#SpillingTheTea - with Marcus Harris-Noble

To kick start our new #SpillingTheTea interview series (that aims to get better understanding of the people and organisations who are helping to shape Croydon’s creative landscape) we sat down with Marcus Harris-Noble, a Creative Industries and Culture Project Manager, who has led the delivery of the Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) initiative (funded by the Greater London Assembly and Croydon Council).

Can you give us a quick overview on the Creative Enterprise Zone and how it relates to the Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC?

The government’s Creative Enterprise Zone initiative began in 2018, and Croydon (alongside Brixton, Lewisham, Hackney Wick, Hounslow and Tottenham) was one of the first Boroughs to have a zone established. It’s essentially a designated area that is given financial support to help grow and develop the creative industries.

In 2023, we began the transition of the CEZ into an independent Community Interest Company to enable us to raise more funds so we could continue the core work of the programme. The Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC is run by a board of 5 people (including Lizzie from Fashion Meets Music, Dan from Stanley Arts, Matthew from Conditions Studio and Kiarn from Metropolis Music). The main aim of the CCE CIC is to help local people to develop creative skills and connect them with a wide range of training, networking and employment opportunities within the local creative industries. A lot of this work will be delivered at the Creative Digital Lab – a new state-of-the-art space that has been designed for local people to fulfil their creative career ambitions. The CCE CIC is aiming to secure £100,000 of funding to deliver their plans. 

Croydon Council will continue to support creative and tech entrepreneurs in the meantime through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This will be done via free one-to-one “Creative Clinics” and a series of events taking place throughout the year. (See interview footnotes for more info).

What projects were set up/run during Croydon’s time as a Creative Enterprise Zone?

How long have you got?! The CEZ delivered around 30 projects between 2018 and 2021 – despite having had to pivot our original plans due to a well-known global crisis. Broadly speaking, the projects we ran fell under the categories of Space, Business & Skills, Community and Policy and a detailed list of these can be found in the Creative Enterprise Impact Report.

But I’ll give you a flavour by telling you about a few of my favourites...

The Creative Careers Roadshow was something we ran in partnership with The Brit School. Whilst the original plan was to bring young people from across Croydon into the school itself to take part in hands-on activities, lockdown messed with that. Instead, we filmed a series of short films with creative professionals to explain their career journeys and the work they do. These videos were distributed to pupils across the Borough and used to promote our Paid Internships scheme in which we connected young creatives with some really exciting (and paid!) industry internships at both local and larger organisations (which have included Dance Umbrella and Live Nation).

The Croydon Creative Directory, is an online resource we set up to help connect local creatives already operating in the area. Once registered, creatives (from photographers, graphic designers and event organisers to musicians, dancers and actors) can set up a profile to promote their services, sell their products and make connections with other local creatives. The platform has functionality to do much more, and the next stage is to start showcasing venue spaces, job opportunities and networking events. Make sure you sign up HERE to receive the latest news and opportunities.

As part of the Fairfield Production Fund to support more performances in Croydon, we partnered with Jose Agudo Dance Company. This resulted in two incredible local performances of a Sadler’s Wells commission and the creation of a new full-length production of Carmen (that premiered in Croydon and went on to tour the UK).

We also managed funding for capital investment into more creative production and work spaces (including, The Talawa Studio, Theatre, Whitgift Cube, The Front Room, Conditions, and Matthews Yard). We set up the Young Persons Workspace Discount Scheme (ensuring young people had discounted access to our creative work spaces). The Borough’s “more established” (read: older!) creatives were also able to access help through our Emergency Relief Fund to keep them afloat during Covid while nine local creative businesses benefited from Business Rate Relief.

This is just a tiny sample of projects the CEZ have run so far, so do check out the Creative Enterprise Impact Report for more info.

Now that the GLA (Greater London Authority) funding for Croydon CEZ has come to an end, what is the next plan?

So, to be clear, Croydon’s accredited status as a CEZ remains. It’s just the funding and organisational structure that has changed. As mentioned, the CEZ is now transitioning into the Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC. This is chaired by Lizzie Lambie from Fashion Meets Music (with the current board including Dan, Matthew and Kiarn). Whilst the Council will be stepping back a little, we will be on hand with other support and have ensured the board members all have a solid working relationship with the GLA.

What for you, is the definition of a “Creative”?

