Future Formed

Future Formed offers Waltham Forest residents insight and exposure to the creative industries and aims to support participants into paid work. We take a case-by-case approach, so the path you take will reflect your individual needs, availability, and ambitions.

Above photo: the OhPod! creative team. Credit: Bettina Athena

The programme can include:

• mentoring
• paid work placements
• networking and building relationships with high level creative professionals
• supportive environments to discuss everything from building your CV and preparing for interviews and auditions
• dealing with stress and keeping everything in perspective

The team on Jack and the Beanstalk. Photo by Alex Brenner

Some examples of recent projects include:

• Workshops in product design with high-profile illustrator Willa Gebbie
• Composing music and performing alongside international vocal artist Randolph Matthews and local spoken word artist Sarah Lisney. This leads to artists being booked for various events around the borough
• Paid placements on film and TV sets for Netflix and Sky TV
• Paid apprenticeship, studio space, and mentoring at Blink Ink animation studio
• Multiple paid opportunities to work as events staff at Waltham Forest events and beyond
• Work as a runner and shadowing/assisting a professional camera operator with CBeebies show Yakka Dee
• Paid placements working as stage manager and designers assistant on professional theatre show
• Paid placements training to become a performing arts facilitator
• Creating our very own Podcast, Oh Pod! created, produced, and presented by Waltham Forest residents Jordan, Iman, and Shakira.
• Free trips to various theatre shows. Q&As with creative teams. A bespoke tour of the Althea McNish exhibition including a Q&A with the curator of the exhibition.

The Unspoken Universe team of musicians. Photo by Kyron James

Since January 2022 we've created paid opportunities for over 100 residents and supported 120 in further training and insight into creative industries.

Don’t take our word for it: this is what some of our Future Formers have had to say:

Future Formed has opened doors to new opportunities and to try things I have never really considered before. It’s also introduced me to lots of lovely, inspiring and hardworking people who have given me confidence to believe myself and my own capabilities!

- Iman: podcast presenter, illustrator, and live events assistant

Future Formed has opened a variety of doors for me. From film to theatre to events to podcasts, I have been fortunate to gain experience, skills and friendships from paid positions. I now have the knowledge and motivation to progress further in my life and that's all thanks to Future Formed. I recommend Future Formed to all who enjoy creativity and want to work in this field. You will have such fulfilling opportunities and the most fun all while building up your CV and earning along the way.

- Shakira: podcast producer, live events assistant, stage manager, and hair and make-up practitioner

Future formed is a fantastic programme. I have been involved in a couple of projects with Future Formed so far and I can say that they are really open minded!  I first attended the music making course where I discovered the steps of creating music from scratch and even writing from scratch! That course changed my vision to music and to my capabilities. I feel much more free to try different things! There is no mistakes, only tries!

- Beren: opera singer, performer, and teacher