Join us at Manchester Town Hall 18 – 19 November 2008 for a unique networking event for new creative talent with leading industry companies and high profile NOISEfestival.com curators such as Badly Drawn Boy, Stella Vine, Noki and Wayne Hemingway.

Over 30 creative and media organisations are set to attend, including MTV, BBC Radio, Zaha Hadid Architects, Warp Films, Big Active, Graham&Brown Wallpapers, Magnetic North, Ten Alps, Computer Arts, Super Super, Amelia’s Magazine…and many more to be confirmed at www.NOISEfestival.com/CreativeFutures

This special two day event hosted by the online arts showcase NOISEfestival.com will feature:

Portfolio reviews – ‘One to One’ sessions with NOISE curators – No nonsense career advice – Dream Job placements – Debates – Open acoustic stage – The Best of NOISE 2008 showcase – Live blogging – Media exposure

The event will be presented as an ‘Indoor Festival’ inside the historic Great Hall and Reception Room, and will feature customised tents from NOISE artists, four individual portfolio review areas and a seminar/workshop space. Mr Scruff will also be providing refreshments from his festival tea tent.

The event is part of the NOISE Dream Jobs scheme, which was launched by Chancellor Alistair Darling in June 2008. The scheme brokers work placements for the best NOISE artists in creative companies at the top of their field. Previous Dream Job placements include MTV Brazil (Trailer Animation), MacKinnon&Saunders (model makers for Hollywood Director Tim Burton) and Hemingway Design (Architecture&Product Design). NOISE Dream Jobs for 2009 will be announced during the Creative Futures event.

The VIP Opening Event and Press Launch at Manchester Town Hall on Tuesday 18th November 2008 from 18.00-20.00 features NOISE curators and their selected talent, including Badly Drawn Boy and his top choices from the Music category and Noki’s NHS (Noki’s House of Sustainability) catwalk mash-up of the best NOISE Fashion.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The ‘Creative Futures Manchester’ event is FREE to attend. For the best chance of a ‘One to One’ meeting with a top professional, talent needs to pre-register before Sunday 16th November 2008. Latecomers can still register at the event.

To attend you need to:

1) Be 25 and under 2) Sign up as an artist at www.NOISEfestival.com 3) Bring 4-6 examples of your work Creative Futures

Manchester is funded by Manchester City Council and supported by Council Leader Richard Leese.

NOISEfestival.com is an Arts Council and NWDA-funded biennial online arts showcase, which has so far reached 6,000 young artists. NOISE Executive Producer Denise Proctor set up the Manchester-based national charity in 2005 and is available for interviews.

“There are many creative economy schemes that focus on traditional routes from education into employment, and fail to help young people break into the area of the creative industry that’s relevant to them. The NOISE ‘Creative Futures’ networking event is open to young creatives regardless of education and background – and our work placement partnerships with leading innovative organisations ensure that the best young artists get the right practical experience on their CV.” Denise Proctor, Executive Producer, NOISEfestival.com

The first NOISE Festival in 2006 received 5,000 submissions. The 2008 Festival received over 9,000 submissions in categories including Music, Fashion, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Moving Image, New Media, Product Design, Architecture, Photography and Word.

“Every case is different, but in the end young artists need to invent themselves and be with people of their own age and try and establish a new generation. That’s why I like NOISEfestival.com, as it’s a little push to encourage people to establish their own voice.” Norman Rosenthal, former Head of Exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Art

“I think in every design commercial area, whether it’s graphic, architecture, fashion, every year there’s a new wave of designers coming though colleges and art schools. I think it’s really important for these guys to come through and enter competitions like this for their work to be seen by others, by their peers, by potential employers. For me just being involved in that, if we can give them a little bit of advice and encouragement it can only be a good thing.” James Sommerville, ATTIK Design

“I think that a fast track to fame is what people think is acceptable these days, and it’s amazing that it’s worked for people. NOISE is the other side of the coin – these people are genuinely into creating music, or anything in all the other fields of the arts, and I think that’s why NOISE is interesting to someone like me, because it’s actually promoting real talent and people that wouldn’t go on the X Factor, people that would rather do it their way.” Badly Drawn Boy

For more information, high resolution images or broadcast video material please contact Gavin Bower on 0161 237 9009 or pressoffice@noisefestival.com