MA Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship

Rather than squishing me into a ‘business studies’ mould, ICCE enabled me to open up & think entrepreneurially in every direction

Like many ICCE students, I joined the MA with a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve… and left it with a very different future to the one I had planned. 

Instead of being a full-time film programmer (as planned), I now work at Goldsmiths as a lecturer and project manager. I teach on the university’s Synapse programme, which embeds enterprise thinking into courses across Goldsmiths. We invite students to consider their own role in shaping their future, and making a positive impact on the world. I also look after a range of support for student entrepreneurs, including one-to-one coaching and funding opportunities. 

In the years since graduating, I’ve also set up and managed international summer schools, degree show exhibitions and event programmes, and supported ICCE as an academic tutor, lecturer and admissions tutor. 

My creative work has morphed in two directions. On one hand, I’ve converted my experience as a film programmer into a 12-week course, and am working to develop skills and networks for film programmers in South Africa. And on the other, I’ve taken my love of events and audiences into a new direction, organising a Parade of Friendly Monsters. 

Studying at Goldsmiths gave me space to experiment (and sometimes fail!), develop my ideas, encounter new possibilities for my work, and experience first-rate creative entrepreneurship training. Rather than squishing me into a ‘business studies’ mould, ICCE enabled me to open up and think entrepreneurially in every direction.

Goldsmiths is an environment where one has immense amounts of freedom. The campus and its vicinity are perpetually buzzing with activity, giving students a number of things to do.

"I have traveled from India to study at Goldsmiths, University of London. After graduating in theatre in 2016, I came across the name 'Goldsmiths' on many occasions while working on the Indian theatre circuit. Goldsmiths has been seen as a university of repute, within the circles that I was active in. Nearing the end of 2017, I began to get a clearer understanding on what I wanted to pursue my further studies in. I understood that I wanted to build a career that would entwine the Arts with Entrepreneurship. Furthermore, I wanted to study this in a progressive environment, molded by creatives; not businessmen. I ran a global search online for 'MA Creative Enterprise', naturally I was flooded with web-pages and advertisements for universities, from around the world. After going through the curriculum of a couple of them, I came across Goldsmiths. Under the department for Creative and Cultural Enterprise, Goldsmiths offered a course that precisely met my needs, and more. Going through the course modules and details, I was convinced that this was the ideal place for me to understand the creative industries. Not to mention the institutes repute for progressive research and highly international environment which would help me learn of perspectives from around the globe. Thus, it was natural that Goldsmiths, be the only choice for me to envisage a further education.

Goldsmiths is an environment where one has immense amounts of freedom. The campus and its vicinity are perpetually buzzing with activity, giving students a number of things to do. I have literally had to force myself to often return to my room or the library to catch up with deadlines that are looming ahead in the near future. It is easy to lose track of time with so much happening.

In the initial months our modules focus on cross-disciplinary elements. In class I have had to accomplish tasks that require design thinking, marketing skills, and even had to review a book on generative design. These are things that I had never delved into before and learning about these has been enriching. Underlying these activities, however, has always been the larger focus on our individual projects (which we were required to come with at the time of applying). My project focuses on artist networking and a springboard for global collaboration within the performing arts. I hope, through the course and my tutorials I begin to find a clearer understanding on how this idea can be realized. Alternatively, I feel that the course in enriching my skill-set, introducing elements that would come very handy on working within agencies for artistic and audience development, or as a consultant for creative organisations and events."

"We were continuously encouraged to have a different viewpoint"

"Goldsmiths has been a great opportunity for me to learn from creative people and be exposed to an array of methods that have taught me to think outside the box. I've always appreciated the fact that we were continuously encouraged to have a different viewpoint and that the teaching methods were quite innovative.

The staff were always supportive and helpful, and I felt like our opinions mattered. From the interview stage to finalising the course, the dedicated lecturers made sure that we got the most out of our time at university.

For me, the most important thing I have achieved is meeting and getting inspired by some amazing people. There have been business and personal successes along the way, but the people I've met and friends I've made have been so much more valued."