Nairobi Producer Exchange

If it’s more accessible for you to make your application by submitting a video or audio file, you are welcome to do so. Please email your application to hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk by the deadline.

Here are some guidance notes for submitting your application via email:

• Please use the subject line ‘Nairobi Producer Exchange application‘.
• Please attach, or link to, an audio/video application of no more than around 5 minutes in length. This should answer all the questions detailed in the ‘What are the application questions?’ FAQ below.
• In the email, please include the following information:
  • Your full name
  • Your email address
  • Your telephone number
  • Your full postcode
  • Your connection to Bradford
  • A statement confirming you meet all of the eligibility requirements
  • Whether you have any access requirements we need to consider when communicating with you, or when handling your application (you’re welcome to upload an access rider too)

To help you prepare your application in advance, here are the main questions asked in the application form:

• What is your connection to the Bradford district?
• How would you describe your creative practice?
  I.e. ‘I am a live music producer who mainly works with electronic music artists’. Or, ‘I am a festival producer who produces Brilliant Bradford Festival – a multi-artform celebration of Bradford culture in Manningham each May bank holiday.’
• Please provide examples of events and/or projects you have produced
  You can either upload a CV in the next question and/or provide links to your website, LinkedIn profile or professional social media accounts below. If providing links, please also include a summary of previous projects in the text box below.
• Where does your work usually take place?
  What kind of environment do you usually work in and where does it generally take place? I.e. My work takes place in theatres and community spaces around Yorkshire, occasionally touring around the North of England.
• Who are the main audiences for your work?
  I.e. My work is mainly for families, particularly those with young children. In addition to performances, we also do outreach work with refugee and migrant groups.
• How many people, on average, attend your events/performances?
• What do you hope to get out of this exchange programme?
  In what ways do you hope it will enhance your producing work, as well as your creative ambitions and aspirations for the future?
  
• What events or projects do you expect to be working on in 2025 that you expect to develop during your time on the Nairobi Producer Exchange programme?
  For you to make the most of this programme, we would expect you to apply your learning to a project in real-time.
• When hosting the Nairobi Producer in Bradford, what would you plan to do together to show off the District and make the most of their time here?
  We can help facilitate some of the more strategic meetings with key team members from Bradford 2025 and try to make contact with other practitioners or organisations associated with the Bradford 2025 programme.
• We don’t yet have confirmation of the exact programme dates, though we expect most of the activity to occur between August and September 2025. Are there any days, dates or times you are unavailable during these months?
• Is there anything else you want to tell us in relation to your application?

We will first assess applications against our eligibility criteria. We’re looking to select a candidate who will gain the most from the Nairobi Producer Exchange.

Some things we will consider when assessing your application include:

• Are you at the right stage in your producing career? I.e. you have experience producing live events and are actively developing at least one event, performance, festival, or project
• What impact might the programme have on your career/creative practice?
• Do your expectations of the programme match what you will get out of the experience?

We are looking for a producer who:

• Meets the eligibility criteria
• Demonstrates enthusiasm for international exchange and professional development
• Has a clear vision for how this experience will enhance their creative practice
• Shows readiness to take their producing career to the next level (e.g. expanding their audiences, scaling up their projects, or venturing into new locations or audiences)

Strong applications will demonstrate these areas clearly when responding to the application questions.

Applications will be shortlisted by representatives from Bradford Producing Hub, alongside Karishma Bhagani from the Bridges Producers Fellowship. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an informal interview – this isn’t just a chance for us to assess applicants, but also for applicants to decide if this opportunity is a good fit for them, too.

If you don’t currently live in Bradford, you must have a strong connection to the District to be eligible for this programme. This might include things like:

• You were born in Bradford
• You attended school, college or university in Bradford
• You work in Bradford or worked in the District for a significant amount of time
• You make work in Bradford, or in connection with Bradford communities

Things that don’t count as a strong connection Bradford include things like:

• You like Bradford
• You visit or have visited Bradford
• You feel a ‘connection’ to the district

If you have any questions about what we accept as a strong connection to the Bradford district, please drop us an email at hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk

Bursaries are not available for this programme. We will instead provide a placement fee of £1000, plus per diems (pre-approved expenses) and costs to cover attendance to arts and culture events.

Yes, we will cover your travel costs associated with the placement. 

Yes, we can cover any other access costs that may otherwise present a barrier to you being able to participate in the activity. Access costs include things like childcare and other caring costs; BSL, language and other interpretation costs; as well as access support workers, or any other access costs you might face. 

We will discuss these needs if your application is successful. 

This opportunity is for producers of the African diaspora based in Bradford in the United Kingdom. Producers based in Kenya have already been selected for the Bridges Producers Fellowship programme. For more information, please email Karishma Bhagani at karishmabhagani@gmail.com