recording the shows.
The Exploring Careers podcasts are available on all the main podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The films can viewed on the C+K MyDirections website https://ck.mydirections.co.uk
The project was funded by IVE – the Arts Council Bridge Organisation for Yorkshire and Humber.
