Viral – creating opportunity for young creatives

Aim

Supporting 16-25 year olds from diverse backgrounds in Brighton & Hove to develop a career in the creative and digital industries.

Brighton & Hove is home to a thriving digital and creative sector, full of jobs and potential for the next generation. But these opportunities aren’t always accessible, or visible, to young people from all backgrounds. 

Viral aims to help change that.

We have 50% of the funding secured from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and are working with business sponsors and local trusts, such as Chalk Cliff Trust, to cover another 25%. 

We are asking you to help us raise the final 25%. 

Viral 2018 participants

About Viral

Viral is a project for 16-25 year olds who want to work in the creative and digital industries, but who don’t have the opportunities, facilities and connections they need. The project is for young people from diverse backgrounds, including those not in work or training.

Over six months the young people receive production training, business development, mentoring, showcasing opportunities and peer-to-peer support. The project focuses on a range of disciplines including music, film, photography and design.

At the end of 2018 we completed a successful first year of the project, and now need your help to make Viral 2019 happen for a new group of young people in the city.

“It’s given me the basics to kickstart what I want to do in life.” 

Oliver, Viral 2018 participant      

Why does Viral exist?

As public funding cuts continue across all areas of life, many support services that may have been available in the past, through local authorities and other public bodies, have decreased or disappeared, with greater demand and competition for the support that remains. As an arts organisation that receives public funding, Lighthouse has a role and responsibility to help address this gap.   

Brighton & Hove is home to a thriving digital and creative sector, full of jobs and potential for the next generation. But these opportunities aren’t always accessible, or visible, to young people from all backgrounds. 

Viral aims to help change that, by supporting participants to develop their technical and creative skills, build their confidence and improve their professional prospects.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with culture and creativity, no matter who they are, or what advantages they’ve had.

Why we need your help

We have 50% of the funding secured from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and are working with business sponsors and local trusts, such as Chalk Cliff Trust, to cover another 25%. 

We are asking you to help us raise the final 25%. 

The cost per person for the six-month programme is £4000. This covers the weekly training sessions, tutor fees, production equipment, software and materials and access to a recording studio. It also includes travel costs for the young people, refreshments, the final showcase event, all outreach activities and the recruitment of participants. 

Rewards

We have a wide range of rewards for supporters of the campaign, including Love Supreme Jazz Festival tickets, merchandise signed by leading filmmakers, a limited edition print by visual artist David Blandy, advice sessions with experienced creative sector professionals, artwork by the Viral 2018 participants, and many more. Or you could borrow a genuine Hong Kong taxi for a day?

Some of the rewards available: A Hong Kong taxi (for the day), artwork by Viral 2018 participants, a SPECTRE cap signed by Daniel Craig and exclusive A5 print by David Blandy.

How does Viral work?

The project is designed around the interests and needs of the participants. Over the course of six months the young people take part in weekly training sessions led by experienced artists and creative professionals, held in Lighthouse’s training spaces and at The Rose Hill, where they have access to a recording studio. 

The participants work with artists and professionals including the team behind The Rose Hill – Kassia Zermon (AKA Bunty), Jules Arthur and Abraham Moughrabi. Our 2018 tutors also included MOBO award-winning video director Reece Proctor, illustrator and graphic designer Eva Bowan, and photographer and musician Sam Barrett (AKA Illiterate and founder of Yogocop). The participants were also supported by Bex Fidler, a skilled creative producer with years of experience managing creative projects that work with young people.

Through the practical advice provided by the mentors, the young people are also able to learn about the day-to-day realities of life as a professional creative. 

The growing community of young creatives, mentors and businesses is hugely valuable. Past participants can return as peer-mentors, and many new collaborations emerge through the connections formed during the project. Lighthouse also holds regular Open Session events that enable even more young people to learn from the project and mentors.  

“I’ve learnt a lot about how to get a job in the creative industries from speaking to the mentors about how they manage their lives. I’ve learnt how to make money and keep afloat – whilst still fulfilling my creative needs.” 

Jules, Viral 2018 participant

Partnerships with local businesses   

A vital part of Viral is bringing the young people together with professionals and businesses in the city. As well as providing sponsorship to help make the project financially possible, our business partners run workshops and skills development sessions for the participants, covering topics such as branding, budgeting, digital marketing and data analysis. 

These partnerships enable the young people to build confidence and gain a greater understanding of how different workplaces operate, as well as offering the businesses a chance to get to know the younger generation. 

We’re continuing to work with our founding sponsors Brandwatch and Brilliant Noise, and we’re looking for other sponsors in the city’s creative and digital industries. 

“This kind of experimentation and openness is fundamentally what leads to innovation.” 

Katja Garrood, Creative Director, Brandwatch

Outreach and recruitment

During the outreach and recruitment stage we will work with local community organisations to hold taster events and workshops in locations around Brighton & Hove, where young people can learn more about Viral and how to be involved. We also work with youth workers and local organisations working with young people who make referrals to the project.

The long-term vision for Viral

Our long-term ambition for Viral is to work with a new group of young people each year, building an ever growing community of creative talent. We are currently applying to large Trusts and Foundations that provide funding over 2-3 years in order to finance this, and will continue to seek additional support from local businesses in the digital and creative sectors. 

What happens next for the participants?

At the end of the six month project the participants are encouraged to stay in touch with each other, the mentors and Lighthouse through regular informal meetups. We continue to share relevant opportunities and events with them and invite them to return for peer mentoring sessions with the next group of young people. 

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse is a Brighton-based arts charity, providing an accessible programme of training, talks, exhibitions, commissions and education initiatives.

We rely on three main sources of income to cover our annual costs. About 20% of our annual costs are covered through funding received from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation, and our building generates revenue from venue hire and office rentals. The rest of our funding is raised on a project-by-project basis from a variety of sources, including public bodies, trusts, foundations and commercial sponsors.

This project successfully funded on 3rd April 2019