To mark the importance of World Mental Health Day on Wednesday 10th October, young people and creative arts organisations across East Sussex came together in the evening at Dv8 Sussex to share their thoughts and experiences around the issue of mental health.
Over the last year we’ve got to know Media Production student James and we think he’s a shining example of a young person that has a thirst for knowledge and real life experiences to prepare him for a rewarding career in the media industry! We spoke to him to find out about his early love for media and games and about his experience on his course at Dv8, plus his new exciting internship position. Over to you James…
As A-level results are upon us once again, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share with you why we think taking a third year of college education at Dv8 Sussex could be the best decision you make for your future career!
We were lucky enough to catch up and interview Miss Melody, a previous Dv8 student and now successful MC / DJ, to find out a little bit more about her journey into the music industry.
I grew up in Bexhill On Sea and my earliest ambition was to MC/ DJ. I have always loved music. I remember having a set of turntables and a fisher price mic at the age of 8 and loved it haha.
On Friday 22nd June we held our annual end of year showcase for our Brighton students at the Brighthelm Centre, to celebrate and share a selection of their work they’ve been busy creating over the last year.
With a room teeming to the brim with students from this year, next year’s applicants, proud parents and carers, and our friends and partners from schools, colleges and referral agencies from across East Sussex, our showcase extravaganza began.
Every year our students get together to perform and exhibit to peers, family and friends, sharing all their hard work and achievements throughout the year. This year was no different as we had another fantastic Spring End of Year Showcase for the students of Bexhill at the De La Warr Pavilion with the best guest turnout we’ve ever had!
Throughout May, Lighthouse hosted a series of events called Last Dance: Re-imagined Futures with a full programme of free talks, workshops and events exploring the future of culture and arts. The roster of events featured independent figures who have contributed to the cultural landscape both locally and beyond, including musicians, DJs, record label owners, radio presenters, magazine publishers and many more who stand at the forefront of the creative industries.
We recently heard that our Level 3 Media Production student Jordan had received some brilliant news about her university applications. We caught up with her to find out about her good news, her journey at Dv8, and her top tips for young aspiring film makers.
At the heart of what we do is helping our students get real work experience and give them a true insight into what it’s like to work in the creative industries. We believe that by the time you finish college you should have experience meeting and working in a professional creative environment so you can go on to thrive with experience under your belt from an early age!
The Dv8 Careers Day was held across both Brighton and Bexhill campuses to give students the opportunity to explore what options and pathways are out there for their next steps in work or education. We had careers hubs, university talks and lots of guests speakers from various creative industries and practical workshops for students to take part in. Read on below for a small insight into what both days held and some of the excellent advice and discussions that took place.
On Monday 29th January we had the pleasure of welcoming Justin Welch, a Sessional Musician into the Dv8 Bexhill campus. Justin popped in for a morning session to share the story of his immense success within the music industry.
On Tuesday 30th January we welcomed Elijah, the Director of independent Record Label Butterz into our Brighton campus. Elijah swung by to give an honest insight into the world of music and to share his top tips for breaking into it and succeeding.
Trying to get some work experience is often seen as a scary task for young people, but it really doesn’t have to be! One of our student’s recently got himself a work placement for a couple of days and we wanted to share his experience so that other young people can see that these opportunities start just by asking a simple question!
In the lead up to Christmas we had three events this year to celebrate the end of term and the start of the festive holidays. One game-tastic event, and two music showcases. Big thanks to everyone that came to see what our students have been working on and to support creative education!
At Dv8 Sussex we offer a Level 2 Fashion & Design course at both our Brighton and Bexhill campuses. Our course allows you to build on your experience and enthusiasm for Fashion & Design by learning the skills to put your ideas into practice. You get to work in a small, personalised group setting with real-life industry briefs and work experience opportunities. What really makes our course so special is our wonderful Fashion & Design tutors Sharon and Lou.
Fashion and Design have truly been on a journey this year. Some of our students hadn’t so much as picked up a needle and thread when they first started, and now they’re designing and putting together their very own outfits. Read on and flick through the galleries to see some of the wonderful memories, experiences and projects our students have been involved with this year.
We were delighted be part of the launch of our shiny new home for DV8 Bexhill on Tuesday 18th July, welcome to Bexhill Hive.
That’s a wrap! Another truly wonderful year full of passion and creative energy is coming to an end. To celebrate in style, we held our annual End of Year Showcase at Brighton Youth Centre (BYC) on Wednesday 28th June. The showcase is an opportunity for all of our students to get together and share their hard work and achievements with peers, friends and family.
Get the support you need to progress into work, apprenticeships or other training. A part-time 4 week programme to develop your employability skills through Creative and Digital Media. Gain a Workskills qualification with the option to add a qualification in your area of interest such as Customer Service, Business Admin, Digital Marketing and more!
Brighton students from our Introduction to Music, Media & Digital group produced and presented their first ever radio show on 1 Brighton FM. The show featured exclusive plays of their own productions made in class, interviews with the students and DJ mixes. On hand was our awesome tutor and regular 1 Brighton FM presenter Joe Newman, AKA J-Felix to show the students the ropes. We’re super proud of the students and think they did an exceptional job! Producing a radio show to the local community isn’t the easiest of tasks!
Bexhill Hive: Our New Home
As you may have seen or heard, we have now officially moved into Bexhill Hive in the town centre. Our Bexhill DV8 students can now make the most of brand new, purpose built classrooms, student support, green screen room, computer rooms and the main common room. It looks great…. if we do say so ourselves!
Dv8 Sussex’s Employability Week ran from Monday 20th March to Friday 24th March. A chance for our students to access invaluable work placements plus workshops, trips. Plus to finish off the week in style we held our annual Creative Careers Day at Komedia Brighton, featuring all manner of exciting industry professionals. Read on below for a taste of the magic that unfolded…
On Friday 4th February Director, Producer and Actor, Simon Drake presented our Media Production students with a guest talk offering a unique insight into the film industry. Including an exclusive summary of the production, post production and distribution process for his latest full-length feature film ‘Darkest Day‘ and brilliant tips for budding Dv8 film makers.
Continuing our stellar guest line-up we welcomed Brighton’s legendary Live Music Promoter Anna Moulson, from Independent Promotions Company Melting Vinyl. Anna has been working in the industry for over 18 years and has a wealth of experience she was happy to share with our determined Live Events and Music Production students.
