With so much upheaval in the creative industries during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to equip students with the knowledge of setting themselves up as freelancers. With this goal in mind, the University of Brighton and GB Met College collaborated to host a series of virtual seminars with practicing freelancers to impart their wisdom and answer burning questions. Over 400 students attended the free seminars from the School of Art and Media and the creative courses at GB Met College.
Held across National Careers Week in March, the sessions focused on four key aspects of self-employment: ‘What is a Freelancer?’, ‘Monetising Your Creativity’, ‘Practical Tips and Tricks’ and ‘The Power of the Network’. Panellists presented their experiences from a wide range of creative industries from production and journalism, to prop making, music and dance.
Organiser and Widening Participation Co-ordinator for GB Met, Rosie Jones, reflected that “the event gave students a real insight into freelancing and highlighted that a creative career is very much attainable after graduation. It was really motivating to hear from industry professionals who are making it work in challenging circumstances, and allowed our students to visualise themselves in these inspiring creatives!”
Students also praised the event series; “I enjoyed the speakers who were passionate and charismatic – it was a real insight and they were so generous with their knowledge.” Further benefits included gaining tips from the presenters’ real world experience without sugar-coating the tough challenges that lie ahead for any student looking to become a freelancer.
The popularity of these seminars led to five further freelancing events being hosted, focusing on more bespoke topics including Intellectual Property and how to sell your work online to a virtual audience. The final seminar of the series is taking place on Thursday 29th April with Lou Rodgers from South East Dance, discussing how to apply for funding as a freelancer. You can book your tickets through EventBrite.
Students that have attended will be invited to join a Slack group with the presenters as a space to continue asking questions, to collaborate on opportunities and create a community of graduate freelancers.
Speakers at the virtual freelancing events
