Creatives Mean Business Project Coordination in Cardiff

Creatives Mean Business, led by Creative Cardiff, is designed to empower, connect and upskill our region’s creative workforce with targeted business interventions, including a suite of workshops, resources and mentoring. Through targeted support, collaborative learning and network development, this project will:

• Build core business capabilities
• Inspire innovative thinking

Shaped around Creative Cardiff’s extensive community, this programme will support creative workers from a range of sectors and levels of experience, from establishing themselves as freelancers to scaling up their enterprises. The programme will offer support, mentoring, workshops and guidance to three key groups:

• Students, graduates and early career creatives
• Mid-career creative freelancers and small businesses (largely microenterprises)
• Scale up guidance for medium-sized and established creative businesses and freelancers

In Wales, 6% of all businesses are in the creative economy and the creative industries have a turnover of £5 billion. In the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), 1 in 6 jobs are creative and this large workforce (31,500 employees) makes a significant contribution to both the economy and to the nation’s social and cultural wellbeing. This workforce is almost entirely made up of SMEs and freelancers, and as such, can be complex in its requirements for business upskilling, development and scaling abilities – one size does not fit all.

Creatives Mean Business will build on the foundations of Creative Cardiff’s existing community, offering a focused and impactful route to enterprise and sustainable growth. By embedding entrepreneurial thinking and creating stronger links with academic and business resources, the project aims to generate long-term value for participants and the wider creative economy in the region.

The brief: Creative Cardiff is now seeking to engage with a Freelance Project Coordinator to assist with developing, programming and scheduling our Creatives Mean Business activity. Most of this programming and coordination work will be delivered in spring 2026, with some wrap-up activity at the end of 2026. A total maximum budget of £5000 is available for this work. The programme will include 6 x workshops throughout 2026, mentoring sessions, resource sharing and an end of pilot project wrap-up event.

Key activities include:

• Using your networks and knowledge to identify and book workshop speakers
• Using your networks and knowledge to identify and book mentors
• Assisting the Creative Cardiff Team with scheduling these sessions, booking spaces and catering
• Coordinating a process to recruit project participants
• Helping to create a sense of community within our Creatives Mean Business cohorts
• Monitoring and evaluation activity

Workshop topics could include:

• Business planning and strategy
• Finance and funding
• Marketing, branding and digital content
• Navigating freelance and portfolio careers
• Pitching, presenting and building a network

Experience and expertise: We are keen to receive applications from freelance individuals with the following experience and expertise:

• Significant knowledge of individuals and organisations who offer business support, preferably in the creative industries.
• Previous experience of working with creative sector businesses and organisations and creative freelancers.
• An understanding of the Cardiff Capital Region and the specific challenges and opportunities of delivering work within this context.
• Evidence of having built successful, mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Collaborative and adaptable to fast-paced work.
• Experience of working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders on a shared aim.
• The ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

With all our activity, we are keen to reach a wide pool of creatives to ensure we hear the best ideas. We recognise the importance of ensuring our engagement is representative of our wider community in its social and cultural diversity. We also hope to inspire transformative and inclusive lines of engagement that will challenge existing ways of thinking.

Working arrangements: The specific working arrangements for delivery of this activity are to be determined by the individual in consultation with local delivery teams, subject to meeting the needs of the project delivery plans, and in agreement with the Creative Cardiff team. The Creative Cardiff Team have a blended approach which includes office-based and digital working. The Project Coordinator will also be expected to attend in-person meetings and events at Creative Cardiff’s centrally located office spaces and partner venues in Cardiff. This includes at spark | sbarc (Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ) and Tramshed Tech (Pendyris Street, Cardiff CF11 6BH), amongst other locations.

Expressions of interest: If you are interested in responding to this brief, please provide a written or video response outlining the following:

• A summary of your experience (for example a CV or link to projects portfolio etc)
• Evidence of having successfully managed and delivered projects in a business and/or creative industries context
• An outline of the proposed approach that will be taken for the delivery of this work including e.g., timescales, suggested milestones, outputs, activities, working pattern etc
• Contact details of two previous clients who we may approach for references.
• A budget with a clear breakdown of costs.

Please provide a maximum of half a page on each section listed above. Expressions of Interest must be received by the closing date of 12/01/2026. Creative Cardiff will work with all applicants to ensure access requirements are met during this process. Please email us if you require further assistance. If you have any access requirements that you would like to discuss with us or have an access rider that you would like to share in relation to participation, please do get in touch on creativecardiff@cardiff.ac.uk. Applications are welcome in English or Welsh.