News

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched the ‘Discover! Creative Careers’ campaign to increase awareness, consideration and uptake of creative careers among young people aged 13-17 years old.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said:
“To keep the magic of our creative industries alive, we must nurture a new generation of talent by demystifying creative jobs and breaking down the barriers currently blocking young people from diverse backgrounds.
“Through this campaign, and as part of our Plan For Change, we will launch more young people into exciting creative careers in their communities - building skills, countering misconceptions and raising awareness about the opportunities available.”

Outsmart members Alight Media, Bauer Media Outdoor, JCDecaux, Limited Space, Ocean Outdoor, Open Media, Outdo Media and Smart Outdoor have kindly donated digital advertising space in key geographical areas to support this campaign and get the message to the right audience.

The campaign has been co-created and co-delivered with trade body CreativeUK and skills provider ScreenSkills. It is supported by organisations including Channel 4, Ubisoft, Netflix, National Youth Theatre, Co-op Live, UKMusic, WPP and UCAS.

The campaign kicks off with a month of awareness-raising activities across England, Wales and Scotland. Running from 1-30 November 2025.

Alongside the Discover! programme’s month of nationwide activities, the campaign prioritises six regions identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy: Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East of England, West of England, West Midlands and West Yorkshire. These areas have growing creative sectors with businesses ranging from gaming studios to advertising agencies, and film production to digital marketing companies.

The campaign will demonstrate to young people of all backgrounds that their interests can be turned into creative careers, and showcase real-life, accessible pathways into these regional creative sectors.

Tim Lumb, Director of Outsmart Media said:
“Outsmart and the Out of Home industry are proud to support this important campaign which aims to inspire young people from lower socioeconomic
backgrounds into a career in the creative industries. By promoting the campaign in public spaces across the North, the message should be more accessible to all communities.”

Sharon Lloyd-Barnes, Commercial Director of The Advertising Agency said:
“This campaign is a powerful asset in the drive to increase awareness of the dozens of different roles in advertising and marketing industry - and to tackle some of the perceived barriers to entry. We are delighted to support it, via the advertising agencies involved in making the ads to the media companies right across the UK promoting it on their digital screens”

Nicole Lonsdale, Chief Client Officer, WPP Media OOH, said:
“We are incredibly proud to have been a part of the DCMS Creative Careers campaign and be able to support this important initiative. We firmly believe in the power of creativity to shape our future, and it’s essential that we inspire and attract the next generation of talent. Thanks to our valued partners who donated OOH space, we were able to amplify the campaign’s message and showcase the diverse and rewarding opportunities within creative industries.”

Discover! Creative Careers Campaign

● More information about the campaign can be found on the Discover! Creative Careers Campaign website HERE