University welcomes multi-award winning film, TV and make-up industry heavyweights to Cultural and Creative Industries Networking Night

The University of Northampton’s campus was a hive of activity on Wednesday night, as students from local schools, colleges and the University came to shake hands and network with multi-award-winning film, television and make-up industry heavyweights.

Taking place on Wednesday (20 November), the Cultural and Creative Industries Networking Night offered more than 100 local creatives, recruiters and employers – as well as more than 60 staff and students from the University of Northampton – the opportunity to open the book on what it takes to ‘make it’ within the cultural and creative industries through a People Library.

The People Library featured ten award-winning industry professionals, each seated and ready to share their knowledge, insights and network with the up-and-coming student talent from the University of Northampton and its local network of schools and colleges.

As well as welcoming representatives from Royal & Derngate, West Northants Council, NHS Foundation Trust, Corby Cube Theatre and the National Film and Sci Fi Museum, the full line-up for the People Library was as follows:

• John Stemp – Senior Technical Director at Pinewood Studios TV
• Moin Hussain – Award Winning Film Director and Writer
• Satinder Chumber – BAFTA Nominated SFX make-up and Prosthetic artist for Flim and TV
• Tim Hands – Emmy and BAFTA Winning Sound ADR Editor
• Jenny Rhodes-McClean – Emmy Winning Hair and Make-up Designer and Supervisor for TV and Film
• Dean Humphreys – BAFTA Nominated Sound mixer and designer for film
• Cat White – Actor, writer, filmmaker and gender advisor to the UN
• Jeremy Wooding – Director, producer and writer
• Andrea Ratti – Director, Producer and Filmmaker
• Charles Haynes – Managing Director, Ziggurat XYZ (Media Production and Creative Talent Management).

With experience spanning more than 25 years in television studios, working on iconic shows such as the IT Crowd and My Family, John Stemp was excited to network and be part of the People Library: “The event has been brilliant. It’s been great to meet the next talent coming along in the industry. One thing I appreciated throughout my career was the advice I was given, and I’m hoping I can give some of that back. I’ve got a lifetime of experience, and I want to tell the younger generation who are coming along how great of an industry it is to work in.”

With conversations abuzz and networking in full swing, the event also showcased the University of Northampton’s latest investments into their creative courses, cutting the ribbon on its new Body Painting and Special Effects studio (opened to students from September 2024).

The state-of-the-art studio offers a series of 12 individual booths, each equipped with full-length mirrors, seating and storage. The divided space allows students to explore their creativity and push the boundaries of their knowledge and experience to become well-rounded professionals, equipped with the skills necessary for becoming gold standard Make-Up Artists (MUAs).

As well as offering practical studio space to learn and grow, all students are provided regular mandatory intimacy training as part of their studies, an essential skill in the industry and important understanding of conducting themselves as industry professionals.

Deputy Head of Subject: Culture – Media, Film, Journalism and Special Effects, Dr Anthony Stepniak – who organised the event in association with Northampton Film Festival’s Becky Carrier –  said: “The value of networking events like this truly cannot be understated.

“The young people in attendance at the networking event are at a critical point of their lives, exploring their passions and looking to decide the direction of their careers. The opportunity to network with – and learn from – industry professionals at this level of calibre does not happen every day.

“The University of Northampton has built and nurtured close relationships with the local cultural and creative industries, and this event is the latest in a long line of opportunities to welcome our local professional community on site to explore exciting new collaborations.

“Feedback from both attendees and our People Library professionals was incredibly positive, who reflected on a successful and promising evening. Here at the University of Northampton, we look forward to continuing demonstrating the investment and value of the cultural and creative industries, and building on the rich talent we already have here in our town.”