Creative Bootcamp students from Solihull College & University Centre and Stratford-upon-Avon College have been making their mark on industry after completing their intensive bootcamp courses.
‘Campers’ who have been a part of various bootcamps recently championed the bootcamps to the assessors of the AoC Beacon Awards.
Belal Sitan completed the TV Production Bootcamp in the summer of 2022. Since then, he has worked as a production trainee on ‘Man like Mobeen’ which filmed in various locations across the Midlands. Belal has also acted alongside Pierce Brosnan and Almir El-Masry in Rowan Athale’s new film ‘Giant.’ The film is a biopic about boxing legend Prince Nazeem. Belal plays Nazeem’s younger brother.
Belal is currently in the process of creating a podcast on creativity in the West Midlands, which is targeted towards people looking to work in the creative industry. The podcast will consist of advice and interviews from creatives.
Mackenzie Griffith has been a part of several bootcamps including the Content Creation Bootcamp in 2021 and TV Production bootcamp in 2023. Since the bootcamps, Mackenzie has worked on ‘Late Night Lycett’ and at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Mackenzie commented: “The bootcamps have allowed me to network and create contacts with professionals, who I continue to work with. Sophie and Caroline have been key in my success of the bootcamps. They have offered so much support and have helped us believe in ourselves.”
Rob Fuz completed the Creative Project Development Bootcamp in January 2024. On the bootcamp he worked as a producer on a short film called ‘Tales of Arcana,’ which won the ‘Best Microfilm’ at the Stratford Film Festival. The project focuses on the magician Stephen Seabourne, exploring imagination, belief, and initiative.
Rob has worked as a freelance videographer for many years. Rob is the founder of ‘Fuz Films’ a wedding videographer company in the West Midlands. In spring 2025, his latest project – a documentary of the making of the horror film ‘Daniel’s Room’ – will be released.
Logan Powell joined the Creative Venue Technician bootcamp in January 2024. Logan is an actor and joined the bootcamp to work between acting gigs. He comments: “I needed a change, something to fall back on. I couldn’t go back to university to study something new. The Bootcamp was a great next step for me.”
Logan’s first job after leaving the bootcamp was live streaming sporting events. Logan also worked at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony in Paris and filmed the red carpet of the ‘Devil Wears Prada Musical’ opening night.
Logan has also worked consistently at the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Belgrade Theatre on productions such as Romeo and Juliet, Peter Pan, and Hamilton.
Bootcamps are a great stepping stone for participants wanting to work in the creative industries, helping participants to build close networks with key people across the sector.
