The Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme seeks to open the door to young people from underrepresented backgrounds and provide them with real opportunities to break into the creative industry.

About the programme

Two of the biggest challenges facing the creative industries right now are a long-term skills shortage and a lack of diversity in the sector.

The Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme is aimed at young people (18-30yrs) from underrepresented backgrounds wanting to gain more insight and real experience in the creative industries. Working in partnership with Babbasa & some of our member businesses in and around Bristol, the scheme is part of the OurCity2030 Pathway into Creative & Tech and offers a variety of roles in advertising, marketing, design, digital and content creation. 

📷 photo credit: @shamphat

 

Applications

Updates on the BCI talent/internship programme will be announced in February 2025.

If you’re interested in applying for an internship, you must identify with the following:

  • aged 18-30
  • from an ethnically diverse and/or low economic background
  • based in Bristol

If you’re a creative buisness interested in hosting an intern, these are the key points to consider:

  • Interns complete two 3-month paid internships. The programme provides a mix of professional skills training, creative skills training, inspirational talks, networking events, mentoring and opportunities for future employment for the interns as well as ED&I, mental health and neurodiversity training for the businesses involved.
  • You must be based in Bristol
  • Host businesses pay a participation fee to support the running of the programme
  • Training for businesses will be provided
  • Interns will be with you from June-November
  • Interns are employed by you and paid the real living wage

To register your interest, please email [email protected]

Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme intern graduation

Lis Anderson, Co-Chair, Bristol Creative Industries

Coming together to make a difference

“We all want to make our industry more diverse and inclusive, but when you run a small business it’s not always easy to know how to make a practical difference. By coming together as the Bristol Creative Industries community to support the internship programme, members can do their bit to help young people get that all important foot in the door.”

📷 photo credit: @eljaybriss

Meet the 2024 cohort

We’re thrilled to introduce you to our second group of interns who who started their first placements in June 2024…

📷 photo credit: @shamphat

Elma Hossain

Elma is a creative who graduated from Newcastle University in 2021, where she studied politics… Read more

Elma is a creative who graduated from Newcastle University in 2021, where she studied politics and sociology and enjoyed learning about societal trends, behavioural patterns, and shaping public opinion. During university, Elma gained valuable experience working for a social enterprise within the media team – the role sparked her interest in digital marketing, content creation, and community engagement specifically.

More recently, Elma has completed various internships and short courses, further broadening her knowledge in the creative industry. With a solid foundation built through a combination of academic pursuits and hands-on experience, Elma is excited to develop her skills and expertise through the BCI internship

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Fiona Bui

Fiona is a UX/UI Designer with a forte in creating digital experiences that connect and… Read more

Fiona is a UX/UI Designer with a forte in creating digital experiences that connect and resonate. When it comes to design, she is driven to envision innovative digital interactions to anticipate users’ needs and boost satisfaction.

With BA in Fine Arts and Graphic Design, Fyonh is eager to create simple and meaningful products for brands and small businesses.

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Holly Poon

Holly is a graphic designer who graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the… Read more

Holly is a graphic designer who graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

With 2 years’ experience in the creative industry in both Hong Kong and the UK, Holly aims to create impactful designs and artworks for companies, organisations and local communities.

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Inaz Hussain

Inaz is a filmmaker and content creator.  He has worked on numerous projects from short… Read more

Inaz is a filmmaker and content creator.  He has worked on numerous projects from short films, documentaries and event content.  Inaz is a Bristol based creative and finished a BA in Film Production in Brighton.

Since moving back to Bristol, Inaz has worked with various companies such as Babbasa, Channel4 and BFI. He’s looking forward to honing his skills and learn new experiences.

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Jan Andes

Jan is an aspiring and practising director/cinematographer who’s worked as a freelance camera operator and… Read more

Jan is an aspiring and practising director/cinematographer who’s worked as a freelance camera operator and overall filmmaker. He has started a production company with his fellow film school graduates working on stop motion animation, short films, music videos and general commercial work.  

Jan also has experience using blender and Unity, which he’s used to host an interactive, live online event. 

His goal is to improve and create compelling and meaningful stories, through his films, education, and work.

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Kaden Gardener

Kaden is a videographer and content creator. After graduating with a BA in Creative Media… Read more

Kaden is a videographer and content creator. After graduating with a BA in Creative Media from Bath Spa University, Kaden started freelancing as a filmmaker for various businesses in the Bristol area, such as Bristol Museums and Old Vic, with a focus on factual short films and promotional materials. He is known for creating video essays based on analysis of a range of media products and hosting them on his YouTube channel.

After working as an in-house photographer for two years, Kaden is looking to focus his career back into video, and with the BCI internship he also hopes to add new skills such as marketing and campaign management to his skillset.

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Shell Pan

Shell is a junior brand strategist with a Masters in Marketing and a degree in… Read more

Shell is a junior brand strategist with a Masters in Marketing and a degree in Accounting. She is passionate about crafting engaging brand stories that resonate with diverse audiences.

