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FutureGaze: The Future of Creative Inclusion
25th October 2023 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM BST
FutureGaze is a lunchtime series brought to you by Creative Edinburgh, providing time out to reflect and gaze into the future of the creative industries.
In conversation with Caroline Parkinson, we welcome creative leaders who have innovated and led significant changes in their creative business, organisation, artistic or academic practice over the past year to share what the future looks like for them – and for the creative and cultural sector.
Join us as we collectively gaze into the future of the creative and cultural sector, stimulate ideas for your creative future, and get inspired to strive towards it.
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What does FutureGaze explore?
From new ways of exploring creative investments to new ways of measuring creative impact, FutureGaze will cover a range of themes in 2023 aimed at creative freelancers, sole traders, and businesses.
Joined by a line-up from across the creative industries, Caroline will delve into the challenges and opportunities, the shifts in thinking and practice they have made over the past couple of years and explore what’s been learned through these changes.
We will reflect on the changing landscape facing the creative industries and look to the future to consider how the creative and cultural sector may need to adapt in order to sustain, maximise potential through innovation and thrive.
October’s Discussion: The Future of Creative Inclusion
Creativity thrives on a diversity of voices, perspectives, and experiences, and we in the creative and cultural sector work towards widening access, inclusion and diversity in our industry and representation in the creative work produced.
How are we doing as a sector in achieving a positive difference, and tackling the challenges to achieving greater diversity and inclusion?
What are our strategies for equality, diversity, inclusion and access? How successful have been the initiatives we have designed? Is there a greater need to share our learning and our initiatives that have worked even in part, so we can widen access, reduce obstacles, improve opportunity and achieve our aims?
In this FutureGaze our speakers will explore these questions, and share what they have learned from their experiences and challenges, with examples of strategies and initiatives that have achieved a positive difference.
About our Guests
Nicola Osborne
Nicola Osborne is Manager of the Institute for Design Informatics, at The University of Edinburgh and Programme Manager for the Creative Informatics Cluster programme, sited within the Institute. She authored the Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion policy for the programme, and co-authored the ethics guidance, and regularly works with SMEs to ensure their innovative work is inclusive and ethically grounded.
She has also contributed social media expertise to UK and EU research projects and through consultancy with clients including, the British HIV Association, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and Asthma UK.
Melanie Hoyes
Having completed postgraduate studies and teaching film and TV at undergraduate level, the BFI has given Mel the opportunity to use these skills in a contemporary industry context. She completed a BFI research project to historically map ethnic diversity in onscreen representation in UK film for the Black Star season at the BFI Southbank in 2016, ground-breaking research and data methodology which was written up in a piece and Sight & Sound Magazine and an academic collection of essays called Black Film, British Cinema II. In her role as Head of Inclusion at the BFI, Melanie advocates for increased access and equity in the UK film sector as well as consulting and collaborating with global partners to embed diversity and inclusion into policy and practice.
She also sits on various Boards and committees and is the Europe Council Lead for the Geena Davis Institute and co-editor of the Black Film Bulletin section in Sight and Sound magazine.
About our host
Caroline is Sector Engagement Manager for the Creative Industries and Director of Creative for the Edinburgh Futures Institute having previously developed the sector plan and white paper for the creative industries for the Data-Driven Innovation Programme within the University of Edinburgh. Prior to this from 2014 to 2018 she provided consultancy in the creative industries specialising in business development, innovation and skills, latterly completing a 2-year contract to stimulate innovation in creative industries with Interface. From 2010 to 2014 she was Director of Film, TV, Music, Creative Industries, Skills & Innovation for the newly formed Creative Scotland, and prior to that from 2005 to 2010 she was Director, Scotland & Northern Ireland for the new sector skills association, Creative & Cultural Skills.
Her early creative life included ballet and rhythmic gymnastics, fashion, singing in bands for over 30 years, and photography, becoming a professional photographer in 1999.
She serves on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland, and until recently served on the board of the Scottish Music Industry Association, and for four years has served in a voluntary capacity as Strategic Director and Presenter of the MOVE Summit, Scotland’s Animation and VFX Gathering.
