Speaking to Dr. Jon Stewart about our MA Business for the Creative Industries
By MetFilm School
13 June 2025
Our MA Business for the Creative Industries is designed for those who want to turn their passion for culture into a sustainable and dynamic career. Whether your background is in film, music, live events, games, theatre, or digital media, this course equips you with the practical business skills, professional connections, and creative insight needed to thrive in today’s fast-moving industries.
You’ll be part of a vibrant community of creative people and will be taught by professionals who work across creative and academic fields. On your course, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in industry placements and collaborative projects where you can put everything you’ve learnt into practice.
One of these professionals is Course Leader Dr. Jon Stewart, who spent many years playing guitar in Brit-pop band Sleeper. After splitting in 1998 and reuniting in 2019, the group are going strong and recently celebrated the 30-year anniversary of their debut album. This is just one example of the various ways in which our lecturers are actively working in the creative industries.
We caught up with Jon to ask about the course and his experience teaching it.
What makes the MA Business for the Creative Industries course stand out from other postgraduate business courses?
This is a fantastic course because it sits across film and screen, music, theatre and performing arts, games, and any related area of the creative industries. So someone can come along as a postgraduate student and network across a wide range of communities and access diverse employment opportunities.
The course includes a minimum 80 hours of placement, which we can organise anywhere that suits your professional and creative goals. The course is taught by dedicated and experienced creative arts professionals with a huge amount of skills, knowledge, and goodwill to share. It’s delivered simultaneously in Brighton and Berlin, so there will also be opportunities for international networking amongst the students and staff.
How does the course bridge creative practice with real-world business skills?
MetFilm School is a unique environment for creative education because our teachers are all experienced and active professionals in their fields. So we have unparalleled networking opportunities and are able to help students and graduates make the connections they need to realise their ambitions.
As our teachers are all current professionals, they concentrate on practical learning rather than book learning, and they’re in a position to share the most up-to-date and relevant experience and knowledge. But that’s not all. MetFilm School also boasts numerous lecturers with PhDs, experience in publishing research via peer-reviewed journal papers, and contacts in scholarly interest groups around the world. This includes the latest in AI research, the Meme Studies Network, as well as cultural groups looking at obscure films or music genres. Throughout your studies, we’ll help you explore and gain expertise in whatever subject you’re passionate about.
What kind of student is this course best suited for?
Anyone with a minimum 2:2, or equivalent professional experience, and a passion for the culture industries who wants to turn their love for the creative arts into a profession or business.
How does the course respond to the fast-changing nature of the creative industries?
We’re all active scholars in various research networks and also current practitioners on a professional level. This means we know what’s going on in the university sector but also, more importantly, what’s happening in film, TV, music, live events, theatre, and any other arts sector where our staff, students and alumni are active professionals.
How has your own experience in the creative industries shaped how you teach business?
I was lucky to meet someone when I was at university who was a very talented songwriter. It was in my very first tutorial. So I know how the connections you make as a student can literally shape the rest of your life. We went on to have major success in music, but I’ve also worked in film and as an author. So I know from experience how broad any career in the creative industries can become.
It’s a real privilege to work in this sector. Every day is an adventure. You can’t take anything for granted. You have to treasure every moment. Most of all, you meet brilliant people and can make lifelong friends who share the same precious memories.
What’s the most rewarding part of working with MA students?
I’m constantly surprised by how dedicated, creative, and – most of all – how genuinely welcoming and friendly our postgraduate student community is here in Brighton. I think it’s something to do with the location because it’s a very special city. Berlin has much the same feeling, and I’m looking forward to growing the course at other campuses because I know they are all equally good places to study.
Probably the single best thing has been to see alumni go on to enjoy successful careers in so many different areas of the creative industries, and to see others launch successful businesses and contribute to the local, national, and global creative arts community.
Ready to turn creativity into opportunity?
Whether you want to launch your own venture, step into a leadership role, or understand how business works across film, music, media, and the arts — the MA Business for the Creative Industries gives you the skills, insight, and connections to make it happen. You’ll build real-world experience, explore cross-industry strategy, and develop a toolkit for success in today’s fast-moving creative economy.
Explore MA Business for the Creative Industries
