I lead on the strategy and programme development for our access to finance and business support work. From 2014-16 this focused on delivering the Creative Industry Finance programme, which to date has provided 2,700 hours of free, expert business advice to 300 creative and cultural companies, and unlocked access to £1million of loan finance. From 2017, I spearheaded the launch and delivery of our the Prosper business support programme for the arts, museums and libraries. I am currently leading on the Forge and Prosper North business support programmes. I studied Film and Drama at University, but music is my first love. My career in the creative industry began booking bands into live music venues in London. I soon set up my own booking agency and consultancy, which gave me first-hand experience of the challenges of setting up and running my own business. A few years later I side-stepped into the world of grant-giving by becoming the Communications Manager for PRS for Music Foundation, before joining the team at Creative United. I am also on the Board of Trustees for the Music Venue Trust.  

I'm a Senior Project Manager, responsible for the delivery of Prosper North. Recruiting 80 cultural heritage organisations across the north of England, we provide mentoring, workshops, webinars and meet-ups for a wide variety of organisations from museums, historic buildings, community arts groups, maker collectives, festivals, venues and theatres – and I am lucky enough to work with all of them. I am a cultural producer, with over 20 years’ experience in the arts, education, public and private sectors. Working at the intersection of inclusion, art and culture, my experience spans music, theatre, digital media, equality and diversity, contemporary visual arts and heritage. In 2016 I became an inaugural Arts Council England Change Maker, designed to increase the diversity of leadership in arts and culture. I led a change programme for in partnership with The Hepworth, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Henry Moore Institute, which was instrumental in safeguarding the sustainability of The Art House. I am based in in the North so take full advantage of my beautiful surroundings and rich cultural offers. I am often found at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park listening to music and seeing new work in the most amazing setting, mixing my first love of music with my love of sculpture and contemporary visual art.

Stephen has a background in business management and has previously managed art galleries, with experience in the primary and secondary art markets. In his current role as Membership Development Manager at Creative United, Steve is responsible for providing sales advice and support to a network of over 400 member galleries and musical instrument retailers under the Own Art and Take it away interest free credit schemes.

As Strategic Relationship Manager, I am responsible for leading on strategic development activities for the Own Art and Take it away network, as well as awareness raising of the two programmes to target audiences. I am also responsible for the continued monitoring and reporting of the effectiveness and impact of Own Art and Take it away in line with the objectives agreed with major funders and stakeholders. In addition, I am currently involved with consultations and the evaluation of research findings for Improving Access to Music Making (IAMM), a project aimed at reducing barriers to first access to music for children with disabilities in the UK.   My involvement in the creative industries spans over a decade across a diverse range of roles, including artist and gallery management, relationship management, project management and operational management. In my personal time, I am a musician, writer, occasional festival producer, and enthusiastic member and organiser for Art+Feminism, a global rhizomatic collective aimed at improving the gender bias of women in the arts on Wikipedia and encouraging female editorship.

As Head of Finance and Operations, I am responsible for the Financial Management of the business. I also oversee the office infrastructure including IT and al systems and processes to support the organisation as a whole. I am responsible for ensuring compliance within the company, including Data protection and regulation regarding consumer credit from the Financial Conduct Authority. I bring experience from venue management having been part of the Box Office Management team at the Royal Albert Hall for a number of years. Prior to this, I began my career working as part of the management team of an independent cinema in Hertfordshire.

As a member of The Association of Accounting Technicians, I am delighted to have joined the Finance and Operations department. I have enjoyed a varied career in the arts before coming to join Creative United. I moved to London after recording the voice of Hercules for the Hebrew dubbed version of the Walt Disney movie of the same name. After studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, I performed in Jerry Springer: The Opera and worked on recordings for the Lord of the Rings Musical. Passionate about music and art, I then worked in various West End theatres, as a customer service representative, administrator and manager before joining Creative United.