What kind of mentors do we work with?
At Creative Mentor Network, we go beyond mentoring, our sector-specific approach ensures that young people, mentors, and businesses get the targeted support they need to thrive in the creative industries.
Do You Only Work with "Creatives”?
Not at all! Our definition of “creative industries” follows the DCMS classification, which includes:
🎨 Advertising & Marketing
🎭 Film, TV & Theatre
🎧 Music & Entertainment
📱 Tech & Digital Media
🏛 Architecture, Art & Design
📖 Publishing, Journalism & Broadcasting
We also work with marketing, people & culture, and tech teams across various industries. If you’re passionate about mentoring and helping young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds break into creative careers, there’s a place for you in our community.
Why We Welcome a Diverse Range of Mentors
The creative industry is vast, and career paths aren’t always clear. Because of this many young people simply don’t know what roles exist. Our goal is to:
✅ Increase exposure to different career paths.
✅ Break down misconceptions about what “creative” jobs are.
✅ Provide real-world insights into industry roles.
We also think the traditional distinctions between ‘creative’ and ‘non creative’ roles is a bit outdated - most people’s jobs involve some kind of creativity. Whether you’re a strategist, producer, software developer, or journalist, your perspective can be invaluable to a young creative.
What Types of Mentors Do We Work With?
Our mentor community includes professionals at all levels of experience.
✨ Senior mentors → Offer industry expertise & strong professional networks.
🌱 Early-career mentors → Provide relatable insights for mentees starting out.
Here are just a few of the job titles of recent mentors:
🔹 Senior Strategist | Executive Creative Director | Senior Label Manager
🔹 Founder & CEO | HR Business Partner | Creative Resource Manager
🔹 Graphic Designer | Copywriter | Film Producer | Software Developer
🔹 Actor | Travel Writer | Menswear Buyer | Performance Controller
We also welcome mentors with non-traditional career paths, including freelancers and those building portfolio careers. These give mentees access to diverse and realistic career journeys beyond what traditional education provides.
How We Match Mentors & Mentees
We take a personalised approach to mentor-mentee matching based on:
🎯 Industry Interests → Matching mentees with mentors in relevant sectors.
💡 Shared Passions → Aligning mentors and mentees based on their interests.
📈 Skill Development Goals → Ensuring mentees receive support in areas they want to grow, whether that’s public speaking, software skills, or confidence building.
Our programmes aren’t designed to pair mentees with mentors in a specific job role. Instead, we focus on expanding career awareness, growing networks, and building skills to help young people succeed.
Championing Diversity in Mentoring
As a charity committed to socioeconomic inclusion, diversity is at the heart of what we do. There’s a huge intersection in our community, so whilst we focus on 16-25 year olds from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, the majority of our mentees are from a global majority background.
Most mentors in our programmes are white, which reflects the lack of diversity in senior roles across the creative industries.
We’re actively working to diversify our mentor community by:
✅ Collecting mentor demographic data to track progress.
✅ Encouraging partners to put forward a higher percentage of mentors from diverse backgrounds.
✅ Continuing to challenge industry leaders to improve representation at all levels.