Cultural Producers Programme

A Cultural Producer makes things happen in a range of industries, including the cultural sector and increasingly in non-arts related sectors such as health and environment. They are the people who pull the strings behind the scenes, collaborating with artists, technical staff, marketing teams and others to bring cultural events and programmes of all kinds to life. Cultural Producers work in organisations of all sizes, often in local community settings.

Cultural Producers are all-rounders, so training to be one means developing a broad range of skills, including personal skills such as communication, creativity, resilience and the ability to remain calm under pressure!

The Cultural Producer Programme is open to 18-30 year old Newham residents who have worked or volunteered in any cultural or arts-related organisation, and who have the passion and drive to pursue a career in this field.

The aim of this project is to empower individuals from the local community to become the next generation of cultural leaders in the borough. We particularly encourage applications from people underrepresented in these industries – including those from the global majority, those with disabilities, and those with socio-economic difficulties – as we believe it’s important that the Cultural Producers are representative of the diverse communities that make up Newham.

Testimonials from our alumni Cultural Producers (pilot programme 2022-23):

"The programme was exceptional and really did the job of making us into cultural producers."

"The combination of classroom learning, the placement, and mentoring gave a very solid overview of the industry."

"I’m more willing to apply for producer roles now … I feel I could apply for those jobs whereas I didn’t really feel like that before.

"I believe I am a Cultural Producer now, so I act like one."

If you would like to find out more about the programme, or how we can support you with your application, contact us at creativenewham@uel.ac.uk