The Beginning
Fran, inspired by years of co-designing industry programmes and taking stock of the informal mentoring she'd offered to people throughout her career, realised that training alone wasn't enough to support creatives in their careers. She believed that, beyond industry exposure, creatives needed a champion at every career stage—someone to offer guidance, listen without judgment, and open doors.
​
This led to the creation of Meet a Mentor, with its inaugural session held on April 13, 2016, at Made by Many, supported by the RSA Catalyst Fund. The event featured a CV and job application workshop by Somethin’ Else and a talk by DJ and broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake, who shared insights from his 20-year career, emphasizing the value of mentorship and diversity in the creative industries.
​
Today, Meet a Mentor partners with organizations to run bespoke mentoring programs, fostering a nurturing and supportive environment for creatives to advance their careers.
The Story So Far
The Middle
Meet a Mentor partners with organizations to offer bespoke, supportive mentoring programs for creatives, structured around just five evening sessions over six months. Each session includes skills-focused learning, networking, one-on-one mentor-mentee time, and often concludes with an inspiring TED-style talk.
​
Hosted at prestigious venues like Google, V&A, and Airbnb, these informal yet dynamic evenings are designed to be both enjoyable and enriching. Mentors frequently find the experience reciprocal, gaining insights into their own practices while giving back to the creative community.
The Now
To date, Meet a Mentor has matched over 260 mentor-mentee pairs, helping mentees secure roles at leading organizations like Aardman, BBC, Channel 4, Grey London, ITV, Sony Music, and VCCP, as well as successful freelance positions in various creative fields.
​
Our mentors come from companies such as Airbnb, BBC, Channel 4, Google, Dazed Media, and The Wall Street Journal, bringing a wealth of industry expertise.
​
Meet a Mentor thrives thanks to the goodwill and support of our dedicated mentors and the invaluable contributions of individuals and organizations like A New Direction, Bianca Manu, Charlie Tims, and others who have believed in and supported the programme's development.
Learning the Ropes
Programme #6
