Briana Pegado is Executive Director of Creative Edinburgh. A social entrepreneur, Briana was named one of Scotland's 30 Under 30 Inspiring Young Women by YWCA Scotland the Young Women's Movement at the end of last year. She is cofounder of Povo and founder and director of the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival. Her work centres around financial sustainability for creative organisations, barriers young people face to the arts, festivals, and human-centered design processes.
Anna is Membership Development Manager at Creative Edinburgh. With 3 years experience as part of the core team, Anna works closely with our community to find the support they need along side coordinating our Mentoring Programme. A painting graduate from ECA, with experience in events curation, visual merchandising and as a visual artist, she is interested in communication and the relationships between place and peace of mind.
e-mail: anna@creative-edinburgh.com
Claire is our Social Media & Content Producer. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, she has since worked in communications and digital marketing. She is a freelance writer, who spends her spare time immersed in Edinburgh's music scene, working on her music blog.
e-mail: digital@creative-edinburgh.com
Katherine is our Events Producer, an English Literature graduate who has worked at events and festivals across the UK, including EIF, EIBF, Hay Festival and Aberdeen's Granite Noir Festival. She is based in Glasgow and also writes at The Warren, an arts and culture site.
e-mail: katherine@creative-edinburgh.com
We may be a small team, but we are part of a huge community and always keen to explore ways we can work together. From commissioned artwork and design projects to volunteering at our events, there are various ways you can get involved with Creative Edinburgh in order to support and connect with the wider creative community.
If you have a concept or skill set that you're keen to share with us, we'd like to hear from you! Simply get in touch with us at info@creative-edinburgh.com.
Creative Edinburgh’s independent Board are ardent envoys of the creative sectors. They meet every quarter to support policy and strategic developments within the organisation, discussing how best to move forward. We'd like to thank past board members David Weir, Ginnie Atkinson, June Edgar, Jeff Meeks and Ros Davis, Janine Matheson, Michael Johnston, Mike Davidson, Carrie Maginn and Mike McGrail.
Board Chair of Creative Edinburgh since 2012. As Director of Think Hard, Mark Gorman views creativity from both ends of the creative industry spectrum. As a photographer, blogger, Chair of Forth Children's Theatre and NABS at one end; and as a seasoned mentor and practitioner in the advertising, marketing, PR, research and digital sector at the other. Talk to me about: marketing strategy, communications, business mentoring and board management.
Nicki Lundy is a communications professional who has worked as a journalist, travel writer and magazine editor too. Currently Head of Media Relations for Standard Life Assurance, part of the Phoenix Group, and a trustee of the Scottish charity Smalls for All, we welcomed Nicki to our Board in 2018.
Joe Tree is a Bafta award-winning designer who helps tech startups with their products, branding and investment material. In 2010 he founded Blipfoto, a photo-sharing platform which exploded into a worldwide community of daily photojournalists. Now, as well as working for a handful of his own clients, he’s Head of Product at CivTech. Talk to me about: the start up process, fundraising, investment and online community building.
Danae Shell is Chief Marketing Officer at Care Sourcer, the UK’s first comparison and matching site for care. A native Tennessean, Danae moved to Scotland after university and has worked in the Scottish tech industry ever since. She has worked as a software developer, UX designer, and researcher before settling in as a marketer at FreeAgent during their scale-up period. Talk to me about: analytics, diversity and inclusion, management, and startups.
Jim joined the Edinburgh International Festival in 2017 after spending almost two decades with the British Council in India, France, China, Indonesia and the UK, supporting international connections between arts and creative organisations. He’s responsible for the International Festival’s relationships with its public sector funders and supporters in Scotland, the UK and globally.
Charlie has worked at Whitespace, an Edinburgh based creative agency working across digital, content, brand, experiential and campaigns since 2005, working his way up from Junior Designer to Creative Director as the company has grown over the years. A D&AD judge in 2016, Charlie is a creative thinker and designer delivering world-class courses throughout Scotland to help mentor young creatives.
Sarah Cuthbert-Kerr is a communications professional who has spent her career in the public and charity sector. As Communications Manager for the National Trust for Scotland – Scotland’s biggest membership organisation, she plays her part in protecting Scotland’s heritage. Talk to me about: all things communication, change and membership.
Bruce is a corporate partner and chair of Anderson Strathern. His clients range for start up’s to global businesses - many in the creative sector.
Kate Ho is Head of Product for Data Platforms at Sainsbury's Bank, the UK's first supermarket bank. With a background in user experience, she’s passionate about creating user experiences that engage and delight people. Previously, she was in the games industry where she ran Tigerface Games, with a number of nominations in International Gaming awards. Talk to me about: big data, software development, metrics, games.
