Creative Partnerships Conference 2025
Creative Partnerships Conference is Scotland’s premier networking and professional development platform for Black creatives.
About Creative Partnerships Conference
Our annual Creative Partnerships Conference provides an inclusive platform for Black creatives, professionals, and industry organisations to connect, collaborate, and develop their skills.
Date: 21 February 2025
Location: Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Ln, Glasgow G11 6E
The 2025 event promises to be our biggest and most impactful yet, with a focus on:
- Professional development workshops and opportunities
- Networking with key industry players
- Celebrating Black creativity and talent across Scotland
Why Attend?
If you are a Black creative or an industry professional, this is the room to be in. Whether you’re an artist looking to build connections or an industry stakeholder seeking collaboration, Creative Partnerships is where your next steps begin.
Conference Brochure
Everything you need to know—in one document! Click here or press the button below.
Speakers
Meet the Speakers for Creative Partnerships Conference 2025!
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Eunice Olumide MBE
International supermodel, artist and activist
Born in Edinburgh and recognised as Scotland’s first Black supermodel, Eunice has graced global campaigns, top fashion weeks, and publications including Vogue, ELLE, and Harper’s Bazaar. Beyond fashion, she is a V&A Design Champion, sustainability activist, and DEI consultant, working with Livia Firth, Dame Vivienne Westwood, and Emma Thompson.
Awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting, charity, and the arts, she is the founder of Olumide Galleries and has curated over 30 exhibitions, as well as worked with esteemed auction houses including Christie’s, Bonhams, and the Tate Modern.
An esteemed public speaker, she has challenged and shaped the landscape of the United Kingdom, speaking at the Houses of Parliament and creating educational content for 20,000+ schools.
Professional Development Speakers
Tynah Matembe
Founder and CEO of MoneyMatiX Ltd.
Tynah Matembe is an award-winning entrepreneur, financial coach, and CEO of MoneyMatiX, a pioneering platform advancing inclusive financial education and wellbeing. She is a thought leader and financial expert who blends innovation and expertise to empower individuals, families, and communities to build financial resilience. Tynah is a Money Expert on the BBC Saving Clinic, host of the Grow Your Money podcast, and a campaigner for fair banking, having authored several publications including The Financial Inclusion Manifesto. She also hosts Youth Money Camps, transforming young lives across the UK. With her track record of delivering impactful programmes and her passion for creating generational growth, Tynah is a trusted voice for those seeking practical solutions to navigate their financial journeys.
Serena Piotto
Creative Freelancer, Digital Producer & Broadcast Coach
Serena Piotto is a digital producer and creative freelancer with seven years of experience across branding, events, and broadcast. She is adaptable to any environment and constantly seeks projects that challenge her creativity. As a digital producer, she collaborates with organisations to develop brands and create content. After years in community radio, she now coaches international stations. No matter the size of the project, community and representation are central to everything she does.
Emma Sithole
Be United Founder and Charity Funding Specialist
Emma Sithole is a creative arts leader with 17 years of experience. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Be United, which advocates for, nurtures, and champions Black talent in Scotland. Emma is deeply committed to creating equity in the creative sector and has a personal interest in money management and finance. In 2022, she established Get Creative Consultancy, through which she supports female founders and creatives in accessing grant funding, with the aim of demystifying the process to make it more accessible and attainable. In her career, she has secured over half a million pounds in organisational grant funding and has helped creatives secure £50,000 in grant funding to date.
Collin Hills
Creative Director of Be United , Charity Fundraising Specialist and Trustee at Music for Youth
Collin Hills is the Creative Director at Be United and has dedicated his career to promoting the arts and culture of Black and African-Caribbean communities in the UK. With a career spanning over two decades in the creative industry, he is a filmmaker, musician, writer, and photographer who has harnessed his creative talents to inspire and empower others. Collin is passionate about advocating for the Black community wherever he is based and has played a vital role in creating vibrant artistic communities, ensuring that the voices of Black creatives are heard and celebrated. Collin is also a Trustee at Music for Youth, one of the UK’s largest youth charities.
Wellbeing Spakers
Ashanti Harris
Multidisciplinary Artist, Researcher & Lecturer
Ashanti Harris is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and lecturer based in Glasgow. Working between dance, performance, facilitation, sound, installation, and writing, Ashanti’s work disrupts dominant historical narratives and reimagines them from a Caribbean diasporic perspective. She works with both sculpture and performance as processes that embody cultures, ancestral legacies, and human lived experience, physically embodying histories through the act of making. Ashanti is the 2024 recipient of the John Florent Stone Fellowship at Edinburgh College of Art, co-founder of Project X—a community interest company platforming dance of the African and Caribbean diaspora in Scotland, and Research Advisor for Body Remedy— a [forming] ecology centering the experiences of Black people and people of colour who identify as women and/or non-binary.
Natasha Iregbu
Mindfulness Coach
Natasha Iregbu (she/her) is an author, yoga teacher, and mindfulness coach. She is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion in the wellness space. She uses her diverse experience to create inclusive offerings to help individuals and families reduce stress and look after their mental wellbeing.