Combining creative insight with analytical skills, Shell is passionate about helping businesses thrive while providing meaningful experiences to consumers.

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Werhi Dumuje

Werhi is a UX designer and researcher.  Whilst studying for her masters in communication design.… Read more

Werhi is a UX designer and researcher.  Whilst studying for her masters in communication design. Werhi worked on live briefs where she redesigned apps to be user friendly and led collaborative workshops to involve clients in the design process.

Her goal is to learn more about the industry and help agencies create products that are user-friendly.

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Meet the host businesses for 2024

We’re thrilled to introduce the businesses who are participating in round two of the Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme…

AMBITIOUS

An independent strategic communications agency for organisations looking for a dynamic and trusted partner. In… Read more

An independent strategic communications agency for organisations looking for a dynamic and trusted partner. In an ever-changing world, we unlock insights that shape ideas to build and amplify brand awareness, protecting business reputations.

Our national and international reach helps clients find, engage and grow audiences. With a team of communication and creative experts across property, construction and built environment, tech, financial and professional services, healthcare, education, public sector and sustainability – we know what it takes to connect ambition with results.

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Armadillo

An independent CRM agency that combines data, insight, and strategy with talent, personality, and craft… Read more

An independent CRM agency that combines data, insight, and strategy with talent, personality, and craft to deliver fantastic results for global brands.

We’re empowered by our freedom to flex for our clients. We’re proud of how every individual has a part to play. We’re passionate about turning problems into solutions.

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Fox Collective

We’re a leading lifestyle agency redefining PR experiences. We delve into market currents and decode… Read more

We’re a leading lifestyle agency redefining PR experiences. We delve into market currents and decode consumer behaviour to ignite a genuine bond between brands and their communities.

Consider us your ultimate fan-finding allies. We’ll help you define, launch, and reposition your products or services to pack a punch and build lasting value with the people that count. Best-in-class consumer brands partner with us for one simple reason: we deliver in ways that resonate beyond the ordinary. 

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McCann

We are part of McCann Worldgroup, the world’s largest advertising and communications network. You will… Read more

We are part of McCann Worldgroup, the world’s largest advertising and communications network. You will find us in over 200 cities in 130 countries, and err, in Tower Wharf on Cheese Lane in Bristol. The best connected local, global agency in town.

Nowadays, a one-size-fits-all mentality no longer works. Nor is simple communications integration. The industry needs to embrace genuine channel neutrality. That’s why we offer a complete 360 service – delivered by award-winning specialists, all under one roof.

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Oakwood

Award-winning integrated communications agency. Brand experts that help brands discover what’s unique about their business.… Read more

Award-winning integrated communications agency. Brand experts that help brands discover what’s unique about their business. Then we tell the world.

We’re a collective of original thinkers and makers driven by turning challenging business problems into creative solutions. We combine our strengths to create industry-changing ideas in an open and collaborative culture, enabling us to develop supportive relationships that last.

Our service ethic, commercial mindedness, and industry insights deliver design with impact – and purpose – to connect brands with the world in a meaningful way.

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Plaster Creative Communications

A fully integrated agency, Plaster has been at the heart of Bristol for over a… Read more

A fully integrated agency, Plaster has been at the heart of Bristol for over a decade, delivering campaigns that inspire change, develop positive behaviours and engage specialist audiences with resonance and authenticity.

We’re a hardworking creative communications team working across technology, culture and community with an integrated design studio.

We work with people we like on projects we believe in, delivering memorable campaigns.

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Proctor + Stevenson

As one of the UK’s longest-established independent marketing, brand, design and technology agencies, we’re specialists… Read more

As one of the UK’s longest-established independent marketing, brand, design and technology agencies, we’re specialists in connecting brands with clients, customers and prospects – at every stage of their journey, wherever they are in the world.

Proudly independent since 1979, we’re Bristol-based but have a longstanding roster of blue-chip international clients, ranging from New York to New Delhi, and the Middle East to South-East Asia.

Our technology and creative solutions now underpin the global operations of some of the biggest names in the commercial world.

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Taxi Studio

Taxi Studio create unforgettable® brand design – across every touchpoint – for the world’s most… Read more

Taxi Studio create unforgettable® brand design – across every touchpoint – for the world’s most culturally significant companies.

Taxi Studio is independent. Owned by creatives. Run by creatives.

Our work drives measurable impact, adding billions in value to our clients’ businesses. We have deep expertise in Food, Beverage, Alcohol, Nutrition, Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Health, Wellness & Beauty.

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The Collaborators

We’re specialists in food and drinks branding and we create, build and grow Complete Brands™.… Read more

We’re specialists in food and drinks branding and we create, build and grow Complete Brands™.

We help remarkable people achieve remarkable things, empowering their businesses and brands with transformative strategy and compelling creative assets.

Whether our clients are big, small, young or established, we believe in the power of working together to push beyond the ordinary or expected. There’s a clue in our name… We are Collaborators.

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Programme Partners

A huge thank you to the following businesses who have made a financial contribution to support the running of this year’s internship programme.  If you’d like to know how you too can sponsor the programme, contact [email protected]

Aer Studios

We’re a creative technology studio. We create meaningful digital experiences that have a positive impact… Read more

We’re a creative technology studio. We create meaningful digital experiences that have a positive impact on people & planet. We’re people first, always.

We work with a wide range of clients and industries. We have particular specialism in the following sectors; Broadcast & entertainment. Visitor Attractions. Not for Profit. Government & public sector. Education.

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Sunhouse Creative

We are a proudly independent brand design agency working from a beautiful studio in Bath.… Read more

We are a proudly independent brand design agency working from a beautiful studio in Bath.

We are B Corp™ certified and we are members of 1% for the Planet®.

We believe good design should be positively different. That’s what drives us. Combining strategic curiosity with creative vision we identify and amplify a brand’s true character to bring brands to life. We create magnetic brands that wear in, not out.

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Internship News

Here you’ll find regular updates on the Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme and our interns’ progress.

bristol creative industries interns 2024

Live brief project

As part of the internship programme, this year’s interns were tasked with working on a… Read more

As part of the internship programme, this year’s interns were tasked with working on a live brief to develop a suite of material that could be used to educate, inform and inspire other young people considering a career in the creative industries.

Read more here

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bristol creative industries internship programme interns cohort two

Introducing Cohort 2

Meet the 8 young people who’ve been selected for cohort 2 of our internship programme.… Read more

Meet the 8 young people who’ve been selected for cohort 2 of our internship programme.

Read more here

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Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme interns

Host an intern in 2024

We’re now looking for creative businesses that would like to host an intern as part… Read more

We’re now looking for creative businesses that would like to host an intern as part of our 2024 programme.

Read more here

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Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme interns graduation

Graduation celebration

The graduation event brought together the brilliant interns plus many of the programme contributors, friends… Read more

The graduation event brought together the brilliant interns plus many of the programme contributors, friends and family to reflect on the successes and learnings from the scheme.

Read more here

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Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme

Placement switch update

Our interns are now in their second placements.  Read Programme Manager Clare Leczycki’s update here. Read more

Our interns are now in their second placements.  Read Programme Manager Clare Leczycki’s update here.

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Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme interns

An update on the interns’ activity

Two months into the programme, we’re sharing an update on what the interns have been… Read more

Two months into the programme, we’re sharing an update on what the interns have been getting up to.

Read more here

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Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme

BCI launches Internship Programme

Bristol Creative Industries has teamed up with Bristol-based social enterprise Babbasa and 15 creative businesses to launch… Read more

Bristol Creative Industries has teamed up with Bristol-based social enterprise Babbasa and 15 creative businesses to launch a city-wide internship programme.

Read more here.

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Previous Interns

The Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme builds on previous initiatives that have helped young people gain valuable experience and kick start their careers in the creative industries.

Jasmine Thompson Ben Martin Apprentice Award

Jasmine Thompson

Illustrator

Jasmine Thompson won the Ben Martin Apprentice Award in 2017 when it was called the… Read more

Jasmine Thompson won the Ben Martin Apprentice Award in 2017 when it was called the SXSW Apprentice. Jasmine now works as a freelance illustrator on projects that range from murals to storyboards, political cartoons and live illustration. She was commissioned to create a mural at the Royal Shakespeare Company and is currently working on a book cover design brief.

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Marissa Lewis-Peart Ben Martin Apprentice Award

Marissa Lewis-Peart

Midweight UX Consultant

“Nothing compares to gaining real industry experience and I’m so glad to have been given… Read more

“Nothing compares to gaining real industry experience and I’m so glad to have been given this opportunity.  Winning the Ben Martin Apprentice Award has provided me with connections to people within the industry and the rare opportunity to experience some of the biggest creative agencies in Bristol and learn about the various roles within these agencies, all in one go! Having this experience and support has really helped me to feel more confident in getting ready to start my career.” You can read more about Marissa’s journehere.

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Okori Lewis-McCalla Ben Martin Apprentice Award winner 2020

Okori Lewis-McCalla

Product Designer

“To even be shortlisted for the Ben Martin Apprentice Award was quite flattering but to… Read more

“To even be shortlisted for the Ben Martin Apprentice Award was quite flattering but to win the award is an honour and something I’m very grateful for. More than anything, it’s empowering and has reaffirmed to me that you can and should just be yourself.”

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“We work with many young people from underrepresented backgrounds from across the city, and one of the sectors they most want to break through into is the creative one. This programme in partnership with BCI is aiming to breakdown those barriers to entry and provide a foot in the door for some of the city’s brightest talent. We are incredibly excited to officially open the application process and look forward to helping applicants find the role for them.”

Poku Pipim Osei, CEO & Founder of Babbasa

Membership of Bristol Creative Industries is FREE for students and graduates who have left education within the last 12 months.

Register for student membership here

Applications for the 2024 cohort have now closed. Register your interest for 2025 via our contact form.

Register interest for 2025