OPTIONS AT SOLENT CREATIVES
SOLENT CREATIVES
 Solent Creatives offers a range of option units at levels 5 and 6 for students studying creative courses at Solent University. These units are aimed at teaching you the fundamental skills to work as a freelancer, set up your own small business or land your dream job upon graduating.
FREELANCING AT SOLENT CREATIVES Work directly with clients on freelance projects to create a portfolio of work. This option will allow you to build your confidence working on paid projects with industry clients.
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SOLENT PRESS
CREATIVE BUSINESS S TART-UP
With a focus on the publishing industry, you will work with real-world clients on blogs, news and publications. You will work to tight deadlines to produce editorial and layout content for commercial use.
Work in teams to come up with the best business concept. Learn practical business planning techniques used by Adobe, NASA, MasterCard and more. Develop your business idea through creative activities.
HIGH-PROFILE CLIENTS
FREELANCING AT SOLENT CREATIVES
The Freelancing at Solent Creatives unit allows you to experience the real-world environment and provides an opportunity to test yourself against commercial deadlines, whilst working on creative assignments for a variety of clients. Working on professional assignments is an important part of developing skills and building links with relevant industry contacts. In addition to your project work, you will also be provided with advice and training on updating your CV, building a list of clients, developing your online portfolio and learning key skills which will help you establish yourself as a freelancer in the fiercely competitive creative industries. For a flavour of some of the projects that Solent Creatives students have worked on in the past, visit www.solentcreatives.blog
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY?
Georgia Wes tern BA (Hons) Fash ion Management with Marketing at Southampton Solent University “At the beginning of the year, we were given the opportunity to choose from several unit options and I knew I wanted to do something more practical and creative, so this is why I chose the Freelancing at Solent Creatives unit. Learning through Solent Creatives and the experience they have provided me with looks amazing on my CV as it’s all completely relevant to my course.”
Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/georgiawestern OUR BLOG: goo.gl/Y4LQkr
WHAT DOES THE UNIT INCLUDE?
Solent Creatives works with a number of organisations from a range of backgrounds, and new creative freelance projects come in to the agency on a daily basis. As a student on this unit you can apply for, and will be matched to, a project(s) relevant to your area of study. Many of these projects can be completed within groups, and you may be paired up with students from other courses. Once matched to a project, you will be expected to deliver the brief to deadline and to a high professional standard, with the support of the Solent Creatives team.
TO P 3 REASONS TO JOIN THE UNIT
1
WORK ON FREELANCE PROJECTS AND BOOS T YOUR CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
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PUT YOUR CREATIVE SKILLS TO THE TES T FOR REAL BUSINESSES, WITH A SAFE SUPPORT S TRUCT URE BEH IND YOU
3
LEARN VALUA BLE FREELANCING TIPS AND HOW TO SELL YOUR SELF AS A CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY?
S T UD ENTS S T UDYING AT SOLENT CREATIVES: “I think the unit is brilliant. It offers what we as students often forget about. It’s provided me with confidence in my career post-unit and given me the basic grounds to know how to utilise my skills and turn them into the business I need.” “Couldn’t rate the unit higher. Every lesson had its own purpose and set of objectives, this was evident in the online lesson workbook created.” “The content of the unit is very informing and has greatly helped me to learn more about freelancing and prepared me for the future. The information delivery is very clear and is full of real world techniques.“
SOLENT PRESS
WHY CHOOSE SOLENT PRESS? Solent Press is an arm of Solent Creatives which is focused specifically on the publishing industry. This unit began running for the academic year 2014-2015, and is focused on content writing and layout generation for professional publications and the online platform. Solent Press provides a hands-on professional content creation and layout experience for writing and journalism students at Southampton Solent University.
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY?
Lily And erson BA (Hons) Magazine Journalism and Feat ure Writing “Solent Press is a hands on unit that allows you to expand as a journalist. With various opportunities and publications to write for there is always something for you to do. The teacher’s support, contacts and enthusiasm is what makes this unit. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to work in journalism as it helps you build your portfolio, confidence and connections in the industry.”
TO P 3 REASONS TO JOIN THE UNIT
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WORK ON REAL PUBLICATIONS AND WEBSITES FOR INDUS TRY CLIENTS GAIN VALUA BLE SKILLS IN LAYOUT, PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND MEETING D EADLINES BUILD YOUR PER SONAL PORTFOLIO AND SET YOUR SELF APART
WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY?
Hannah Carroll BA (Hons) Magazine Journalism and Feat ure Writing “Whatever you do in the unit will benefit you in regards to working within the industry. So even if you aren’t confident in an area, Solent Press is a safe environment to try something new. Write your first film review, write an opinion piece, get some feedback and become a better writer. Being a news reporter for a newspaper like the Daily Echo would not have been possible for me without them. They inspired me and pushed me to be the best person I could be. “
WEBSITE: twitter.com/hannahdailyecho OUR BLOG: goo.gl/CdkQCn
CREATIVE BUSINESS START-UP
This unit is designed to provide a comprehensive framework for those students possessing not only an interest in, but possibly having an expectation of becoming a creative freelance practitioner in their working life upon (or soon after) graduation. Creative graduates face fierce competition for jobs in the creative sector. This unit fills an important gap in recognising that many will have to freelance for at least part of their working career through necessity, rather than choice.
AREAS OF STUDY
• The Business Planning process Business Models and plans. • Financial – understanding financial dynamics. • Maintaining accounts for a business. • Tax responsibilities. • Company formation and legal responsibilities. • Intellectual Property. • Marketing strategies. • Selling, negotiation and tendering skills. • Presentation and pitching skills. • Employer responsibilities.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of how to develop creative ideas within the business start up process. • Analyse and critically evaluate new and/or abstract data and information without guidance and apply the information using appropriate techniques to their business plan. • Confident in the process of testing business ideas (models) for their financial and commercial credibility. • Develop an in-depth knowledge of the practical legal, financial and marketing skills needed to succeed in the creative commercial arena. • Understand how to create a professional business plan. • Work independently to communicate and share information using appropriate media to a professional standard.
WHAT DOES THE UNIT INCLUDE?
A special feature of this unit is the support given in generating creative ideas, combined with the formal delivery of a business plan. This progresses any nascent creative ideas closer to commercial reality and/helping identify how the creative student can differentiate him/her self in a competitive market-place.
TO P 3 REASONS TO JOIN THE UNIT
1
USE YOUR CREATIVE EXPERTISE TO CREATE A NEW BUSINESS IN THE CREATIVE INDUS TRIES
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GAIN VALUA BLE KN OWLEDGE FROM BUSINESS OWNER S, GUES T SPEAKER S AND NEW INN OVATIONS
3
GET VALUA BLE INSIG HT INTO FINANCE, GETTING S TARTED AND MARKETING
HOW TO FIND SOLENT CREATIVES
SOLENT CREATIVES LOCATION: You can find Solent Creatives as soon as you enter the James Matthews Building. You’ll see our logo on the glass window. Follow the foyer round and the entrance is located adjacent to the East Park Deli, opposite the JM building lifts.
For more information on this course visit solentcreatives.org Alternatively you can come into Solent Creatives for a chat, based on East Park Terrace, SO14 0YN Or get in touch with us via info@solentcreatives.org @SolentCreatives /solentcreatives