Welcome back to Futureworks after what I hope was a well-deserved festive break recharging your creative batteries in preparation for an exciting year ahead.
Last year was yet another milestone year for Futureworks. Being awarded Silver status by the Teaching Excellence Framework panel in recognition of our high standards of teaching, our flexible curriculum and close ties with industry, along with ‘Our students rating Futureworks 3rd overall compared with all UK universities’, through their participation in the National Student Survey 2024.
As we start the new year, we look forward to what will be another exceptional year at Futureworks. In summer, we will say farewell to our final-year students at their well-deserved Graduation and take time to recognise their outstanding achievements at Futureworks. With the 2025 UCAS deadline fast approaching, we hope to welcome many more new students to our campus in September. If you are interested in becoming a student and wish to visit us, we have a series of Open Days throughout the year, the first being on Saturday 18th January; places are bookable on our website.
Our flagship, in-house music production studio, 1043 Recordings, has some groundbreaking talent lined up for this year, including the latest Riverside Live Lounge performance by Ska band Madame Claude, the release of Madame Claude’s Riverside Live Lounge Session as an EP, and Manchester’s favourite five-piece, Derailed, who will also be recording their Riverside Live Lounge in Futureworks studios in a few months’ time.
Finally, I am pleased to announce an exceptional Guest Lecture hosted by Realtime. Specialists in three ever-growing sectors of the industry – in-game cinematics, automotive effects, and film & TV – they’ll be informing students about Realtime’s Level Up Programme. A training scheme that creates a supportive and natural entry point into the Realtime studio for Futureworks graduates, the Level Up Programme is designed to develop the next generation of VFX/Games artists and kickstart a rewarding creative career.
As you can tell, there’s a lot going on in 2025, and there’s lots more to come. We’ll continue to share updates with you throughout the year.
All the best
Chris Mayo
Principal, Futureworks
