The week in Creative Money (21 August, 2020)
Financial guidance for creative professionals
Creative Money aims to have an open conversation about finances in the creative industries.
It was founded in July, 2020 in an attempt to address a frustrating lack of sound financial guidance for creative workers and is written by me, Matt Parker, a music journalist and lecturer.
The week in Creative Money
21 August, 2020
I can always tell when I've had a good interview because it stays with me in some form. I'll often find my mind is still turning over that person's words days or weeks after the conversation has concluded.
This week I wrote a piece in response to last week's (very popular) How I Make It Work interview with Stephen Mallinder – the experimental musician behind Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler and Creep Show (with the great John Grant).
Mallinder's thoughts on the concept of work and creativity and their various intersections around the concept of a 'primary path' really resonated with me. It made me realise that for all the talk about 'portfolio careers' and 'diversified skillsets', we will often in the same breath criticise ourselves for straying away from purely creative work, treating it as a failure of fortitude. You can read my take in this week's Short Cuts piece "Sometimes you have to work."
If this is all a bit too "content eating itself" for your tastes, fear not. Next week I'll be running the first of a series of articles looking at membership/fan-backed platforms. There are a lot of options out there at present and increasingly they've become not just 'top-up income', but a viable option for sustaining a creative lifestyle. The pandemic has only hastened that transformation.
The first piece is on one of the big names in the arena, Patreon, and in particular, the experiences of the excellent RedHanded podcast. I exchanged some questions with one of the hosts and creators, Suruthi Bala, in order to find out how the richly reported true crime show, which is somehow both amusing and terrifying in equal measure, now generates an astonishing $25,000 a month from Patreon alone.
That runs on Wednesday, all being well, so If you want to hear about that, keep an eye on Twitter or the site, or sit tight for next week's newsletter...
Until then!
Matt
On the site this week:
Short Cuts: “Sometimes you have to work” - so why do we act like it's a failure?
How I Make It Work: Stephen Mallinder (Caberet Voltaire, Wrangler, Creep Show)
The electronic music pioneer on how he has adapted to survive and thrive while making music (or, sometimes, in spite of it...)
What do you need to know this week?
The second round of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme is now open (The MU)
UK 'risks exodus of talent' from creative sector due to coronavirus (The Guardian)
Resources/guidance for creative/cultural sector workers from London's Culture At Risk Office
Grants and funding opportunities
Arts Council Cultural Recovery Fund grants
Grants of £50,000 to £3 million for cultural organisations that were financially stable before Covid-19, but are now at imminent risk of failure. 75% of the budget will go on first round of funding. Deadline: 21 August, 2020 (second round opens 21 August - 4 September, 2020)
€1.5 million for Cinemas as Innovation Hubs for Local Communities
The Commission is launching a €1.5M call for proposals to create innovative cultural hubs around cinema theatres, notably in areas where the Covid-19 crisis has had a very strong impact. Deadline: 21 August, 2020
Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open 2021
Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open 2021 has five £5,000 grants for early-career UK-based artists and makers to develop and present ambitious new works. Deadline: 26 August, 2020
Gimlet Media mentorship program for BIPOC podcasters
Gimlet podcasters will offer free informational and training sessions to help amplify diverse voices in podcasting. Please share and apply! (US firm but no national restriction listed) Deadline: 28 August, 2020
HelpMusicians Financial Hardship Funding Phase 2
Support for music professionals facing hardship due to COVID-19 and excluded from the government's furlough and SEISS schemes. Deadline: 31 October, 2020
CAN Do Creatives free training for unemployed artists in Greater Manchester
CAN is offering free training for unemployed creatives and community leaders who use the arts to empower their communities. Covers employment, project planning, marketing and more. Deadline: 4 September, 2020
MMF ReBuild Fund for UK music managers
The ReBuild fund offers UK music managers affected by Covid-19 one-off grants of up to £3,000 and workshops focused on resilience, sustainability and the future – you must have been an MMF (Music Managers Forum) member since July 2020. Deadline: 7 September, 2020
The Horniman’s 696 Resident Artists programme
The Horniman Museum is looking for artists at the cutting edge of south London’s music scene for year long residencies, offering £3,000 grants, coaching and access to the museum's instrument collection. Deadline: 7 September, 2020
Silent Uproar Writer's Support Plan for theatre writers
Silent Uproar has earmarked £20,000 to support writers who meet one or more of the following criteria: born, raised and/or live in the North of England; have already completed one full-length production (60+ mins) and/or one full-length commission; whose identity is currently under-represented in modern theatre. Deadline: 12 September, 2020
Help Musicians Do It Differently fund
Grants of £3,000 to music creators to fulfil their chosen project, as well as bespoke 1-on-1 business guidance with some of the UK music industry’s leading experts. Deadline: 14 September, 2020
Society Of Authors' Audio Drama Imison Award
A prize of £3,000 for audio drama scripts by a writer new to the medium which were broadcast or made available online between 1 October 2019 and 31 October 2020. Deadline: 4 October, 2020
Unlimited launches new commission round for disabled artists
Unlimited is an arts commissioning programme that enables new work by disabled artists to reach UK and international audiences. They will have £500,000 to commission work from disabled artists and companies in three strands: Main Commission awards, Research and Development awards and Emerging Artists awards. Applications don't open until October, but they're getting the word out nice and early. Deadline: 27 October, 2020
Hope Mill Theatre Through The Mill Playwrighting Prize
Opportunity for writers to have their work fully produced by and at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. Winner will receive a monetary prize of £5,000 plus one-to-one mentoring with award winning writer Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Hushabye Mountain). Deadline: 27 November, 2020.
Royal Variety Charity Financial Assistance grants
The Royal Variety Charity is uniquely positioned to provide financial assistance to anyone who serves any facet of the Entertainment Industry. Deadline: ongoing
This week's to-do list:
Claim for the second round of the SEISS: If you're eligible and your business has been adversely affected by Covid-19, then you can now claim for the second round of the SEISS (Self Employed Income Support Scheme)
Champion those not getting support If you're set to benefit from the SEISS, make sure you take a moment to help support the three million people the government has excluded from Covid-19 income support/furlough. The Excluded UK campaign has a helpful list of petitions you can sign right here.