Great question. In the context of the work that I do (and my role with the CEZ) a creative is somebody who derives part or all of their income through creativity. Whether that's marketing and PR, photography, filmmaking, designing and making products (including clothes, jewellery, ceramics) – if you're making a living from the arts, then you are a creative in the context of the CEZ. We’ve tried to capture this broad spectrum in the Croydon Creative Directory – if you go to the ‘Sector’ drop down you’ll see there are 13 categories from Design to Visual Arts.

What makes Croydon a great place for someone who works in the creative industries?

Firstly the fact that we have such a rich heritage of creativity going back hundreds of years. It’s in our DNA! We have an amazing network of people who are operating across all sectors of the creative industries and such a vibrant art scene (a lot of which was showcased during our time as London Borough of Culture).

Croydon, unfortunately, has a long history of people from the outside the Borough telling us what our story is. Our time as London Borough of Culture gave residents the opportunity to tell their own story and start to change some of that negative narrative. As well as delivering 12 months of creative events and activities, the programme also helped us renew and strengthen relationships with the Arts Council and help us unite our creative and cultural sectors – putting us in a great place for the future.

What have been some of your favourite initiatives you’ve seen in Croydon to champion creativity and/or creatives?

That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child! This is a dangerous game, but if I’m being forced to play…I would have to say the project we’re sitting in right now (note to reader: this interview took place in the Creative Digital Lab). This state-of-the-art space was a five-year project – from securing funding from the South London Partnership and GLA to the fit out to the delivery of training programmes in it. Whilst the CEZ can’t take all the credit (!) I worked very closely with the team at Startup Croydon to deliver the vision of a physical space where creatives could go to gain business support, learn new skills and create digital products that could boost their portfolios or be sold on to their clients.

Have you been impressed by any specific projects across wider London?

Absolutely. It’s an important part of my role, to keep an eye on creative projects taking place across wider London and thinking about how they might work in Croydon. As one of the government’s first CEZs, we are networked in to all the other CEZ teams across London and regularly meet to share best practice and case studies.
I thought the ‘London Made Me’ retail and shop programme was an inspired idea. Initiated by the Greater London Authority (GLA) this brought together creatives, makers and artists from all of the Creative Enterprise Zones to learn about high street retail before building and trading in their own collective retail store. The shop on Carnaby Street was open throughout December and we were proud to have FMM in there representing Croydon.

What would you advise Creatives in Croydon (be they new arrivals or long term residents) to do in order to make the most of the community here?

Firstly, sign up to the Croydon Creative Directory and register for a profile.
Secondly, get out there! Go and visit the venues and experience what’s on offer first hand. Go see a performance at Stanley Arts. Go watch a gig at The Front Room. Go experience a production by Talawa Studios at Fairfield Halls. Thirdly, attend networking and social events (like those run by East Croydon Cool) and get to know the people who live and work here. Keep an eye on the events section of the Croydon Creative Directory for events being held by our other members and partners. 

It’s no secret that Croydon hasn’t traditionally had the best of reputations. How can organisations like the Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC help improve the area?

Croydon has its challenges, but scratch beneath the surface of the headlines, you’ll find a fierce independent spirit and a community rich in DIY DNA. It’s this attitude that keeps things moving and means that despite the challenges, our creative industries remain strong. I feel the CCE CIC is crucial to the area’s development in terms of enabling the people of Croydon to tell their own stories.

How will the new Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC help connect local creatives with paid work opportunities?

In the first phase of the CEZ, we worked on various projects to help get local creatives onto local supply chains. There were various elements to this starting with an attitude change (there was a history of corporate companies undervaluing creatives in exchange for the exposure/clout they could offer). We stood against this and made introductions between businesses (who required creative services) and creatives (who could deliver them). Also, as the CEZ was managed by the local authority, we were able to commission multiple projects ourselves which employed local talent. Going forward, one priority of the CCE CIC will be developing the Job Opportunities function on the Croydon Creative Directory. Ultimately, the CCE CIC is part of Croydon’s creative ecosystem – so everything we do feeds into ensuring locals have more opportunities to build a career within the creative industries.

Further info:

Croydon Creative Directory
Sign up to the Croydon Creative Directory HERE to receive the latest news and opportunities.

Creative Clinics
If you are a creative entrepreneur (or business) who would like to register for a free one-to-one support session with Marcus, email marcus.harris@croydon.gov.uk  using the word “CLINIC” for the subject.

Croydon Creative Enterprise CIC
To help CCE CIC with their funding efforts, please complete this short survey to help them understanding where to focus their work going forward.