Creative Manchester

Ideas Fund Innovators now open for submissions

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:43:34 +0000

If you're aged between 16-25 and have a creative project that could do with a cash injection, this is the fund for you. We’re offering 10 projects £1,000 each to help get them off the ground.

This round of Innovators is open until 22 March 2012, so make sure you get your entries in before then.

In the past we've funded everything from dance and film projects to music videos and photography collectives. Whatever creative field you work in, we'll consider your application.

We're looking for projects that are inspiring, original, innovative and that we think you can deliver. Visit the website and read application tips from previous winners and download our PDF about creating a project budget.

So here’s the boring bit. You MUST read the Ts&Cs in full before you apply – we get loads of applications we have to make ineligible because people haven’t read the terms.

You must be aged 16 to 25 on the closing date (22 March 2012) and be resident in the UK. Your project must take place between April and December 2012. For more information and details on how to apply click here.

BBC Writersroom Future Talent Award extended to 01/02/12

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:33:55 +0000

Are you the next Debbie Horsfield or Paul Abbott? BBC North Developing Talent in partnership with BBC Writersroom is delighted to present this development opportunity for student/recent graduate drama writers.

We would like to invite students from all departments at each of the BBC North Developing Talent partner organisations to submit their TV drama scripts, to be read and considered by our team of professional readers. We want you to THINK BIG and tell the Northern Story in a TV script that could be stand-alone, or the first part of a bigger series. From Tyneside to Merseyside, take us to worlds and workplaces that we haven’t seen before.

One student will be awarded the BBC Writersroom Future Talent Award for Writers and will be given development opportunities and mentoring within the BBC, including taking part in our Headspace Writer in Residence scheme.

The Criteria:

• Scripts must be between 30 and 90 minutes long
• Scripts must be by students/recent graduates from one of the BBC NorthDeveloping Talent partner organisations in the North of England
• Scripts must be written for TV Drama
• Submissions will be considered as per our usual guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/submissions.shtml they should not have been submitted previously to BBC writers room
• There is no limit on the number of scripts that can be submitted from each partner organisation. These can also be scripts by students who graduated in 2010
• Scripts can be submitted either by the writer or the organisation. Alongside the script please include the name of the partner organisation, contact details and a few lines about the writer
• There is a maximum of one script entry per writer
• The deadline for submissions is December 15th at 5pm
• The award will be announced to the shortlisted writers at The Partnerships event in early 2012

Scripts should be posted to:
Future Talent Award for Writers Writersroom North,
4th Floor, Dock House,
Mediacity UK, Salford M50 2LH

The deadline for the WRITERSROOM / FUTURE TALENT award has been extended until 1st Feb 2012.

Student designers wanted for new Creative Times Design Brief series

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:39:57 +0000

Creative Times is looking for articulate and ambitious student designers to take part in a series of five design features, devised and coordinated by Manchester-based graphic designer Dan Shannon, to be published on the site in the first half of 2012.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 3rd February, 2012. For more information click here.

Win over £5000 worth of advice & support to help your company grow internationally

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:35:44 +0000

The Exporting for Growth Prize - UK Trade & Investment is looking for the UK’s best new export ideas and on 10 November launched ‘The Exporting for Growth Prize’ competition.

Winners will have access to an exciting range of support including expert business mentoring from HSBC Bank plc and PwC. UKTI will provide up to £5,000 of support through our overseas teams and up to three grants for travel to overseas markets.

In addition UKTI will provide access to the full range of services including the flagship passport to export programme and close mentoring from an international trade advisor.

For more information click here.

Arts Council England Invitation to Tender

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:31:36 +0000

WE PLAY, the North West’s cultural legacy project for London 2012 and the Cultural Olympiad and the Northwest Steering Group for the 2012 Games wish to commission the design and build of a single destination website, that consolidates the London 2012 offer for the England’s North West.

The website will increase public awareness of all official 2012 activity in the region, with a special emphasis on the diverse and high quality cultural offer made possible through the Cultural Olympiad. More specifically, the site will bring together audiences from a variety of backgrounds and interests to engage them in Cultural Olympiad events and other official London 2012 activity.

For full details and downloads of tender documents click on the link.

Northern Soho launches innovative Mentor Match scheme

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:29:40 +0000

Following extensive consultation with its members, Northern Soho will be launching an innovative Mentor Match scheme on Thursday 24 November 2011.

The scheme will give members the unique opportunity to work with experienced mentors working in the creative industries, who have earned their stripes in organisations varying from the largest agency group in the North of England to the smallest freelancers working on their own.

Click on the link to find out more and get involved.

Creative England receives Regional Growth Fund investment

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:02:13 +0000

The Government has announced Creative England as one of the successful bidders to receive investment through the second round of its £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund.

Creative England has secured c.£5 million RGF funding for ‘Digital Champions’, a private sector-led scheme providing development funding and market expertise to small creative and digital businesses working in cross-platform content and services.

‘Digital Champions’ will provide match funding and additional support to creative and digital SMEs in the North and North West, Birmingham and the West Midlands, and the far South West, areas identified as vulnerable to public sector job losses and with lower levels of enterprise and private sector growth.

Funding will help high potential businesses in these areas overcome market barriers and gain competitive advantage from the continued explosion in demand for cross platform content.

Film Culture Fund now open

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:14:08 +0000

Creative England’s Film Culture Fund is now open for applications, with a total of £490,000 delegated Lottery funds from the BFI to distribute in its first round.

The Fund is looking to support the provision and interpretation of both specialised and mainstream film in England, by investing in:

- audience development within the film exhibition sector
- film education activities which are linked to and support film exhibition infrastructure (e.g. cinemas, film festivals, film societies and other platforms)
- the acquisition, preservation and conservation of and access to regional screen heritage

Applications are invited from cinemas, film archives, film festivals, mobile cinemas, film societies and other eligible organisations working in the English regions outside of London.

Awards will range from £2,000 - £50,000 depending on the project. Funded activity can include programming, education, reaching under-served audiences and regional screen heritage.

IP and Copyright - what do you need to know?

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:54:51 +0000

The last in the series of 'essential media law advice' seminars takes place tonight. Has copyright reached its sell by date? What is Creative Commons? and 18 other frequently asked questions will be answered by Keith Arrowsmith in his introduction to arguably the most valuable and flexible of the intellectual property rights. Click on the link for more information.

Sheffield's Sensoria festival calls for submissions

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:04:02 +0000

Now in its fifth year, Sheffield’s festival of film, music and digital is calling for submissions.

Sensoria, the UK’s festival of film, music & digital, will be back for nine days of fun and festivities from 21 – 29 April 2012. The festival crosses musical genres and has celebrated everything from Americana/folk, indie and electronica through to rockabilly.

Sensoria is now looking for exciting new work in the realms of music, film and digital – this can include fiction features or short films with an innovative soundtrack or score, music related biopics, music documentary and truly exceptional music video. Films should have been completed after 2009.