Support scheme is helping the region’s creative sector deliver a perfect pitch

Christina Colmer McHugh (left), Entrepreneur in Residence and Course Facilitator at the University of Hull, with members of the first Creative Growth cohort at one of the workshops.

Businesses operating in creative industries across Hull and East Yorkshire are signing up for free guidance and support to help them increase their commercial clout.

Creo Plan, which has been conducting high-tech desktop and ground surveys for utilities and service networks over more than 20 years, says the Creative Growth initiative has generated the confidence to strengthen a push into international markets.

Summit Media, a retail performance marketing specialist which has been operating for more than 20 years, sees an opportunity to share ideas on growth with other creative SMEs and to develop team skills.

Both businesses joined the first cohort of a project set up to lead the further development of a sector identified as embracing more than 1,430 firms in the region, employing around 13,420 staff and contributing over £527m of Gross Added Value to the local economy.    

Andrew Richardson, the Creative Growth Manager at the HEY Business Growth and Skills Hub, said: “These are amazing figures and they highlight the need for the region to continue to support local businesses to grow even more.

“We’re seeing ambitious and growth-orientated creative businesses coming forward because others have recommended the programme for the quality of the advice and support and the access to external investment.”

Businesses are booking now for the second cohort, which will start with a welcome event on Tuesday10th September, and a third round beginning in October.

Participants complete six workshops with additional peer learning sessions and one-to-one support from experienced business mentors, which remains available beyond the end of the programme.

The workshops take place in the University of Hull’s Business School or at the premises of creative businesses and cover growth dynamics, marketplace motives, innovation, finance, the art of pitching, and investment.

Lee Leggett, R&D specialist and Chief Drone Pilot at CreoPlan, said the programme will bring immediate benefits as the company prepares to showcase its services at global telecoms events Connected Britain and Connected Germany.

He said: “We met the Creative Growth team at Chamber Expo in Hull and we followed up afterwards. The work we have done with them has really helped me improve my pitching skills and I’m a lot more confident in selling as a result of that.

“We’re looking forward to Connected Britain and Connected Germany in the coming months and we’ve also been invited to exhibit at an event in the USA.”

With the programme open to businesses from sectors including marketing and PR, IT, audio and visual media, design, fashion, crafts and performing arts, Jasmine Bradshaw welcomed the opportunity to learn from other creatives in her role as Client Success Manager for Productcaster, the technology arm of Summit Media.

She said: “One aspect of this is the business impact in terms of being able to grow, help with growing the client base and advice on business growth as a whole.

“There are people who work across other creative sectors and everybody has different skills that they bring to it. There was a jewellery business, also video and filmography and radio. It’s very different from what I do on a day to day basis. and it’s really interesting to hear about their growth.

“On a personal level it’s given me more confidence to do pitches because it really makes you think about what you are saying and you get a report back which enables you to consider it in more depth.”

Feedback from other participants indicates that the programme is helping to develop entrepreneurial, management and leadership capabilities and behaviours within SMEs to grow successfully in the creative economy.

Andrew said: “The businesses taking part are working together to develop an understanding of what drives growth in the creative industries and equipping themselves with the knowledge and skills to realise value. Overall it’s a great opportunity to work towards commercialising creativity.

“Such growth will create new jobs in the emerging technologies and help to identify market opportunities arising from the digital economies of the future.

“We have interest from all the sectors on our target list. They are all experts in what they are doing but they can struggle to make time to consider what growth really means for their business. 

“We provide the support to encourage them to think about what they might do next, and we’re pleased that people who have already taken part are helping help us communicate the benefits because word of mouth between businesses is very powerful.”

The Creative Growth Hull and East Yorkshire programme is being delivered by HEY Business Growth and Skills Hub in partnership with Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and the University of Hull. It is one of 12 funded across England by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

To find out more about the Creative Growth programme visit https://bit.ly/3MoX3GJ or email creativegrowth@heybusinessgrowthskillshub.com