Filipino artists and crafts people participated in two days of workshop to learn why the creative needs a good business sense, too. The recent Creative Skills Bootcamp organized by Thames International Business School, the British Council and Design Center of the Philippines, brought together some of the brightest creative minds in the country, including designers and animators and entrepreneurs.

The two-day bootcamp offered participants, who are in various stages of their creative careers, a unique opportunity to learn the technical, management and business skills they needed to make their ventures financially successful and sustainable.

The Creative Skills Bootcamp is part of the Creative Innovators Programme, which was launched last year to help enhance the economic value of creative industries by helping develop creative hubs and enhance the entrepreneurial skills of artists and creatives.

Alessandra Lanot, Design Center of the Philippines executive director Rhea Matute and British Council head of arts and creative industries Malaya del Rosario.

“For many years the Philippines has taken for granted our being creative as an economic driver. Our neighboring countries like Thailand and Indonesia have moved further ahead,” says Joel Santos, president of Thames International.

“That is why Thames is a partner of the British Council and the Design Center of the Philippines in launching the Creative Innovators Programme, which was designed to drive the synergy between creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship for social impact and economic upliftment. This is the start of something big,” he added.

Creative Skills Bootcamp facilitators and fellows Jodinand Aguillon, Pat Mendoza, Yana Ofrasio and Bianca Holganza.

Thames International and Apl de Ap Foundation continues to support the Creative Industries in the Philippines by providing scholarships to artists and creative entrepreneurs in their post-graduate program in Innovation and Creative Enterprise (ICE).

Gracing the event were Thames International Business School president Joel Santos, British Council country director Pilar Aramayo-Prudencio, head of arts and creative industries Malaya del Rosario, Design Center of the Philippines executive director Rhea Matute and Apl.de.Ap Foundation founder Apl de Ap. The bootcamp was well-attended by artists from various creative industries.