Newcastle City Council backs the next generation of creative producers

In partnership with Newcastle City Council, Curated Place is delivering an exciting Creative Producer Training (CPP) programme, currently supporting 15 aspiring Creative Producers from across Newcastle and the North East.

This professional development programme is set to run three times until 2028 and forms part of Newcastle City Council’s ambitious 10-year Cultural Events Programme, which aims to position the city as one of the UK’s leading cultural destinations.

The training is a vital investment in cultural placemaking, offering practical skills and capacity development within a live, risk-managed production environment. The free, 10-module programme equips participants with the confidence and expertise to manage creative projects and events from concept to completion. Participants gain hands-on experience while building networks that strengthen the local creative economy.

Cllr Abdul Samad, Cabinet member for Culture, Music and Arts at Newcastle City Council said: “Newcastle’s creative economy is growing rapidly and is central to the future of our city. Programmes like this, which provide meaningful support and real opportunities for local creatives, play a vital role in strengthening our distinctive and fast-expanding cultural sector. We are delighted to be working with Curated Place to deliver this initiative and further champion the talent that makes Newcastle so unique.

“We are witnessing a bold cultural resurgence across Newcastle, underpinned by an ambitious ten-year cultural events programme. Our city now hosts major national events alongside our own established festivals and vibrant grassroots community initiatives. Together, these are helping to position Newcastle as a leading cultural destination and a place where creativity can truly thrive.”

Andy Brydon, Creative & Company Director at Curated Place said: “Our Creative Producer training is giving local creatives the skills, experience, and confidence to bring ambitious projects to life. Over the next three years, we’ll develop three cohorts, empowering new voices to shape the cultural landscape of the North East. Together, we aim to create a strong, connected creative sector, ready to deliver exciting work and events, seize new opportunities, and sustain fulfilling careers in the arts, heritage, and cultural industries.”

The current cohort of Creative Producers work across a wide range of art forms, from installation, theatre, and performance to music, festivals, and multi-disciplinary events. Over their 10-week programme funded by Arts Council England and the North East Combined Authority, they have developed the skills, techniques, and connections needed to deliver ambitious, locally rooted creative projects and events.

Creative Producer Training Participant 25/26 and Freelance Creative, Lizzie West said:

“The learning has felt genuinely responsive and tailored to the voices and experiences in the room, which made it feel thoughtful, supportive, and relevant. Programmes like this are vital for producers; it’s helped me develop my professional practice and reconnect with my passions, while sharpening my sense of what I want to focus on next, especially around place-based work. I feel more excited than ever about using Newcastle as a creative stage, and developing projects that are genuinely rooted in the North East.”

Creative Producer Training Participant 25/26 and Company Producer at Unfolding Theatre, Midge Ryall said:

“Ultimately, this training programme is helping to build a connected, skilled workforce of creative professionals in the North East, ensuring that investment, high-quality work, and talented arts practitioners remain rooted in the region. It’s been a fascinating opportunity so far; it has felt validating and enlightening. The support of the cohort has been invaluable—I genuinely hope we continue as a network and circle of peers, sharing ideas and learning as new commissions and funding opportunities arise.”

At the end of the programme in early March, participants are invited to propose projects for NOVUM Festival 2026– a bold, joyful, multi-artform summer festival taking over Newcastle city centre for three days in August. Up to six projects will be commissioned with a £15,000 budget each and receive expert mentoring from cultural event professionals and Newcastle Council’s Arts, Culture & Events Team to bring their ideas to life. Audiences will then have the opportunities to experience these unique, co-created events and experiences at the festival during the Summer.

Recruitment for the next CPP cohort will officially open in the coming months. Interested applicants can express their interest now at: www.creativeproducertraining.com/cptn