CELEBRITIES JOIN DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY’S BID TO BOOST CREATIVE CAREERS IN THE EAST MIDLANDS

www.dmu.ac.uk/fame

Presenter, actor and singer Toyah Willcox and Hollyoaks actor Nick Pickard will deliver keynote speeches at De Montfort University’s flagship event for the creative industries in the East Midlands next week.

They’ll be heading the biggest creative industries events ever staged in the region, at De Montfort University’s Campus Centre in Leicester on Wednesday 21 March.

The annual FAME (Fashion, Arts, Media Eastmidlands) event now attracts more than 1,000 visitors including students, graduates and members of the public from around the region who are looking to kick-start or switch careers in the flourishing creative industries sector.

Entry to the event is free and there will be 10 seminars on business including games design, e-commerce, journalism and PR, fashion, animation, web design, broadcast media and a specially-tailored session about working as a freelance artists, musicians or performers.

In addition to the to keynote speeches with question and answer sessions, there will be creative employers from the BBC to Adobe, and including Next, Office shoes, and Confetti Studios on hand to give advice on how to get in to and excel in the industry.

Exhibiting employers will run various attractions including digital video editing for visitors to try out free of charge. There will also be an interactive seaside entertainment installation by award-winning new technology creatives Low Brow Trash and a variety of exciting demonstrations at the University’s pioneering Institute of Creative Technologies.

The Serious Games Institute, internet agency CITE, and Fflik Design will also be among the thirty exhibitors at the event, which is supported by Leicester Shire Economic Partnership (LSEP) and Creative Leicestershire.

Jacqueline Cawston, FAME organiser and De Montfort University’s Employer Development Manager, said: “This year FAME will be even more exciting; it’s a fantastic opportunity for students, graduates and employees in the East Midlands to get the inside information about how to get in and get on in the creative industries.”

Prof David Asch, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “De Montfort University plays a dynamic role in the region’s flourishing creative industries so we’re delighted to stage this event to inform and inspire, and to encourage local, regional and national talent to consider the diverse range of employment opportunities in the sector.”

Kishor Tailor, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Economic Partnership (LSEP) said: “We support FAME because we recognise the contribution the creative sector makes to the well being of the Leicester Shire economy. LSEP wants to encourage people to attend the event so that they can network and identify opportunities for employment and enterprise within a fast growing sector. I’m confident this year’s event can build on the success of the first year and give even more people an insight into creative industries.”

Go to www.dmu.ac.uk/fame for more information. There will also be a Creative CV stand run by Business Champions – professionals in the creative industries who can advise how to communicate skills and experience to people in the industry.

Careers DMU can also help advise on career choices and there will be information about the courses at De Montfort University which has the widest range of creative industry-related degrees and other courses in the region.

The University also now offers bursaries for students studying creative industries courses. For more information see http://www.dmu.ac.uk/morecreative/learn/ .