February 2018
Five arts graduates make up this month's alumni profiles. Whether they left 3 or 33 years ago, they are each setting their own paths, having founded, or by directing, creative and cultural companies.
Creative alumni founders
Our alumni this month all work in the creative sector and have either founded their own companies or hold a director position.
While some showed an interest in their current profession as a small child, others were led there by a series of fortunate decisions at university.
What each of them emphasise, however, is the importance of harnessing your own individuality and determination in forging a successful career.
Andy Glidden
Andy Glidden recalls how a bright pink rocking chair landed him an appearance on TV show Blue Peter. Following an international career at various design consultancies, he set up Glidden Design in 1998.
Read Andrew Glidden's profile.
I had a brilliant time at ECA, partly to do with the opportunity to be creative and experiment and partly the whole student experience of having fun, getting involved in the Entertainments Committee, the Wee Red Bar, revels, partying and generally meeting lots of diverse people.
Laura Jones
By volunteering to produce a yearbook for her graduating class, Laura Jones got her first taste of designing a book, leading to her setting up her own publishing company, 404 Ink.
Establishing 404 Ink in Edinburgh was key to our beginnings, as the richly supportive publishing community within the city helped us build our foundations before we gained international acclaim for our first crowdfunded book, Nasty Women [...]
Max de Rosee
Architect Max de Rosee met his wife at Edinburgh. Together they founded De Rosee Sa, an architectural and interior design practice which has won industry awards.
The degree project I remember most vividly was for a Contemporary Art Gallery with tutor Dr. Dorian Wiszniewski, and as a result, I still harbour a dream to eventually design an Art Gallery.
Genevieve Allcott
An international exchange in California set Genevieve Allcott on a path into filmmaking. The 2015 Philosophy and Politics graduate is now executive director of Pennyworth Productions, a new writing company.
Read Genevieve Allcott's profile.
Our aim is to create a truly nationwide network of political artists - be that drama, comedy, sketch, stand-up, performance art, film or spoken word.
Faisal Mohammed
A desire to increase diversity in the fashion industry coupled with encouragement from tutors led 2013 graduate Faisal Mohammed to set up his own ethical men's clothing label, Cloh.
Read Faisal Mohammed's profile.
The course and tutoring at ECA opened my eyes to wider issues in the fashion industry at that time, such as a lack of diversity. We were encouraged to illustrate using real world body proportions rather than the exaggerated fashion figures used in the fashion world. This helped me to stay grounded and real.
Creative and Cultural Careers Festival
The Creative and Cultural Careers Festival (CCCF) is a week long festival of events organised by the University of Edinburgh Careers Service. Recent graduates who are interested in finding out more about working in the creative industries, media or cultural institutions can register for events.
Creative and Cultural Careers Festival
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Do you want to hear from alumni who studied a particular subject, in a particular decade, or work in a specific sector or region? We welcome ideas for future alumni profile themes. Please email your theme suggestions to En-Chi Liu, Communications Officer: