Sir Peter Bazalgette is one of the most influential figures in the UK’s creative industries.
As the former chairman of Endemol UK and creative director of Endemol Group Worldwide, he was responsible for some of the most successful and recognisable television shows of the past 25 years, including Big Brother, Ready Steady Cook, Ground Force and Changing Rooms.
Sir Peter, who was also chairman of Arts Council England and non-executive chairman of ITV, was recently appointed as the new chancellor of the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
In an interview with Dan Martin, he discusses his career, the support needed from the new government to grow the UK’s creative industries, how to improve the sector’s diversity, and why he has taken on the role of UWE Bristol’s new chancellor.
For an extra insight, read to the end to discover Sir Peter’s favourite TV show of all time!
Sir Peter Bazalgette officially took up his role as chancellor of UWE Bristol at the university’s graduation ceremonies in July, which were held for the first time at Bristol Beacon following a new partnership between the two organisations.
“Until 1955, there was only the BBC, and until 1982, there was only the BBC and ITV. Then there was Channel Four, and then Channel Five came along in the 90s. So even by the 1990s, there were very few channels. Sky Television and Virgin weren’t there at that point, but subscription TV came along when they arrived.
“Fast forward to recently and when I was chairing ITV, we launched ITV X and to be listed we had to negotiate with more than 30 platforms.
“In terms of production, that has changed a lot too. We used to just have public service media putting money into television production, but now we’ve got Netflix alone spending more than a billion in the UK, not to mention Apple, Amazon, Disney and so on.
“It’s changed massively, and people are consuming their TV when they want and how they want.”
“As much as documentaries are wonderful things, try to have a repeat series, whether it’s factual or fictional, but one that can be repeated and can come back again because that gives you certainty and turnover.
“You should also have a range of clients among both the streamers and the public service media.”
“None of us ever know the night before a show goes out for the first time whether it’s going to be a complete flop or a big hit.
“Big Brother had already become a massive phenomenon in Germany, Spain and Holland before it came to the UK, but not every format works in every country. For example, Survivor has never really taken off in the UK, but it has been a hit in America since the 1990s.
“When Big Brother launched, it was like trying to ride a bucking bronco. It got bigger and bigger. It was on the front page of every newspaper every day, and we had the press on our doorsteps.
“In most of the early Big Brother houses in other countries, the key talking points were two housemates getting amorous with each other. But true to form in Britain, we instead had a class struggle, with working class Craig defeating middle class Nick, who became known as Nasty Nick. Lots of people couldn’t believe we hadn’t set the whole thing up, but we had no idea any of that was going to happen, none at all.”
“It was massively controversial wherever it was broadcast. People thought it was exploitative and invasive, but actually it was interesting in that it had a transsexual woman, a gay man, someone who suffered from Tourette syndrome, and all sorts of extraordinary people who at the time were demonised. But they won because people saw their lovely character shining through, and so it did have a positive element.
“It was also an example of early fusion technology because it was on TV as an edited programme, it was on the internet, people watched it live, and you could vote on the telephone. It represented a convergence of media, and it was part of the process of the generation, who today on their mobile phones shoot and edit videos, becoming media literate. They used to watch the live transmission, and then watch the edited programme, before complaining we hadn’t put certain bits in, or we’d been unfair to certain characters.
“They then realised that the programme was an edited piece that was entirely subjective and what the director thought the story was. There was a big element of the viewer developing media literacy which was groundbreaking.”
“The creative industries, as they say on The X Factor, have been on a journey. We were the first country in the world in 1997 to define an industrial sector called the creative industries, but we then had to catch up because we didn’t have any data about our GVA, our employment etc. In time we had the Creative Industries Council, and we then established an advocacy body that is now called Creative UK, but in many ways, Britain is still playing catch up with the creative industries. With the new government, I hope that the journey and process will continue.
“The creative industries are 6% of the UK’s GVA, but we get 1% of public investment. Clearly that is not aligned with the creative industries as a priority sector for growth which we have been told is the case by both the former Conservative government and the Labour Party.
“Private investment is currently not good enough. The British Business Bank, which encourages investment in small and medium sized enterprises, is not really attuned to the way the creative industries run, the way small creative businesses work, and the criteria by which they have to be judged and invested in. We need to make progress on public and private investment.
“We also need to make progress on research and development tax credit definitions. The UK has a narrow definition of R&D, which is different to the one in other countries in Europe which includes the creative industries so creative businesses can claim tax credits for the innovation that they carry out.
“We need a more flexible apprenticeship scheme because small companies find it difficult to use the apprenticeship levy.”
“The creative industries are naturally and organically arranged into clusters. When I made a proposal for public investment in clusters in 2017, which was enacted in 2018 in the creative industries sector deal, it was going with the flow of where clusters typically are. For example, there’s the fantastic screen cluster in Bristol, an advertising cluster in Manchester, fashion in Leeds and games in Dundee. All of those things were happening organically and I suggested that we got behind it.
“The investment was £56m in nine creative clusters and each of them had an anchor partner of a university which could feed the value of applied research into local SMEs. It was fantastically successful over five years. It was matched by about £260m from industry and other sources. It’s a very good example of how you use small amounts of public money to generate growth and investment. It connected applied research with more than 2,500 SMEs, and created lots of new jobs, products and services.
“We found it incredibly difficult to get clusters two funded, despite the extraordinary success story which underlines my point about public investment not being aligned with the national policy to grow the creative industries.
“In the end, we did get it funded, but it still depends on UK Research and Innovation honouring the commitment in the next Spending Review, which has to be agreed by the new government.
“That’s another example of how Britain has not caught up with the creative sector, and isn’t backing it in the way that we are organised.”
“We need to do a lot better in this area. If we claim that the creative industries is not just an economic powerhouse, but a social and cultural powerhouse, and that what we produce, our music, theatre, films, TV, books and so on, touches the pulse of the nation, then it has to represent the whole nation and all of the communities. It can only do that if all of them find easy career pathways.
“One of the key things to do is defining better career pathways, which was set out in the former government’s creative industries sector vision last year. When I work with Speakers for Schools, the charity set up by Robert Peston, and speak to first year sixth form students, I ask them ‘what’s your favourite music?’, ‘what’s your favourite fashion?, ‘what’s your favourite film?, ‘what’s your favourite TV show?, ‘what games do you play?’. It always leads to a big discussion about who has the best taste.
“I then ask them to tell me about the jobs that all of those products represent and there’s dead silence. As an industry, we have not defined the career pathways properly. If we do, we’ll have a much more diverse sector.
“We also need much better outreach. When I was deputy chair of the National Film and Television School, we greatly increased the money we put into finding people of talent from all communities, such as having bursary funds dedicated to Black and Asian people. These are the sorts of things you can do to make a difference, but we have a way to go.”
🤝 This morning at #UWEGraduation Sir Peter Bazalgette was presented as the new chancellor of UWE Bristol – succeeding Sir Ian Carruthers OBE who has performed the role with distinction for the past 13 years 👏
Welcome, Sir Peter! pic.twitter.com/K6DSUZ5D5u
— UWE Bristol (@UWEBristol) July 18, 2024
“The role higher and further education plays in training, inspiring and producing the next generation of talent in the creative sector is critical.
“The particular thing that interested me about UWE is that the creative industries is one of the key areas in which they specialise.
“Activities that impress me about UWE include The Foundry which encourages collaboration, new ideas and development of technical knowledge. I also like the fact that they have a student ventures centre which encourages graduates to set up businesses, I like the university enterprise zone, and I like that more than 50% of graduates tend to work in the surrounding area after they’ve graduated. This is a very good statistic, and shows the contribution that UWE is making to Bristol and its surroundings.
“Finally, as a TV producer and chair of the Arts Council, I visited the city many times and I love what Bristol has already and its potential for growth.”
“Antiques Roadshow. I can’t get enough of it!
“I love the combination of the personal histories and regional histories that are linked to an object. You learn so much about history, and individual stories of brilliant heroism. There’s also the arts and culture, the wonderful locations they visit and the element of greed when it’s revealed what the item is worth. It’s the perfect TV show. I wish I’d invented it myself.”
To address this issue, HeyFlow has launched a groundbreaking open-source suite of Reproductive Health Policy Guides to access information and best practices around reproductive health inclusion in the workplace.
Sophie Creese, Co-Founder and CEO discusses why this is an important initiative:
“Guidance on how to properly address reproductive health at work is often scattered across various sources or specific to a certain business, making it challenging for organisations to implement cohesive and inclusive practices and not knowing where to start. We wanted to create a source of information that is accessible so that businesses can develop informed and effective reproductive health policies.”
To mark the launch of the series of policy guides, HeyFlow has released two guides on Menstruation & Menopause. The suite will be expanded to cover other reproductive health topics, but these were selected as the two key considerations for employers as they directly impact most women’s experience within the workplace.
By 2030, 47% of all 50s are forecasted to be part of the UK labour workforce4, meaning that most employees who go through menopause will go through it at work and over half of menstruators have period pains that directly affect their work5.
Nick Dean, COO and Co-Founder of HeyFlow highlights the importance of this initiative, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint for employers:
“A large part of the lack of inclusion of reproductive health at work is due to societal taboos around the topics, and a lack of readily available information. You don’t know what you don’t know, so we’re so excited to launch these guides to give companies their first step into reproductive health inclusion. But a good policy is only the start. To embed effective change in a business you need to embed inclusion within your culture and bring everyone into the conversation; educating employees on available resources and supporting managers with training on how to implement policy properly.”
HeyFlow’s initiative aims to standardise reproductive health policies across industries, ensuring fair and consistent support for all employees. By offering these guides, HeyFlow is leading the charge in promoting workplace wellness and setting a new benchmark for inclusivity.
For more information about HeyFlow’s Reproductive Health Policy Guides and to access the Menstruation and Menopause guides, please visit https://heyflow.co.uk/ or contact [email protected] .
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Develop your staff in project management, and drive your business forward through a part funded Project Management Skills Bootcamp.
Course: Skills Bootcamp in Project Management
Option 1 Course start: 13th September 2024 (2 week break in learning for half term 25th of October and 1st November)
Option 2 Course start: 10th January 2025 (1 week break in learning for half term 21st February)
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost for Large Employer: £681.75 per person (30% contribution towards the cost of training)
Cost for SME Employer: £227.25 per person (10% contribution towards the cost of training)
Delivery Location: Bristol Training Institute, 12 Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 1XH
Eligibility: Funding is ringfenced for Employers based in the West of England Combined Authority region of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Course Content: This course is suitable for employers to upskill their staff. The course content is under pinned by the Association for Project Management (APM), Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and will reference the APM Book of Knowledge (BoK) 7th Edition.
Units covered include:
Evidence from employer to confirm that the training provided via the Skills Bootcamp has resulted in either a new job role or an enhanced role for the employee that now utilises their new skills gained via this Skills Bootcamp.
Contact us today to register your interest on [email protected] or visit our previous bootcamp information page: https://www.weston.ac.uk/ProjectManagementEmployers
Graduate exhibition showcases Bristol’s emerging talent at the Royal Photographic Society.
Bristol Film School at boomsatsuma proudly announces the opening of ‘Blossom Season’, its 2024 Graduate Photography Showcase at the prestigious Royal Photographic Society (RPS) in Bristol, this Saturday. The exhibition showcases exceptional work from the first graduating cohort of BA (Hons) Documentary Photography and Print.
Exhibition details:
Dates: June 15 – June 30, 2024
Location: Royal Photographic Society, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol BS4 3AR
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday 10am – 5pm
Private View and Reception: June 15th, 3pm – 7pm (please contact us for tickets)
The showcase features innovative photography on a diverse range of subjects – from sports to fashion – and demonstrates the high level of creative and technical skills developed on the course. The unique degree, run by award winning photographers, emphasises our students’ hands-on experience and industry engagement but with a strong focus on the ‘art of photography’.
Sam Fordham, Head of Photography at the Bristol Film School, says:
“It’s a privilege to see our students’ hard work and dedication culminate in this outstanding exhibition. Their ability to tell powerful stories through photography is a testament to their talent and the supportive, dynamic environment we strive to create on our photography degree.”
From Sunday 16th June, the exhibition is open to the public, offering an excellent opportunity for artists, industry professionals, and the local community to engage with the next generation of photographers. Admission is free and many of the exhibited works will be available for purchase.
Interested in Photography? Come to boomsatsuma’s open day at the Royal Photographic Society on Saturday 15th June from 1130. Talk to award-winning photography team and get a sneak preview of the exhibition.
Check out the new Photography and Print Degree .
Image Credits: Amber Mylius-King (article body -first image), Matthew Roderick (article body – second image)
Boomsatsuma is transforming Creative Industries education with the launch of Bristol Film School and Bristol Creative Technology Centre.
For the last three years, boomsatsuma has been delivering cutting-edge, industry aligned film, photography and games degrees. The next step in the region’s leading creative training providers’ evolution sees Bristol Film School become home to filmmaking and photography degrees, with Bristol Creative Technology Centre (BCTC) housing Bristol Games Studio, alongside the entrepreneurial Venture Studio.
CEO and Founder Mark Curtis says:
“Boomsatsuma has developed a reputation for changing lives. Through our innovative courses we are helping to nurture and develop highly skilled, talented young people, whether that’s at college or degree level. Our new structure focuses on preparing students for successful careers. We are committed to ensuring Bristol remains a powerhouse of creativity and we want the Film School and BCTC to become cornerstones of the city’s successful Creative Industries sector.”
Bristol Film School
Bristol Film School has ambitious plans. Dr. Susan McMillan, Executive Dean, explains why this dynamic rebranding is important for the company, the city and its students:
“The new name, Bristol Film School, says ‘what’s in the tin’ making it clearer to those who don’t know us what we do, how we do it and where. Bristol is globally renowned for its film and television production, and we are trailblazers in shaping new talent to ensure its success, working alongside our wonderful industry partners.”
Bristol-based director of Netflix hit The Crown, Philippa Lowthorpe, three-times BAFTA Award winner, sums up the mood from industry:
“Changing the name really positions boomsatsuma where it should be – as a leader in film and TV in the South West and nationally. Bristol needs its own Film School. It’s incredible we don’t have one. This is fabulous news.”
Bristol Creative Technology Centre
BCTC builds on boomsatsuma’s growing connections with the region’s creative technology sector and its’ ambition to combine degree level learning with the delivery of entrepreneurial, commercially viable projects for partners.
A key development has been the foundation of an in-house incubator, Venture Studio. Led by Richard Blows, Head of BCTC, a team of Game Art graduates and students have been engaged as freelance developers to recreate the world’s first historically accurate digital reconstruction of Hadrian’s Wall for Microsoft Flight Simulator, in partnership with Time Machine Designs.
BCTC Production Manager Mark Fisher comments:
“I had the opportunity to work on the Hadrian’s Wall project through being a boomsatsuma Game Art graduate. I started at boomsatsuma as a college student on the Games, VR and VFX course. Once I finished that I moved onto the Game Art degree and as soon I finished that I was able to start on the Hadrian’s Wall project. Being able to go straight into a job was an amazing feeling and it has been an amazing experience from start to finish.”
To find out more about boomsatsuma degrees and the opportunities available through Bristol Film School or BCTC, come along to our next Open Day on 15th June.
The Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Thangam Debbonaire, Labour MP for Bristol West, met boomsatsuma staff and students to find out more about the challenges and opportunities facing the independent training and funding for the regions Creative Industry sector, joined by representatives from Better Society Capital, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital and Access – the Foundation for Social Investment.
The visit to Leadworks, one of boomsatsuma’s six training centres across Bristol, Friday 10th May, gave the MP first hand insight as to how boomsatsuma delivers education differently, bringing opportunities to the often-marginalised communities across the city. The award-winning Bristol-based disruptive educator has seen demand for its courses from students feeding into careers within the regions’ thriving creative industry sector rise year on year.
Thangam Debbonaire, MP, engaged in discussions delving into the potential for ethical funding routes for the betterment of communities, culture and education. She states:
“It was great to visit boomsatsuma and see how their brilliant facilities and staff are enabling students to take their talent to the next level. I’m proud of Bristol’s vibrant cultural life. As Culture Secretary in a Labour government, I’ll work with institutions like boomsatsuma to secure the creative talent pipeline our city needs so that it can continue to generate joy, jobs and wealth that we all benefit from.”
boomsatsuma has been supported with around £800k investment from City Funds, the place-based impact investment fund managed by BBRC, which underpinned significant expansion and enabled higher capacity. City Funds is a £10m fund created for investment from Better Society Capital, Bristol City Council and Access: The Foundation for Social Investment.
Founder Mark Curtis explained:
“It’s great to have this opportunity to have a dialogue with our local MP, who clearly shares our passion for culture, sports and (can see) their importance to the local society and economy. It’s encouraging that there is top level recognition that these sectors are important and require training pathways, beyond Maths and Engineering, to meet the needs of the employers and also fulfil the passions to give the next generations a voice.”
Mark continues:
“A significant challenge for providers like boomsatsuma is that although we could meet the demands of expanding student numbers and align new courses with the regions’ skills agenda, we have had no direct access to central Government or the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to support our growth and demand. We have increased our engagement with Business West and West England Combined Authority over the past year and today’s visit will hopefully help consolidate our position in the local creative training landscape.
“While we enjoy very positive relationships with our education partners (at Cabot Learning Federation and Olympus Academy), it’s unfortunate that we are capped by the current system that restricts our ability to grow and scale into new markets and territories. Without systemic change we can only reach a limited number of young people.
“Sometimes to make a difference you have to actually do things differently. We are hoping the next administration will support us in this.”
Stephen Muers, CEO, Better Society Capital said:
“Boomsatsuma is a brilliant organisation helping to channel Bristolian talent into creative jobs. Organisations like this which help people access the UK’s thriving creative industries are invaluable and we are so glad to support Mark and the team. We appreciate boomsatsuma’s hospitality, and it was great to be able to show Thangam Debbonaire a wonderful example of the role social investment can play in a really important local business.
Social investment can help transform lives and we are eager to work with the next government to unlock billions more pounds of private investment into tackling the UK’s social issues and grow the economy.”
Ed Rowberry, Chief Executive, BBRC, said:
“BBRC is delighted to have invested in boomsatsuma by deploying blended finance at the local level via City Funds. The blend of finance, sourced from Better Society Capital, Access and Bristol City Council has enabled boomsatsuma to continue to deliver on its important mission to provide pathways for young people particularly those from Bristol’s marginalised communities, into the region’s creative and digital workforce.”
Pictured:
The Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Thangam Debbonaire, Labour MP for Bristol West, with boomsatsuma staff and students, Better Society Capital, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital and Access – the Foundation for Social Investment. Outside of Leadworks, Bristol.
Picture by Jett Morgan, Year 2 Photography level 3 student at boomsatsuma College
UWE Bristol will host Showcase, its annual degree show, next month, offering visitors the opportunity to discover a new generation of talent from the College of Arts, Technology and Environment.
More than 1200 students from over 40 courses will exhibit their work at Bower Ashton, Arnolfini, Spike Island and the university’s Frenchay Campus from Thursday 6 until Wednesday 12 June.
An annual highlight for the university and the city of Bristol, members of the public are invited to attend the free in-person exhibitions which will include a selection of undergraduate and postgraduate work from animation, architecture, art, creative technologies, design, engineering, fashion, filmmaking, media, performance, photography, product design and writing.
Elena Marco, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College of Arts, Technology and Environment said: “We are thrilled to share our students’ work publicly and give them the chance to demonstrate their ingenuity and creativity to a wider audience. This is a critical point in their careers, and they should be proud of everything they have achieved so far.”
Further information on the Showcase is listed below:
UWE Bristol Frenchay Campus:
A public opening night takes place on Thursday 6 June, with student work from architecture, product design, creative technologies and engineering on display at R Block, The Foundry and Z Block between 18:00 and 21:00. Registration is required – to book visit Eventbrite.
The Frenchay Campus Degree Show continues, featuring work from architecture, product design and engineering on:
UWE Bristol City Campus:
On Friday 7 June an exclusive private preview evening (by invitation only) will take place across the University’s City Campus – at Bower Ashton, Arnolfini and Spike Island – featuring the work of graduating students from art, design, animation, fashion, media, writing, performance, photography, and filmmaking.
The City Campus exhibitions open fully to the public on Saturday 8 June (no need to book). Opening times are:
For those who can’t make it in person, a digital showcase launches on 3 June and features exciting work from hundreds of graduating students from 40 programmes. Designed to celebrate new talent and support professional practice, enterprise and employability, each graduate has curated their own portfolio with links to their own sites and social channels.
More information on the Showcase is available on the UWE Bristol website.
Did you know about our Level 4 Artist Development course? Here at Access Creative College we are dedicated to the development of new and emerging artists. This course is a brilliant opportunity for you to utilise industry standard resources here at our incredible centre and receive tuition from industry professionals whilst gaining a valuable level 4 qualification.
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Applications will soon open for the second Round of the 2024 West of England Film & High-End TV Workforce Development Programme delivered at The Bottle Yard Studios, which supports local people looking to break into behind-the-camera roles on scripted productions made in the region.
Backed by West of England Combined Authority investment, the industry-led programme is delivered by the Studios in partnership with Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office. Those interested are encouraged to sign up for the Round Two Introductory Webinar on 7th May 2024, which will share ‘Get To Know the Industry’ information as well as full details about the Programme. Round 2 applications will open shortly after the Webinar on Tuesday 7th May and will remain open until 5pm on Monday 13th May 2024.
The Programme offers tailored training to demystify the world of scripted production and prepare trainees for entry level positions in the industry, with the aim of strengthening the pipeline of diverse local crew talent.
Sessions include an Industry Induction Day at The Bottle Yard Studios and a bespoke 5-week training scheme delivered by Bristol training provider Stepping Up, focused on confidence-building, set etiquette and work-readiness, communication skills and teamwork, wellbeing and resilience, as well as digital and financial literacy and how to find work as a freelancer.
After completing the training, participants are added to a New Entrants Portfolio shared with film and high-end TV productions filming in the region.
Laura Aviles, Head of Film, Bristol City Council, says:
“After the challenges of the 2023 US writers and actors strikes which slowed film and TV production across the UK, we’re pleased to say that Bristol is looking set to be increasingly busy in the months ahead, with numerous greenlit productions booked in to film at The Bottle Yard and on location this Summer. With scripted production stepping up again in our region, this Programme is creating an important pathway to not only guide local talent into the workforce, but to really prepare them for the realities of what it’s like to work in this industry, so that they are best equipped to make the most of employment opportunities in the years ahead.”
Natalie Moore, Bristol UNESCO City of Film Manager, says:
“We’re delighted to be opening applications for Round 2 of this Programme, and to see the network of trainees begin to grow. Developing a skills pathway for scripted crew is a key priority in the Bristol UNESCO City of Film Action Plan, and this is a crucial project for the long-term sustainability of our film sector. Bringing forward homegrown talent from a wide range of backgrounds makes for a more resilient industry base with a more diverse local workforce for the future.”
Applications are invited from residents of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire aged 17 and above* from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in the industry.
Underrepresented groups include: young people aged 17-25*, those not in education, employment or training, under-employed people and those on zero-hour contracts, women, people from the global majority, disabled people, people living with mental health issues, carers and care leavers.
An Access Fund is provided to support any participants who face a financial barrier to taking part.
Round One of the Programme launched in January 2024. 14 trainees have since undergone bespoke training which included special industry facing guest sessions with Bristol Crew, Visual Impact Camera and Lighting Rental and a major production currently in pre-production at The Bottle Yard.
Amy-Jane, one of the trainees from the first cohort, says:
“The Programme has not only been an informative experience, it has brought together a group of people who have become a supportive network for eachother. The Coordinators from The Bottle Yard Studios and Stepping Up are supportive and knowledgeable, they go above and beyond to make the scheme the best it can be. I believe this Programme will be an important asset in ensuring underrepresented individuals are getting the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience, to seek employment in TV/film production.”
The West of England Combined Authority is working in partnership with Bristol City Council’s Film Services (comprising The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol UNESCO City of Film and Bristol Film Office) to deliver the Mayoral Priority Skills Fund. This fund provides flexible grant to meet current priority skills gaps in the region. This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.thebottleyard.com/home/skills/west-of-england-film-high-end-tv-workforce-development-programme-2024/
Boomsatsuma has announced the validation of its Film, Photography and Games degrees by Kingston University.
From September 2024, all degrees offered by the Film School and Games Studio in Bristol will be awarded by Kingston University. The validation event was attended by Kingston academics and top industry experts from the photography, games, film and TV world. It marks a significant milestone for both institutions and underscores a shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative talent for the creative industries.
Kingston University has a distinguished reputation. The institution, based in Greater London, has received an overall rating of Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in all three categories, which means the University has demonstrated the highest quality teaching standards, while its student experience is consistently outstanding. It is also one of the top 10 institutions in the country across seven subject areas and for film degrees, ranked tenth nationally and second in London.
Dr. Susan McMillan, Executive Dean, said:
“I am so pleased that our partnership is now official. It means we can take the next step towards establishing ourselves as Bristol’s first Film School and growing our game art, design and production offer with Kingston School of Art. This partnership comes at a particularly exciting time in boomsatsuma’s evolution and we now look to the future, working with an institution that is both creative, inspiring and dynamic.”
The panel commended the boomsatsuma on their unique offer and in particular the culture of creativity, sense of community and proactive approach to employability. Mandy Ure, Dean of Kingston School of Art, emphasised the innovative approach and benefits of the partnership:
“This new partnership with boomsatsuma’s Film School and Games Studio in Bristol creates exciting synergies between Creative Arts courses across our institutions. It uses Kingston University’s Future Skills approach to equip students with the skills, knowledge and drive to innovate and succeed in a dynamic Creative Industries sector.”
In addition to academic collaboration, boomsatsuma will integrate Kingston University’s Future Skills programmes into the new degrees, enhancing students’ readiness for their future careers and equipping them with the skills needed to succeed.
For more information about boomsatsuma’s new degree courses in Filmmaking: Production, Filmmaking: Post Production, Game Art, Game Design and Production, Photography and Print visit our website.