Creative England and Nesta have joined forces to strengthen mentoring in the creative industry, one of the UK’s most valuable growth sectors.

Since 2011, Creative England has been providing access to money, markets and people to help talented individuals and businesses to reach their full commercial and creative potential. It has already awarded over £2.5 million to 63 companies. Through this new partnership with Nesta, Creative England will now be providing a mentorship programme using Nesta’s successful Creative Business Mentoring Network model.

The partnership will recruit creative business leaders to mentor talented and growing SMEs in film, TV, games and digital media. Leaders already on board include Jimmy Mulville, CEO Hat Trick Productions, Patrick McKenna, CEO Ingenious Media and Peter Molyneux, CEO 22 Cans. They will share their wealth of experience and knowledge through a mentoring programme which also includes networking events, workshops and coaching.

The initiative will be co-funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and aims to support 90 SMEs by March 2015. It will be tailored to the sector-specific needs of creative businesses and combine the aspects from Nesta’s mentoring model and research undertaken by Creative England and European Creative Industries Alliance Cluster 2020 project. The programme will also be supported by UKIE, The Supper Club and Creative Skillset.

Jim Farmery, Director of Business Investment at Creative England, said: “The creative industries are a key driver for economic growth, worth £8 million an hour for the UK economy, and to keep it this way we need to continue investing in and supporting our talented businesses across the country.

“But supporting creative companies is not just about investing money, the Creative Business Mentor Programme is about passing on valuable knowledge from successful mentors in the industry, providing ongoing support, and ensuring that our creative businesses continue to thrive.”

Jon Kingsbury, Director of Creative Economy Programmes at Nesta, said: “The UK has one of the most vibrant and exciting creative industries in the world. To keep this sector strong and to ensure it continues to thrive, it is vital that business skills and expertise are shared by those working in the industry.  This is where mentoring steps in, helping up-and-coming creative businesses to grow successfully. We’re delighted to be working with our industry partners to be building on our tried and tested model of mentoring.”

Matthew Hancock, Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise, said: “Growing a business is hard work and we want to do everything we can to support ambitious entrepreneurs. For businesses in the creative industries, the best source of advice is from others also in the creative industries who have been through it and can offer practical advice.

“As well as ensuring these businesses receive sector specific mentoring, we hope this raises the profile of how valuable this kind of help can be.”

The Creative Business Mentor Programme has already started recruiting business leaders with the aim to start mentoring SMEs by April.