Ellie Muniandy
Trainer, Therapist, Supervisor & Facilitator
Ellie Muniandy is an anti-oppression queer POC therapist, trainer and facilitator, they specialise in racial trauma. They provide training and facilitation to a range of organisations and offer therapy to people of colour.
Monika Navickaitė
Film Director & Critic, Cultural Communications Expert
Monika Navickaitė is an award-winning Lithuanian film writer-director and film critic, actively contributing to the Curatorial, Media, and Communications sectors within the creative industries in Scotland and Lithuania. As Co-director of the ShortScape Film Festival, Monika plays a pivotal role in fostering platforms for independent filmmakers. She also leads Media and Communications at Be United, where she mentors emerging talent and develops impactful communications campaigns that amplify underrepresented voices. With over nine years of experience as a practising creative, Monika brings a deep understanding of resilience and sustainability to her work, offering insights into navigating and thriving in the dynamic creative industries.
Secure Your Spot Today – Get Your Free Ticket!
Be the first to secure your spot by getting our ticket now. Stay ahead and make sure you don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to connect, collaborate, and thrive. Press here or the button below. Don’t wait! This event is likely to sell out again!
Gold Sponsor
BECTU Vision is a skills hub supporting film and television freelancers by providing training and industry development initiatives to make Scotland’s productions safer, fairer, and greener. BECTU Vision is funded by Screen Scotland, BFI, BBC, and Scottish Union Learning, in partnership with BECTU.
Media Partner
The List is a multi-award winning free arts, culture and events magazine that has been helping Glasgow and Edinburgh residents ‘get a life’ since 1985 and offers the UK’s largest events website. After nearly closing its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic, the magazine fully relaunched in March 2022 under the newly formed List Publishing Ltd, thanks to new investment and a successful crowdfunding campaign. The List won Best Relaunch at the 2023 PPA Awards and then went on to add international publishing to its list of accolades with the introduction of the award-winning Adelaide Summer Festivals Guide and The List Adelaide Winter Festivals Guide. It continues to grow its events arm with ListLive, The List Festival Awards and the award-nominated List Festival Party and Hot 100 events.
We’re proud to partner with The List to amplify the voices of creatives and share our opportunities with an even wider audience!
Funder
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen, and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works, or visits here. Creative Scotland enables people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen, and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. They distribute funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
Other sponsors
The Musicians’ Union is the UK trade union for all musicians representing over 35,000 musicians across the UK working in all sectors of the music business. As well as negotiating on behalf of members with all the major employers in the industry, we offer a range of support services for musicians.
NFTS Scotland delivers a wide range of the National Film and Television School’s world-class training courses from our base in Scotland. They run a range of innovative short courses, certificate courses, and diploma courses. They also offer bespoke courses, designed and delivered to support the breadth of talent in Scotland. In addition, they also run the Sean Connery Talent Lab which is currently recruiting for its second cohort. This new and transformative 12-month talent development programme is set to become a cornerstone of the Scottish film industry. The Sean Connery Talent Lab aims to support filmmakers with diverse and varied perspectives to take their work to the next level. On successful completion of the year-long programme, participants will graduate with a short film that will be showcased to the industry, and will be awarded an NFTS Diploma in Filmmaking. NFTS Scotland is perfectly located in the heart of the Scottish Film and TV industry within the BBC Scotland building in Glasgow.
UP2STNDRD is a Production House that amplifies emerging talent through innovative media platforms and immersive development programmes. Held in their Recording Studio, their “Be The Standard” writing camp series connects artists across local and international scenes, driving creative collaboration and professional growth.
MoneyMatiX is a purpose-driven company dedicated to improving people’s financial literacy, inclusion and well-being. Their personalised money coaching and financial education programs are designed to help you take control, build better money habits, and create lasting financial stability. Whether it’s planning for the future, breaking free from debt, or teaching your children the value of money, they provide practical, easy-to-follow solutions.
ACCESSIBILITY
ACCESS LIASON
At Be United, we are committed to making the Creative Partnerships Conference 2025 as inclusive and accessible as possible for all attendees.
To ensure all attendees feel supported, a dedicated Access Liaison will be available throughout the event to assist with any accessibility needs. They will be introduced at the start of the conference. If you would like to connect with the Access Liaison, please visit the Registration Desk upon arrival.
SUSTAINABILITY
We’re committed to making this conference as sustainable as possible, and we need your help!
We strongly encourage all attendees to bring their own keep cups for teas and coffees, as well as refillable water bottles to make use of the venue’s convenient water refill station. By doing this, you’ll be helping us significantly reduce single-use waste and minimize our environmental footprint. Small choices like these can collectively make a big impact – we thank you in advance!
Venue
We are thrilled to offer free admission to attendees of our Creative Partnerships Conference 2025, thanks in part to the generosity of our venue, the University of Glasgow.
The event will take place at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow, G11 6E. Easily accessible by public transport, the venue is in the heart of the city, ensuring a convenient and welcoming experience for all.
GETTING TO THE VENUE
The conference will take place at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow. For transport information, click here.
For detailed accessibility information about the venue, including step-free access, lifts, accessible toilets, and other provisions, please click the button below.