A success story
Elena success story.
Learn how the Brixton Creative Works team guided Elena.
Brixton Creative Works | 02 Feb 2022
What was Elena’s situation?
Elena Catangiu is a recent graduate in Theatre Design. She attended University of Arts London and graduated in 2020. Elena is a very determined and enthusiastic creative person. Her commitment to the creative industry is shown by the fact that she studied Theatre Design at University and has been involved in different projects during university. However, once she graduated, Elena felt that she had no clear pathway and Covid-19 pandemic limited her opportunities. Despite her degree, Elena needs some guidance and understanding on how she can apply her degree in order to build a career in the creative industry.
We met Elena during our walkt hrough in Brixton, where we engaged with local creative businesses and promoted BCW program. As we were distributing marketing leaflets, Elena showed interest in our programme. We invited her to attend the first webinar hosted by James West ‘Why business advice matters’ on 23rd September 2021.
How did Get Set UK help?
When our advisor first met with Elena, he tried to understand her career aspirations. As a recent graduate, she did admit that it was challenging and that she was unsure which route to take. She used to work in a café and was dissatisfied with it at the time. Elena was delighted to learn about our new Brixton Creative Works programme. Elena secured a job in a creative field after a few weeks, which meant she was now eligible to sign up for BCW. She then attended a new webinar, where she engaged and asked questions about self-employment. We answered all of the questions and provided additional information about the project’s benefits and available support.
As a result, she enrolled in the Brixton Creative Works programme and started non-accredited training with James West. We have monthly reviews as part of Elena’s BCW journey, and our advisor is assisting her in becoming a sole-trader designer. Our team was able to identify areas where she needed to improve and we discussed a marketing strategy to help her secure clients. Her smart action plan includes creating a business e-mail address and a portfolio to demonstrate her work. Elena is currently pursuing a Level 3 qualification in Social Media Marketing and working as a studio assistant for a crafts manufacturer in Brixton. During their monthly reviews, Alex was able to recommend a qualification to Elena that would improve her career prospects. Elena will start classes in early February, and our advisor will continue to provide monthly support.
Elena was eager to sign up after attending the first seminar in September. She was one of the first to sign up. She has begun her non-accredited training with James West, and our advisor is meeting with her on a monthly basis to assess her progress. The sessions will focus on laying the foundations for Elena to earn between £20 and £24k per year through a combination of freelance and employment contracts.
“Since joining Brixton Creative Works Program and starting my 1 to 1’s business coaching sessions with James West, I have not only become more confident in talking about what I can offer as a creative to potential clients and businesses, but also have become more optimistic about the creative career that I have chosen, (especially as a “pandemic graduate”), and I am more excited about future projects and jobs. Every month I am looking forward to my sessions with James, as it gives me the time to reflect on what I have achieved using the tips he has given me, and see how this has helped me improve my interactions and therefore my clientele.”
Elena
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