Congratulations to ICMP student Sean Arkless who has won studio space at the Bureau in London’s Design District through our Ace Accelerator initiative.
Sean’s SJARK business started as a live streaming entity before expanding into delivering project management solutions for a range of companies.
Their portfolio of work includes live streaming a musical theatre performance to the Edinburgh Fringe festival as well as live streaming the Irish NFL Show from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They have also created the promotional video used to celebrate Financial Times Adviser Social Mobility Champion 2021 and filmed and recorded the Dissenters 80 piece choir/orchestra live in concert.
Winning the Ace Accelerator has given SJARK access to office space at the Bureau alongside numerous mentoring and networking opportunities.
The Design District is a collection of 16 buildings designed by eight architects, set in the heart of Greenwich Peninsula. From summer 2021, this area has offered a permanent and purpose-designed work space for the creative industries.
Commenting on winning the backing, Sean said: “Being in the Design District is such a blessing. We have access to a huge database of up and coming businesses to bounce ideas off and collaborate with. Everyone there is so nice too, it’s like a little family in our office block!"
The Ace Accelerator has accelerated our progress as an up and coming business, given us the credibility we need to approach much bigger clients whilst also giving us a proper space to work. Cafes are great but it’s not as easy to be productive and have proper business meetings!"
Ace, ICMP’s Head of Industry Partnerships and Business Development, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bureau at the Design District to offer ICMP’s students and alumni a brilliant opportunity to expand their networks and build their businesses."
"With this Ace Accelerator, our community has a chance to take their enterprise to one of London’s most exciting new destinations. We share a similar vision with the Bureau team in how we believe the creative industries are one of London's most exciting and innovative sectors. Through this partnership, we’re both committed to helping this industry grow and enabling innovation and ideas to thrive.”
Richard Margree, CEO of Design District developer Knight Dragon, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with ICMP and Ace on this Accelerator initiative to offer their students access to the Design District. As one of the largest regeneration sites in Europe, our aim has been to provide an inspiring space for the creative industries. I'm a lifelong music fan and firmly believe our songwriters and artists are one of the main reasons why Britain has such a great reputation on the world's stage for culture."
Education is also important to us so working with Ace and ICMP is a great fit to help inspire the next generation of creatives with advice and insight. We're looking forward to seeing where this collaboration will take us."
Sean added: "We are very diverse in what we do and the business model succeeds because of the network of exceptional freelance professionals we have built, enabling us to manage a large variety of projects at any given time."
Since moving into the office we have acquired corporate clients as well as building a partnership with a very well established AV/staging company, which enables us to say yes to essentially any client requests going forward, no matter how big the goal."
Current projects include working with Cente Stage, an AV business and developing ideas for a series of one day festivals in London later this year. Other initiatives include supporting a musical theatre company with any technical needs and planning live music events with the Camden Assembly.
Visit sjark.co.uk for more information.
The Ace Accelerator
The initiative will be open to third year Music Business and Entrepreneurship students and the next winner will get the place by submitting a pitch for their business/business idea to the Design District in June 2022.
The recipient of the support will have the chance to access a fully serviced studio in the Bureau Building including access to meeting spaces, a cafe and a fast internet connection.
Equally focused on Music Business & Entrepreneurship
The music business is an incredibly competitive environment – and over the last 30 years, ICMP has developed and refined a cutting-edge degree that now focuses equally on entrepreneurship. We’re the first music school in the UK to recognise that you need to understand not just marketing, management, finance, digital, creativity and all the structures and quirks that make the industry unique, but also how to forge your own path, create your own job, and change the future for the better. With access to ICMP’s fully equipped music facilities, exclusive industry events, masterclasses and a peerless contact network, we have it all covered.
To completely immerse yourself in your music career, email our friendly Admissions Team at enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or call them on 020 7328 0222.
School of Music Business
The music business is an incredibly competitive environment – and over the last 30 years, ICMP has developed and refined a cutting-edge degree that now focuses equally on entrepreneurship. We’re the first music school in the UK to recognise that you need to understand not just marketing, management, finance, digital, creativity and all the structures and quirks that make the industry unique, but also how to forge your own path, create your own job, and change the future for the better. With access to ICMP’s fully equipped music facilities, exclusive industry events, masterclasses and a peerless contact network, we have it all covered.
To completely immerse yourself in your music career, email our friendly Admissions Team at enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or call them on 020 7328 0222.