Create Industry Growth Day - 27 January 2025

Crafting Your Creative Vision: Growing Your Audience with Start-up Principles (Without Sacrificing Your Art) 

Are you a creative entrepreneur looking to expand your audience while staying true to your artistic values? This workshop will help you translate start-up principles into actionable strategies tailored to your unique creative practice. Discover how to clearly articulate your creative vision, build authentic connections with your audience, and grow your creative business without compromising your artistic integrity. 

By exploring topics such as defining your unique appeal, understanding your audience's needs, and creating meaningful engagement opportunities, you'll learn how to position your work in a way that not only attracts fans but also deepens their connection to your creative journey.

Spencer Aynes

Spencer is an entrepreneur, product designer, and start-up coach with over 15 years of experience creating new products and ventures from the ground up. 

No stranger to the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, Spencer has founded multiple start-ups - some that soared to millions in revenue, and others that are now rich sources of insight. He's on a mission to help others learn from both his successes and missteps, sparing them the painful lessons he faced first hand. 

Spencer works with both corporate ventures and start-ups, guiding the development and launch of early-stage products through rapid experimentation and validation, discovering what works, and discarding what doesn't. 

Spotlight on Northern Heart Films - How to grow and manage a film company

Learn how Northern Heart Films, a company set up with no funding and zero business experience, has grown from strength to strength, winning their first BBC commission and telling stories they are passionate about. This insightful talk will cover everything you need to know, from hearing about their failures and their big breakthroughs, you will learn practical tips on how to start from scratch and how to pitch yourselves more effectively. 

Whether you're just starting out, or looking to take your existing business to the next level, this session will provide you with the confidence and knowledge to grow and manage a film company.

Natasha Hawthornwaite 

Co-founder of Northern Heart Films/Documentary Filmmaker and Commercials Director

Natasha has over a decade of experience working on branded content and original documentaries for organisations including the BBC, Doc Society, Co-Op and The Guardian. Natasha has been recognised for her leadership and innovation as a 'Future Leader' at the Northern Power Women Awards and 'Creative Professional of the Year' at the Manchester Young Talent Awards. 

At Northern Heart, Natasha is responsible for developing new programme ideas and has a number of original documentaries in pre-production. Natasha has also become a self-advocate for working class filmmakers and is currently a mentor on the 'Screen Launchpad' programme with Creative UK.

Join three local powerhouses of the film and screen industry as they share their experience and expertise. 

In this panel session, we'll be hearing about their unique journeys into the industry as well as exploring:

• Where to start - identifying your niche and building a strong portfolio that reflects your expertise 
• Creating a solid business foundation - knowing your finances 
• The power of networking and word-of-mouth referrals 
• Setting clear boundaries with clients and protecting yourself with contracts
• Investing in your skills and keeping up with technology 
• Pricing and valuing your time and skills
• Freelance work-life balance

Got a burning question or query? We'll wrap up with time for you to ask the experts.

Hosted by

Hana York

A champion for Derbyshire's creative community, Hana York has been supporting local businesses in the creative industries for the past eight years. With a background spanning 25 years in marketing, storytelling and business development, she is widely known as the host of CreativeMornings/Derby, part of the world's largest face-to-face creative community. Having worked for QUAD and The University of Derby, her current challenge is as Venue Manager for Derby Market Hall; a £35 million, grade two building renovation, with the ambition to house local entrepreneurs and creative to become the thriving retail heart of the city.

Speakers

Gurmit Samra (Impress Video Production)

In 2022, Gurmit was acknowledged by BAFTA for his role as an up and coming writer/director, creatively contributing to British television and film production. 

In early 2021, Gurmit released his feature film directorial debut, 'Get Gone', on Amazon Prime, which he also wrote and produced. The film premiered at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland as one of the 'exciting films from Europe with top cinematography'. 

In 2009, Gurmit launched 'Impress', a boutique video production agency that produces and directs TV adverts, along with brand story videos for companies across the UK. Today, Impress' clients include Bentley Nestle, EY and New Balance, to name a few. Impress has attracted global clients, working closely with Gurmit and the team to bring their creative ideas to life on budget and on time, all the while maintaining a creative flair. 

Luke Galloway (Space Face Films)

Luke is a videographer and founder of Space Face Films, a commercial video production business based in the East Midlands. Over the past eight years, he has had the privilege of creating content for a wide range of clients, including Universal Music, Porsche Nottingham, Nottingham City Council and The REP Theatre Birmingham. 

Luke's journey into video production began at a performing arts school, followed by A-Levels and a degree in Creative Music Technology. After university, he gained hands-on experience during an internship with a commercial video business in Soho, London, where he honed his editing skills in After Effects. This led to freelance editing and production assistant roles, alongside working in hospitality to support his career ambitions. 

Luke later secured a full-time role as a Multimedia Designer at Pendragon, a leading motor company, where he spent two years. In 2019, he decided to take the plunge and start his own business. Luke has now been running Space Face Films for four years, helping businesses, charities and musicians across the UK tell their stories through dynamic and engaging video content. 

Sharon Roberts

Sharon's life has been a whirlwind of resilience and reinvention. Growing up was nothing short of a chaotic show cross between 'Shameless' and the 'Brassic' series. Sharon left school at 16 with no qualifications, yet in her early 20s, she returned to education as a single parent, determined to rewrite her story. Inspired by her passion for classic 80's films like Beverly Hills Cop, The Terminator and Back to the Future, Sharon went on to build a thriving personal development business that traded globally, leading her to coach and interview top CEOs and entrepreneurs in Los Angeles while promoting Brit Week. 

Over the years, Sharon has worn many hats: business editor for an award-winning magazine, columnist for an educational newspaper, and TEDx interviewer. She has shared coffee with Bob Proctor, had a Zoom conference with Oprah and her OWN ambassadors and was lucky to meet the late Sir Richard Attenborough. 

Sharon has mentored and fostered relationships with a wide portfolio of clients and key industry contacts within the film and entertainment industry to become an extension of various teams and production projects. She  has developed TV treatments, loglines and storyboards because she loves the creative buzz of pitch deck meetings and table readings. Now, at 55, Sharon is in the final year of a P/T Criminology and Psychology degree, ready to merge her life experience and creativity into developing mental health and dark comedy TV projects, plus whatever else excites her!