Students sink their teeth into Creative Industries Week

Students at the University of Sunderland enjoyed an array of events to mark this year’s Creative Industries Week, including a Dracula-themed trip to Whitby.

Creative Industries Week is an exciting opportunity for students across all undergraduate stages in the School of Media and Creative Industries, including Photography, Film and Media, Journalism, Fine Art, Animation, Media Production, Graphic Design, Illustration, English and Performing Arts.

Offering a change of pace from the usual class timetable, Creative Industries Week gives students a chance to consider career opportunities, network with staff and students from different courses and get a wider view of the creative industries.

Each year, there are a range of activities for students to get involved in, with a focus on the art, design, culture, and media worlds.

This year, 28 students spent the day in Whitby exploring how Dracula author Bram Stoker's legacy continues to inspire visitors to the seaside town.

Stoker was inspired by Whitby's gothic atmosphere, particularly the Abbey ruins, for parts of his novel. The story features Whitby as the place where Count Dracula first arrives in England.

John Paul Green, Faculty Academic Support Lead at the University of Sunderland’s School of Media and Creative Industries, who organised the trip, said: "This was our fifth Creative Industries Week Creating Dracula trip to Whitby and thirtieth such lecture I’ve led.

“Although it was the wettest and windiest one yet, it didn’t stop the students from fully engaging with and thoroughly loving the walking lecture. We followed in the footsteps of Bram Stoker and his famous creations, from Mina to Dracula himself, visiting key locations not only from the novel, but also those important in the research creation of the novel itself, including the apartment Stoker holidayed in and the library where he first came across the name 'Dracula'.

“The students read extracts from the novel, sketched scenes around historic Whitby, and captured some wonderful photographs. Immersed in the town’s gothic atmosphere, many commented that the experience would influence their creative work going forward. Some even wore fangs for the trip, letting their inner-Goth emerge for the day.

“Students suggested that the inclement weather only heightened the mood, especially as we stood on the beach reading the dramatic moment in which Dracula, in the guise of a gigantic dog, leapt ashore.”

Other events during Creative Industries Week 2025 included Meet Your Mentors – Professional Insights Scheme, an informal session where the University’s new Creative Industries mentors met up with students / potential mentees over pizza and drinks at Diego’s Joint, Sunderland.

This event marked the formal launch of the School of Media and Creative Industries’ Professional Insight Scheme, which allows students to access insights and knowledge from a professional within the field. Mentors include veteran broadcaster, University Pro-Chancellor and honorary graduate Jeff Brown and presenter Alfie Joey.

There was also a live-audience panel discussion, also at Diego’s Joint, featuring disability rights journalist, author, activist Rachel Charlton-Dailey, ghost reporter and alumna Godstime David and videographer and content creator for Sunderland-based video agency Foresight and alumna Sophie Willox.

The discussion was recorded for the ArtyParti podcast produced by Jay Sykes, Lecturer in Audio at the University.

Sunderland-based creative agency Creo Comms hosted an interactive creative workshop, giving students the chance to explore career options, network and gain a wider understanding of the creative world. They also shared more about their sister agency, Sunderland Creatives Agency, where University of Sunderland students are mentored by their team and get hands-on experience working on real-world creative projects.

The Professional Insight Scheme is now officially open. Find out more and apply here and potential mentors can contact Jack Richardson for further information.