Here for the next generation of talent: Creative Lives in Progress relaunches its platform

Since its start in 2017, Creative Lives in Progress (CLIP) has sought to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the creative industry. An inclusive careers platform set up by It’s Nice That’s founders, Alex Bec and Will Hudson, the project has made a huge impact on those starting out on the creative scene over the last eight years, sharing invaluable advice and insights that break down barriers to the industry across its platforms.

By offering free events that connect emerging talent to leading creative companies, promoting entry-level opportunities and sharing countless articles, interviews and resources, CLIP has expanded in its impact and reach. “The audience has developed and grown beyond anything we imagined on day one”, shares Alex. “We now reach over 165,000 emerging creatives from incredibly diverse backgrounds: 73 percent identify as female, 38 percent are from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and 57 percent are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.”

Making sure anyone can access information and opportunities for free, the platform’s aim has always been to make sure “nobody getting started in their creative career should have to pay for the privilege”, says Will. Against the backdrop of what has been a financially challenging few years for the industry, where the amount of opportunities for emerging talent has starkly shrunk, CLIP has committed to its community work developing an editorial output that strikes up conversations with numerous audiences, widened its outreach across the UK, and grown its events programme.

Amongst all of these exciting developments and evolutions however, the site’s original platform, “designed by an amazing freelancer all those years ago”, shares Will, has stayed much the same over the years. “It has stood the test of time incredibly well”, he says, “however, our output, and the company as a whole has developed so much.” So, using the last eight years as a schooling in how to engage up-and-coming creatives and help ease their way into the industry, CLIP has relaunched its online platform today with a clear view on its audience’s needs. The platform has refreshed its online presence in order to “help us serve our community in a much better way”, says Alex.

Built in collaboration with Vienna-based digital design studio Wild, the redesign has stuck close to CLIP’s well-established identity, developing it further to be “flexible enough” to work across all sections of the site, including the fastest growing page: its opportunities board. Much of the team’s attention has been on the site’s “behind-the-scenes architecture”, with the aim of making it more inclusive and accessible to a wide range of readers, and as straightforward as possible to navigate. This evolution also introduces a range of new and exciting features for creatives and companies to make use of – one of which being the site’s new user accounts for both individuals and companies to engage with the platform.

Companies looking to support emerging talent through CLIP are now able to manage a profile detailing their own information on the site’s new Company Directory page, a centralised space allowing them to edit their own opportunities for jobs, internships, mentoring and workshops for the eyes of emerging talent. The site’s main audience (individual users) can also hold an account to access regular newsletters, subscribe to specific content streams and keep track of events or opportunities they have applied to.

The structure of the new streamlined platform centres those companies that share CLIP’s enthusiasm for future creatives, bringing together a set of direct links to all areas of the industry that starts with a collection of CLIP’s partners such as Google, GF Smith, Koto and other early supporters. The redesign is also a springboard for the site to make more impact with further connections not only in its current UK community of creatives, but also across the pond, with a second site set to launch for the US later this year. CLIP’s recent growth is also thanks to the support of its parent company and network Residence (which It’s Nice That is part of). “Residence has been unwavering in its support of CLIP’s growth since we joined in 2022, and has driven the investment into this new platform – truly walking the walk of its mission to empower creative potential,” Alex adds.

Wherever CLIP goes next, the platform’s aim is simply to keep getting creative careers going: “Our goal is to be there for this next generation of talent, no matter what”, ends Alex, “Over the past 18 years with It’s Nice That, we’ve found a way to turn up for the creative industry day in, day out and that’s what we’ll keep doing for our emerging CLIP community too.”