Creative Edinburgh’s Steering Group is composed of committed creative industry experts who champion and advise both our programme and network. The Steering Group meet twice a year to provide feedback, suggest new ideas and offer support. We'd like to thank past steering group members Rohan Gunatillake, Rupert Thompson, Andy Murray, Peggy Hughes, Meghan Bidwell, Ian Greenhill and Chris Behr.
Nathan is one of the founders of CreateFuture, a marketing consultancy with offices in Edinburgh and London. He has been working mainly in digital since the internet came on a CD, with stints at the Press Association, Orange, Realise and Tayburn. Possibly the tallest member of Creative Edinburgh.
Andrew Dyce & Craig Fairweather (We Throw Switches) are a production / curation / installation duo, specialising in videogames and interactive things. They’ve collaborated with organisations like the British Council, the V&A, and New York University Game Centre to create physical installations, curate festivals, and run weird and wonderful videogame parties from Sarajevo to San Francisco.
Michelle Mangan is an experienced PR, Marketing and Communications professional with over 15 years’ experience of working in the arts in the UK. Prior to her role as Senior PR and Marketing Manager for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Michelle racked up over 8 years’ experience promoting award winning festival shows gaining Fringe Firsts, Herald Angels, Carol Tambor and Holden Street Theatre Awards.
Tamsin is co-founder and Director of Edinburgh based agency wonderhouse. wonderhouse specialises in marketing strategy + implementation for lifestyle consumer brands. Tamsin has worked in the creative industry for over 16 years with a wide network of artists, creatives, photographers and film production crew creating award-winning work for some of Scotland’s most exciting brands.
Leah Silverlock is an entrepreneur and social media lover. She is the founder of the Ooh!Festivals, a festival specific marketing company. Her background is in social media marketing for large scale festivals. Her passion lies within marketing and the arts, chat to her about: social media marketing and festivals anytime!
Susanna is a Motion graphics designer, filmmaker, creative consultant and Director & Co-Founder of Bright Side Studios. She approaches her work with an open and curious mind for storytelling within environments and experiences. She has a passion for compositing and playing with illusions to craft visual wonderment in the form of installations, immersive environments and creative content.
Director & Co-Founder of Bright Side Studios, Cristina weaves compelling stories and creates unique experiences that connect digital with the spatial. An artist and experience designer, Cristina connects the space between design, art and technology to create powerful human experiences. She creates brand experiences with rich animated and interactive digital content. She is an established innovator in the creation of immersive environments.
Katy Koren is the Artistic Director of Gilded Balloon, one of the largest venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Gilded Balloon has been part of the Fringe for over 30 years and prioritises nurturing and developing local artists and providing them with a supportive platform at each year’s Fringe. Katy studied Industrial Design at University and has continued to be passionate about the creative and arts communities in Edinburgh and the UK.
Catriona works across the arts in event and project management, with a special interest in books. She has worked with Publishing Scotland, EIBF, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Creative Edinburgh, Picture Hooks, Saltire Society and more. Formerly SYP Scotland co-chair, she continues to support emerging publishing professionals.
Isla Munro is an Edinburgh based designer and Product Design tutor at Edinburgh College of Art. With more than 15 years’ experience in the creative industries, Isla’s background is in Furniture and Product Design, and her practice is based in Design and Communication. Isla is practiced in collaborating with project stakeholders to ensure the outcomes embody their collective aspirations.
Denis Mallon is a creative director, specialising in animation and design. After studying interactive media, Denis relocated to Edinburgh, becoming a motion graphics specialist. He has since taught motion graphics at Napier University, and co-founded Move Summit, Scotland's animation gathering. You can find him pretending to work hard at Stampede, his animation studio located within CodeBase, Edinburgh.
Award winning Animator, illustrator, designer and brand enthusiast, Erik specialises in digital marketing and storytelling helping clients ranging from beer brands to medical research studies telling their stories. Over the years he experimented with vlogging, illustrations, fiction writing and event hosting. He is the host for Creative Edinburgh’s Talking Heads and MOVE Summit.
Leah is an experienced book designer and art director, former Co-Chair of the Society of Young Publishers Scotland and winner of the inaugural Satire Society Emerging Publisher of the Year award. Talk to me about: graphic design, illustration, publishing and creative direction.
Jessica Armstrong is a business development and project manager with a disposition for organisation, teamwork, efficiency and a drive to achieve goals. Her background is in marketing communications and operational management; but really, she is a project manager with a love for understanding process and a passion for all things inspired. Talk to me about: building and developing your networks, reaching new audiences and finding sponsorship.
David Mahoney is a British illustrator currently practicing in Edinburgh, Scotland.
