Futurising

 

Futurising is described by Cumber as “the first ever opportunities festival for the creative industry”. It is designed for all graduates, whether from creative courses or more mainstream subjects, who are interested in working in the creative sector. While it is targeted at recent graduates, the festival also prides itself on its inclusiveness. People 10 years into their careers can visit to upskill, and anyone from any university around the country can attend.    

 

Two years ago Futurising was just a twinkle in Marice Cumber’s entrepreneurial eye. The idea came to her at a University of the Arts London (UAL) away day. When asked to think of a new event for creative graduates, Cumber had a eureka moment.

 

“I realised creative graduates lacked employment support in their final year at university. If you took courses like politics, law or history there were careers fairs and recruitment initiatives. It just didn’t happen in creative industries because they are so networked. So I came up with this idea for a creative industry employment fair and it spiralled from there.”

 

Then along came a recession. “Suddenly the festival became much more relevant, with the growing concerns about graduate employability. Graduates increasingly want to make sure they have the right skills and knowledge, know how to find job vacancies and establish key contacts”.

 

In any industry a fat contact book is key, but arguably more so for creatives. The quandary for graduates fresh from a design, arts, communication or film course is how to get noticed and become part of a thriving network. Cumber says Futurising hopes to provide the answer: “If you don’t have a bulging contact book or don’t have the confidence to pick up the phone, you can be at a disadvantage. We want to make it a broader playing field, so everybody gets to know who everybody is.”

Cumber knows a thing or two about creative employment.  She is a successful creative entrepreneur in her own right and founded The Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts (ECCA) at UAL in 2000. This is a busy hub devoted to advising creative graduates setting up a business or thinking about taking their first leap into entrepreneurship. Cumber says the most frequent questions ECCA receives are about securing funding, marketing and networking. “At Futurising we’ll be giving advice and running events on all these key aspects,” she adds. 

 

Futurising isn’t just for graduates setting up their own business – it has a much wider remit. Over the two-day festival, the Nicholls & Clarke building in Shoreditch will be transformed into a mecca of everything a job-hunting creative graduate could ever need.

 

There will be stands of employers recruiting creative graduates and networking organisations keen to connect with fresh, young talent. Industry leaders like Topshop and 4Talent will be giving CV advice, and you can attend talks and workshops on how to get noticed in a competitive job market.  After a few hours at the festival Cumber is confident graduates will leave feeling inspired: “They will be much more aware of who and what is out there to make the most of their career practice and employment aspirations – whether in the creative sector or outside.” And, after all that virtuous networking and career planning you can kick back and throw some shapes at the Futurising party. Well, it would be rude not to...

 

Cumber’s own background is in design, and after finishing a degree in Fine Arts, she set up a decorative ceramics business called Mac Products Ltd. This was back in the 1980s, when fashion and music were almost identikit to now but the dot com era had yet to emerge. Instead of being able to sell her products from a quirky website, Cumber had to take to the streets of Camden and sell from a market stall. Cumber says the support for creative businesses was virtually non-existent at that time. “It was real trial and error. We were really successful but that wasn’t to do with having a business plan. It was more due to the fact we had the confidence to go in and approach the big buyers,” she explains.  

 

Through confidence, hard work, and a dash of creativity, Cumber’s ceramics were sold in major UK department stores, gallery outlets and even had their own retail shop. Technology has changed, and it has become easier to network and set up a business on the web but Cumber still believes confidence is the key to success in any industry. “There are a lot more opportunities now, but only if you have the confidence to grab them. Often, it’s not the most talented that get ahead, it is the people who have the most confidence.” Cumber hopes Futurising can instill confidence in young graduates and show them how to market themselves and stand out.

 

What are the long term plans for Futurising? "World domination. It's obvious isn't it?" the ever ambitious Cumber deadpans.  She laughs before continuing “it would be a huge shame if we put all that investment in and it was just a one-off, because it’s so obviously needed. The industry response has been brilliant, course tutors are excited and most importantly students are signing up. This has to be a long-term event which changes every year to respond to young graduates' needs as they leave full-time education.”

 

Cumber emphasises how keen she is for students and graduates to get in touch and let the team know what they want from Futurising. She compares the degree shows exhibiting the work of arts students to the aim of Futurising. “This is industry showcasing itself to the talent of the future. We want to hear what young talent wants from industry."

 

Words: Dominique Brady   /   Pic: James Carey