Celebrating 3 years of Freelance Exchange

Our Freelance Exchange programme has impacted over 330 young people since 2021. We celebrate the people who have been part of this transformative employment & skill endeavour.

13 January 2025

Facts & Figures:

  • We have run 34 workshops
  • In total, we have worked with over 40 employers, funder organisations and creative businesses
  • Our Freelance Exchange programme has impacted 330 young people since 2021
  • 4x Design Hacks
  • 1 pan-London billboard campaign on the Cost of Living with Tag agency
  • We have over 100 alumni members on our WhatsApp Freelance Exchange Community
  • Our most popular sessions have been: Arts Council DYCP and National Lottery Funding Workshops, BAFTA and BFI funding workshops, Portfolio review sessions with Magnum Photos, Its Nice That & Anyways and Normally Design Agency
  • 6 alumni awarded funding from Arts Council, BAFTA & BFI last year
  • We have brokered over 25 exclusive paid freelance opportunities with creative organisations for the Freelance Exchange network, from Photography, Film, Graphic Design, DJ sets, Community Impact Management, Facilitation roles and more
  • 4 &Friends sessions delivered – our alumni-led creative workshops on skills-swapping, music production and natural tie-dye methods.

Alumni Quotes & Testimonials

"The speakers really gave great insight into the film industry and submitting your films into the film circuit." – Cassia, London Film Festival Shorts workshop attendee
"Going to these workshops can give you peace of mind." – Edward Sogunro, Financial Times Literacy & Inclusion Campaign workshop on Finances for Freelancers attendee
"This event is great as it gives another pair of eyes to see your work, and it is always good to have constructive criticism. also a great way to make connections." – Yilin Wong, Magnum Photos portfolio workshop attendee
"It’s a great environment to meet like minded people." – Sabab Khan Magnum Photos portfolio Masterclass attendee, awarded BAFTA funding
"Timi was at a great stage of his career to give advice! He really understood the challenges faced by people starting out. Timi gave amazing insight into the funding process overall." – Mattheus, BAFTA Funding Masterclass attendee
"I like how well explained it was. How she made it accessible and made it feel possible for people like me. The examples given gave so much clarity especially as a neurodiverse person." – Olu, Arts Council DYCP & National Heritage Lottery funding Masterclass attendee

Quotes from Employers

"You'll have more candidates you'd like to hire than you can manage." – Patrick Scally, Executive Lead, Hackney Wick and Fish Island Community Development Trust
"It's your opportunity to find fresh-thinking freelance talent with sound technical capabilities, hunger to learn and the energy to deliver great outcomes." – Charlotte HIllenbrand, CEO, Mission Beyond

Are you an employer interested in working with Good Growth Hub's Freelance Network?

  • Masterclass – host a masterclass in a relevant area (finance, wellbeing, marketing, business planning, attracting new clients, accessing funding etc)
  • Commissions – come to us with a brief for a creative freelancer
  • Portfolio Review – gauge interest in bringing partners together for speed portfolio reviews. Previously hosted with Magnum, Its Nice That, among others.
  • Design Hacks – come to us with a brief that you need the insight of Gen Z & Alpha for
  • &Friends – host an alumni led workshop at your space. Previous workshops have been video editing, music production with garage band)

Get in touch with us via goodgrowthhub@anewdirection.org.uk including details about your organisation, the project brief you're working on, and what skills you're seeking.

Thank you to everyone for being part of Freelance Exchange, there’s loads more to come in 2025! Make sure you sign up to our newsletters for forthcoming Masterclasses, Design Hacks and freelance opportunities and follow us on socials for updates.

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Thanks to our partners:

BAFTA (Prince William Bursary)

A New Direction are delighted to be one of the partner organisations who are able to signpost entry-level talent to BAFTA’s career development bursary. This is for junior creatives from A New Direction’s programmes who have been needing financial support for next steps into the Screen Industries.

Sonia, Education Director – Magnum Photos

"London is a very competitive city for emerging photographers and it offers few spaces for freelancers to come together, network, support each other and get supported. The Freelance Exchange programme at the Good Growth Hub is offering precious time to get first-hand advice and reviews from industry professionals and meet like-minded photographers, for free."

Chantelle Clarke, Head of Content – Financial Times Literacy & Inclusion Campaign

"The Good Growth Hub has been a great supporter of our work, and collaborating with their team has offered invaluable insight to ensure our materials truly meet the needs of the people we aim to serve. From co-design to delivery, the synergy between FT FLIC and A New Direction has allowed us to reach a diverse group of freelancers."

The Freelance Exchange Programme is delivered with funding from the LLDC, New Talent Future Leaders Programme, East Bank and through A New Direction – Arts Council.