Creative Career Surgery

The Creative Careers Surgery is a unique and exciting online and radio careers service, because it's the only site or show to give you realistic, honest and inspiring stories through the professional’s own voices. It's unlikely that any career books or general career advisor can give you such honest guidance on exciting, specialist industries such as music, film, art, television, design, dance, radio, theatre, animation, publishing, fashion, journalism and photography. There is just nothing better than hearing advice directly from those you admire or might even hope to work with one day.

Some of the interviewees who have been on the show since 2005:

NIHAL, BBC Radio 1 DJ
STEVE LEWIS, Living TV Promo Director
RUSSELL HATTON, internationally acclaimed artist
RAGHAV, singer/songwriter
MITZI ANGEL, HarperCollins' Publishing Editor
SEAN MURPHY, MTV's Pimp My Ride Producer
NADIN REED, mac Make-Up Artist

WILL STRAUSS, Broadcast Magazine's Web Editor and Journalist
PAUL DEAL, BBC News Editor
TONY HERTZ, Award-winning radio advertising Director
KABIR BEDI, Bollywood/Hollywood Actor
JOHN STEWART, Photographer
TIM KASH, MTV Presenter

Check out the 'Listen again page' to see and listen to the full interviewee list.

So if you've been asking questions like the ones below, you'll love listening to the interviews on the Creative Careers Surgery:

What's most important: work experience, portfolio skills, good contacts or a degree/a-levels?
What's the best way to get this job?
What other roles/sectors can I move to in the future?
What bits of the job aren't so great?
What do you have to do as part of your job every week?

The Creative Careers Surgery interviews are a perfect starting point for:

10-16 year olds at school, working towards their GCSE's
16-19 year old Further Education students
19-25 year old Higher Education students
Over 25 year old Postgraduate students
Just creative people in general looking for some career direction or advice.

Even if you don't consider yourself as a creative person, the interviews are still worth listening to just to hear these fascinating, professional and celebrity life stories.

To listen to the best tips for the professional so far, click on the 'Audio Trailer' to the right of the page.

The presenter Shivani Mair created the unique Creative Careers Surgery idea in 2005 after graduating; as she felt existing career advice books just weren’t helpful enough.

She hopes the Creative Career Surgery interviews will not only provide some answers to the questions that most young people love to ask; but also give industry professionals a fun method to share their trade secrets, personal career stories and practical tips to help you make the best career choices.

I wanted to help young people be better prepared when making career choices; especially as there is little quality advice available for such a competitive industry. I search for a range of the best creative professionals and celebrities, and probe them on the show, so they can share career experiences, industry knowledge and trade secrets. The best bit is that I get to make radio interviews that not only make great listening, but give priceless guidance and tips that just can't be taught in the classroom, or found in careers books. Shivani Mair, Producer and Presenter of the Creative Careers Surgery

Provides an inspiring, engaging and accessible solution to the UK's many disillusioned young creative people.
Platform for Industry professionals to mentor the next creative generation and set the standard
Help prevent the UK's creative economy from continuing to underperform in comparison with other countries
Become the most popular and recognised creative careers resource for every young and creative person, and a training institute in the UK by 2015

The Creative Careers Surgery's 5 core values:

...you of the jobs that are available and the latest developments in the creative industries.
...you to new creative industries and job roles that you may never have considered or knew existed.
...you to help achieve your professional goals, and how to use creative skills to get a career off the ground.
...you to act on your talents and start preparing for the steps you'll need to take for a successful and enjoyable career in the creative sector.
...you, by giving you the chance to hear other creative professionals stories, challenges and triumphs in their own voices.

The Creative Careers Surgery is a terrific idea! There's a lot of fantasy and myth about the creative industries, and what Shivani is doing is giving young people a realistic idea of what happens on a day to day basis; what it takes to survive and succeed and a view of the realities of the business. Tony Hertz, Radio Director, Hertz: Radio and Other Clever Advertising

The Creative Careers Surgery offers a unique insight into highly specialist fields at a level that is highly accessible and specific, with no fluff. There is no doubt in my mind that these surgeries should have much greater distribution, so that a wider audience can benefit. In a word: 'Inspirational'. Maxim Jago, Film Director and Avid Editing Trainer

The show brings 'real', diverse stories and advice to young people in an accessible and exciting format: broadening young people's horizons, liberating and guiding creative talent through the vast and chaotic web that is our creative industries. Amy Cooper, Creative Co-ordinator, What If Innovation Company

At present the Creative Careers Surgery does not offer a direct, one-to-one careers advice service, but will offer a range of creative services, events and books in the future.

Office of the Third Sector
UnLtd
What If? The Innovation Company
The Commission for Youth Social Enterprise
Wolverhampton Chamber of Commerce
Wolverhampton Economic Partnership

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