In today’s competitive creative landscape, building strong connections is crucial for success. The world of creative industries thrives on connections and the Brookes Creative team has made fostering these, one of their top priorities. Throughout this year, the team have held five exciting events that cater to providing students from various creative disciplines to meet like-minded individuals, but also to provide valuable opportunities to develop their careers.
Jeff Melvoin Open Lecture – 1st December 2023
Our first event for the academic year was a new concept of ours, we hosted an open lecture and masterclass with TV executive producer Jeff Melvoin.
Held in early December, this event offered students the opportunity to learn from a highly influential figure in the creative industries. Jeff, whose work includes producing over 470 hours of primetime television, including season 3 of Killing Eve (streaming on Netflix), Designated Survivor, Army Wives, Picket Fences and Alias Early Edition, described his role as a showrunner. This talk offered a unique opportunity for students to learn from a successful professional, ask questions and explore potential career paths that they might not have considered before.
Photo by Jamie Evans
Following the event, Vox Pops were conducted with attendees to gather valuable feedback with both students and staff. These can be seen on our social media.
Our second event was the “Creative Meet Up” held on the 6th February, this was a very successful event with an incredible turnout. Energy, creativity and passion filled the room as graphic designers, performers, illustrators, musicians, filmmakers, and photographers alike, created connections, discovered opportunities and shared ideas. Vox Pops were recorded with attendees to gauge an opinion on how they found the event. All who participated agreed that it was a fun and exciting evening and being given the opportunity to pitch projects, meet new people, exchange ideas and bring visions to life was greatly appreciated.
“It has been a great event, I was not expecting it to be so helpful. We have met a lot of people that could help with our project.”
Anna, Third Year Digital Media and Production student
The third event of the year was an influential talk by lecturer, producer and presenter Laurie Bailey who shared his career story in an in-person open lecture on 7th March. Laurie has his own podcast “Super Bailey Bros,” and is also the composer and sound designer for games . He has previously worked at BBC Radio as a presenter and producer and is a lecturer at Oxford Brookes in design, media storytelling and editing. This was a very interesting talk, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended.
Creative Meet Up – 11th March 2024
After our first “Creative Meet up” was such a success, we decided to host a second one on the 11th March, but this time we introduced a new twist. We used this gathering to introduce our 1-minute film festival and Creator Hub, where students are able to publish their work and receive a reward.
This was an amazing opportunity for aspiring directors, actors or producers to get involved and throw themselves into the behind the scenes of making a short film to showcase in front of an audience. This “Creative Meet Up” was used as a brilliant way to share and pitch some of their ideas to other students, enjoy refreshments, and look for like-minded peers to collaborate with in a relaxed environment. Just like last time, Vox Pops were recorded to gather feedback on the event and promote on our social media.
Any ideas for future events? “I think I would really, really like more music based events, because I really like film, but I think we should have people come and talk from the music industry. That would be amazing.”
Julia, Third Year Marketing Communications Management student
Photos taken by Farzaneh Heidari
We were also lucky enough to welcome Jon Dempsey, a senior lecturer and freelance film professional to share his expertise and invaluable tips. As well as Dr Andrea Macrae who spoke about Flash Fiction as a springboard for 1-minute films. Andrea also spoke about the importance of networking and inter-course collaboration.
1-minute film festival – 18th April 2024
Last but certainly not least was our 1-min film festival which took place in the early evening in the JHB Kennedy room on the 18th April. Not only was this an evening of entertainment; it also enabled a discussion between students on the power of concise storytelling. Attendees explored how filmmakers can create powerful narratives without solely relying on dialogue. Instead the key lies in the combination of visuals and sound, by harnessing these elements effectively, filmmakers can connect with audiences on a universal level. This was an amazing opportunity for School of Arts students to network, share ideas and showcase 1-min films.
Photos taken by Farzaneh Heidari
A big thank you to everyone who organised, participated and facilitated each of these fantastic events, they were truly amazing and enlightening opportunities.
For the upcoming academic year, we have six exciting events in mind, four in the first semester and two in the second. As well as this we will be supporting the Thrive Festival and attending the Fair in the Forum at Welcome Weekend.
Follow us on Instagram @_brookescreative_ for more information!!
