About Us .
The Creative Business Skills Bootcamp
The idea to develop this Creative Business Skills Bootcamp was developed by the Director of Aesthetica, Cherie Federico. In 2023, Aesthetica celebrated its 20th anniversary. The company was founded in 2003 when Cherie and Co-Director, Dale Donley, were students at York St John University. Since then, the company has expanded to include a portfolio or publications and events such as the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival and the Aesthetica Art Prize, along with the Reignite series of events in York. It was a big moment for Cherie and Dale and a time of reflection in which they looked at the development of Aesthetica from a student project into an international brand across the range of media arts. They recall the ups and the downs, and the resilience it takes to launch, sustain and grow a business in the Creative Industries. Cherie is particularly supportive of women in the creative sector and is looking to take her 20 years’ experience and share the knowledge she has learned to help you to launch your new businesses in York.
Course Details and Structure
This programme is funded by the Combined Authority in York & North Yorkshire. This free course requires attendance over 12 weeks, with two evenings per week in total. There will be one practical workshop on Tuesdays for three hours and one lecture / masterclass from an industry speaker that will take place on Thursdays. All participants will be required to register as self-employed by the end of the course. Some of the topics covered include: Marketing and Branding for Creatives; Creative Project Management; Innovation and Design Thinking; Funding and Investment; Networking and Relationship Building; Sustainability in Creative Business; HR & Legal; Accountancy; Sales and Negotiation for Creatives; Scaling and Growth and Sustainability in Creative Business. You will also be given 12 months free rent at the Enterprise Centre at York St John University as a follow-on from the course, to help launch your company with less risk. You will also be given a profile to promote you and your business on the Creative Business Skills website.
UNESCO City of Media Arts
York is 1 of 25 cities worldwide that was selected by UNESCO because of its outputs in Media Arts. Other global destinations that share this status include Austin, Texas; Sapporo, Japan; and Toronto, Canada. A designation of this kind goes to show that our outputs in York are on a par with these global destinations. We have to build on that and this means offering new progression routes and pathways into the creative industries. As of December 2023, City of York Council identified that there were 199 businesses in York in the Creative Industries in the private sector. We will work with creatives who have the skills in industry to help them to develop their business ideas and launch new companies in order to grow the sector. Reignite is a cross-sector vision that sees businesses of all sectors collaborating. This status should be embedded into the ecosystem of the city and all businesses – creative, heritage, retail, hospitality, transport and services – should unite behind our designation because collectively we can go much further.
