Creating Entrepreneurship: entrepreneurship education for the creative industries - The Digested Read

SCENE ONE:

INT. UPSTAIRS IN A FASHIONABLY DISTRESSED WAREHOUSE
Five shadowy figures are seated against a window. To their right are small tables piled high with cash. NESTA and ADM-HEA enter via the staircase stage left.

NESTA:
Hello, I'm not quite a quango

ADM-HEA:
And I'm not quite a university

NESTA:
Today we'd like to pitch to you on behalf of all the Art, Design and Media students in the UK. We're asking for significant investment on their behalf as they're all a lot better at this entrepreneurship malarky than they get credit for. What's more, people like you and your other sharp-suited friends are giving enterprise a bad name.

ADM-HEA:
Exactly, we're a sensitive bunch and you lot are a bit scary. Hang on, I feel a drawing coming on. Good isn't it. That's exactly the kind of thing we excel at making money at - drawing.

NESTA:
And painting, and filming things, and taking photographs, and erm, designing stuff. In fact being entrepreneurial comes naturally to us creatives as it's in the way we're taught. You see we learn by doing, sometimes we might read a fancy book or two but for the most part we just get on with it and do it.

ADM-HEA:
All we're proposing is that a few things change in order for us to do justice to the latent potential in our student population. Firstly, stop measuring and watching us - it's irritating and counter-productive. Also, stop arguing, it does my head in.

NESTA:
The main point though is not to go mentioning entrepreneurship in passing at the end of a lesson. Students really do need separate lessons in 'how to overcharge for mediocre design' and 'how to never earn enough to have to pay back your student loan.'

ADM-HEA:
In drawing our pitch to a close we'd like to add that in case you forgot, the Creative Industries is just about the fastest growing industry we've got in this country. We'll grow the investment you give us today quicker than you can say Rachel Elnaugh.

Scottish Dragon leans forward in his seat.

DRAGON:
I started with one ice-cream van and now I run a few gyms so I know what I'm talking about - this could be big, we're in.

The Digested read, digested: Art & Design, you're hired!