Empowering Future Creatives: Our Work with Black at Sussex
Building stronger connections between education and the creative industries.
The journey into the creative industries can often begin long before a graduate's first job, and the pathways are not alway orthodox. Our founder, Amos, speaks on his own personal journey going from an civil engineering graduate into the world of advertising and marketing. One key factor that he discovered when making the transition was the transferable skills he had, some of which were developed through his degree.
That's why partnerships between educational institutions and industry organisations play such an important role in shaping the future creative workforce.
At The Kusp, we're proud to work alongside Black at Sussex - part of the University of Sussex - to create opportunities that connect students with relatable industry professionals, who shared practical learning experiences, valuable career insights and delivered workshops.
Introducing The Black Creatives Lab
An exciting development in our partnership has been The Black Creatives Lab. Developed in collaboration with Black at Sussex, the initiative was designed to support Black students interested in pursuing careers across the creative industries.
Selicia and Liy (left to right)
The programme brought together students and professionals for a day of workshops, networking and industry insight, creating a space where participants could learn, connect and develop their confidence. We had Selicia Richards-Turney (Partner and Brand Strategy Director at ChillCreate and co-founder of Power Circles.) With 18 years' experience across media, travel, and tech, she's led major inclusion initiatives including founding VICE Media UK's Diversity Board and co-leading Black @Uber ERG; and Liy Grant (a Creative, currently at Mother London, where she has worked with brands like IKEA, Samsung, Uber, KFC and H&M).
“I appreciated the wealth of experience of the speakers especially where they took us through the process of developing a brand statement, and learning how they produced killer ad such as the Uber.” - Student
Bridging the gap between education and industry
For many students, the transition from education into employment can feel uncertain. While academic learning provides valuable foundations, direct access to industry professionals help students better understand how careers develop in practice, and how to navigate rooms when barriers present themselves in different forms.
Through discussions, workshops and networking opportunities, students were able to explore topics including:
Creative career pathways
Personal branding
Industry expectations
Networking and relationship building
Developing creative ideas
These experiences help students move beyond theory and gain practical knowledge that supports their professional development.
Creating spaces where talent can thrive
A key part of The Kusp's mission is ensuring that talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds have access to opportunities that help them succeed.
Programmes like The Black Creatives Lab provide more than industry insight. They create spaces where students can see themselves reflected in creative careers, build confidence in their abilities and develop meaningful connections. From the feedback post-event, we learnt that:
100% of students felt "strongly" represented and included at the event
100% of students felt "very confident" that they would take action on what they learnt
When young creatives feel represented, supported and informed, they are more likely to pursue ambitious career goals and remain within the industry long term.