Described by Screen International magazine as ‘one of Europe’s most innovative courses,’ after just one term students and Creative Industry leaders have heaped praise on the NFTS’ new Entrepreneurial Producing for the Creative Industries (EPCRI) diploma.
Speaking after delivering a guest talk to the EPCRI participants, Alex Graham, founder of Wall to Wall TV– now part of Shed Media - said: “When I was starting out there was little business support out there and what was there was frankly uninspiring. What I would have given to be able to participate in a course like this!”
He added: “I have rarely come across a more engaged and motivated group of students. The most exciting thing about the course is the bringing together of budding entrepreneurs from different disciplines with different approaches to R&D and production; different business models; different relationships with the ultimate consumer and different regimes of intellectual property and rights ownership… I have long argued that if we could only underpin the creativity, for which this country is famous, to sound business skills (and support from the capital markets – though that is a different question!) then we could achieve so much more.”
And the 15 students selected to join the inaugural course say it has changed the way they think about building a business in the multi-platform creative industries.
“Every tutor and speaker has been brilliant – you can’t get this level of teaching anywhere else,” says Hannibal Morris. “If you are lucky enough to get on this course, you’ll look back and think: ‘what the hell was I doing before this?’”
“Now that we’ve finished the first term, I’ve never been more hungry to do anything in my life - I love it!” says Gemma Deerfield.
You can watch interviews with the participants and EPCRI course leader Chris Autyhere
The unique 10-month business course for media entrepreneurs is taught both at the NFTS and in central London. It provides participants with the opportunity to acquire a detailed overview of commercial practice in seven key media areas; to meet leading media industry executives and investors and to build, test and launch their own business proposal.
The course has been endorsed by Lord Puttnam and Richard Branson and is supported by Ingenious Media with leading law firm Lee & Thompson and accountancy firm Saffery Champness.
Speakers have so far included senior ranking media figures as Matthew Justice (Managing Director, Big Talk Productions), Jonny Geller (Joint CEO, Curtis Brown), Julius Green (Senior Producer, Bill Kenwright Ltd), Andrew Oliver (CTO, Blitz Games Studios), Jamie Byng (MD, Canongate Books), Michael Comish (CEO, Blinkbox/Tesco Digital) and Charlie Redmayne (CEO, Pottermore).
Andrew Oliver said: “The NFTS attracts the brightest and most proactive people and they teach the skills that the creative industries really need. The Entrepreneurship and Producing for the Creative Industries Course, is the perfect example of this.”
The current participants are now developing business plans to be presented to a panel of Creative Industry leaders and potential investors ranging from VC Funds to private investors, in November. The aim is to give them the opportunity to match their ambitions with capital.
Chris Auty said: “I’ve been delighted with the quality of both the course's participants and the guest speakers that have kindly delivered seminars. In the first term alone we’ve had over 70 speakers of the highest quality from all of the creative sectors, including: record label CEOs; some of the country’s top media lawyers; leading figures from television; heads of games studios; and disruptive online startups. The participants are hard-working, smart, diverse and incredibly driven, and I hope that in the next two terms we’ll be able to help them shape world-beating business proposals for investment at the end of the course. "I’m thrilled to be running the course for a second year – looking across all of the creative sectors has been exciting, challenging and has opened up numerous opportunities for our participants, and we hope to offer even more next year.”
Don’t miss out on your chance to sign up for the next EPCRI course starting in January 2014. Apply before the June 6th 2013 deadline - check the website for final date. Scholarships and bursaries are available.
