SCCI hosts Creative Futures Day at UCL East

The day brought together students from a range of interdisciplinary programmes together with representatives from the creative and cultural industries. Together, they participated in a range of activities to explore the future of creativity. The event fostered connections across the SCCI community as well as offering a reflective space, to look back at the academic year gone by and dreaming up possible creative futures – near and far!

The day opened with a panel discussion with representatives from a wide cross section of the creative and cultural industries:

• Aoife O’Callaghan-White, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the Publishers Association, who advocates for the publishing sector across a range of topics including AI, Copyright & IP and the value of publishing.
• Argenis Ramirez Gomez, an HCI Research currently working on interaction design with museum collections
• Claddagh NicLochlainn, the Parliamentary lead for the Institute for the Future of Work
• UCL Alum Daniel Seto, a communications specialist with extensive experience of working with some of the world’s biggest entertainment brands, including Harry Potter, LEGO, DC and Star Wars
• Luis Caicedo, founder of AMUZN, an interactive platform for creatives to monetise their work and meet potential clients
• Tom Owen, an EMEA Creative Producer for sportswear company HOKA, where he notably works on brand storytelling.

The panel focussed on the future of creativity, with panellists first reflecting on the most impactful changes they anticipate affecting their respective sectors in the next 5-10 years, beyond generative AI.  The discussion touched on how to take advantage of technology to focus on creative outputs, changes to how creatives manage their Intellectual Property and how people are consuming creative content is evolving. For example, in the world of publishing, Aoife (Publishers Association) pointed out the audiobook market is growing, and involves increased demand for technical skills relating to audio production, which have not traditionally been needed in the sector. The panel also reflected on the fall in employment levels witnessed throughout 2024 in part related to cuts in public funding, as well as restructures in large media conglomerates leading to job losses. 

Nonetheless, the panel shared an optimism for the development of the creative and cultural industries, supported by a unionised workforce making strides in advocating for the worth of their talent. 

When asked to identify the skills they most look for when recruiting early-career collaborators, panellists highlighted:

• Agility
• Teamwork
• Curiosity
• The ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders
• Good knowledge of technical software, including the ability to design compelling presentations is also often advantageous.

Concluding the panel with a range of questions from the audience led Claddagh (Parliamentary lead for the Institute for the Future of Work) to give the invaluable advice to make the most of your careers service who can help you develop tailored applications which directly respond to employers’ needs.

Energised from a wide-ranging conversation, participants in SCCI’s Creative Futures day were then able to choose between attending two workshops,  ‘Career Planning for Creatives’ led by Fiona Watt or ‘Exploring Serious Issues Through Game Design’, led by Chris Petitt-Mee. Both groups were able to get ‘hands-on’ and practice their professional skills during the workshop ahead of attending a special edition of SCCI’s Partnership Lab.  

The Partnership Lab is a cross-sector and multi-disciplinary collaboration hub, encompassing employability, research, and community engagement. The Lab event was opened by Professor Kieren Reed (Professor of Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art), who welcomed industry guests with a short introduction to the School and an invitation to network with a view to build meaningful connections for the future. Our neighbours from ABBA Voyage also introduced the leading-edge technology used right on our doorstep and an insight into their recruitment practices for early-career practitioners.

Overall, SCCI’s inaugural Creative Futures day was a dynamic event bringing together current students, alumni and our industry partners to exchange and imagine the diverse ways in which we can collaborate on building a brighter creative future. Do look out for future events.