Bradford 2025 Hosts Creative Careers Festival for Young People

Event aims to connect local youth with creative industry opportunities

Bradford 2025, the organisation behind Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture, is hosting a Creative Careers Festival on 20 November at Bradford Live. The one-day event is designed to showcase career opportunities within the creative sector for young people aged 16 to 25 in the Bradford area.

Festival Details and Activities

The festival will bring together creative industry professionals from across the UK to offer a variety of activities, including:

• Creative workshops
• Panel discussions featuring industry experts
• Interactive stalls
• One-to-one speed mentoring sessions with professionals

Organised by Bradford 2025’s Apprentices, the event aims to develop new skills and professional pathways for young people interested in careers within the creative industries.

Participants and Industry Representation

The festival includes a diverse range of organisations from both local and national levels, such as:

• Opera North
• Common/Wealth
• Dialled In
• PWC
• Games Republic

It will cover various creative sectors including gaming, television, film, fashion design, and emerging fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming.

Programme Highlights

Hosted in Bradford Live’s auditorium, the event will feature performances by local artists, including poet Kirsty Taylor and comedian Alex Dunlop. There will also be panel discussions with 13 creative professionals sharing insights into their careers. Some of the panelists include:

• Irene Kaali, Presenter and Broadcaster
• Kimia Modaressi, Filmmaker and Photographer
• Humaira Bham, Content Creator
• Rhiannon Skye Boden, Spoken Word Artist
• Sam Da Silva, Musician
• Jess Kitchen, Author
• Matt Allen, Bradford 2025 Creative Technologist
• Aaqil Ahmed, Media Production and Communications Consultant
• Matt Zina, Screen Acting Coach
• Arzu Dutta, BBC Bradford Reporter
• Paul Wilshaw, Creative Connector

Objectives and Statements from Organisers

Sherman Rabbit, Apprentice Marketing Assistant at Bradford 2025, emphasised the importance of creating spaces for young creatives to connect and learn from each other. Kieran Jones, Apprentice Operations Assistant, highlighted the festival’s role in raising awareness of career paths within the creative industries.

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director at Bradford 2025, noted that following Bradford’s UK City of Culture win, the organisation committed to creating opportunities for young people to explore and understand the creative and cultural industries. The festival is intended to provide access to industry professionals and highlight alternative routes into the sector.

For more information, visit the Bradford 2025 website.

Source: Bradford 2025