Bristol-based boomsatsuma is a specialist training organisation that has been connecting students to the creative industries with its creative and digital education programmes since 2008. It offers courses at Key Stage 5 (post-16 college) with progression into undergraduate level degrees and currently has more than 400 students a year coming through its doors.

It has ambitious plans to reach twice as many people with its education offering and significantly increase its higher education programme. The investment will help boomsatsuma build on its mission to provide pathways for young people, particularly those from Bristol’s marginalised communities, into the region’s creative and digital workforce.

Bristol & Bath Regional Capital is the West of England’s first home-grown impact investor, focused on unlocking funding and support for purposeful businesses, charities and social enterprises. Its place-making approach to investment means that investment is channelled into the region’s social economy, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits, which it believes creates a healthier and more resilient local economy and helps to tackle local issues.

Ryan Munn, business development manager, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital, says:

"boomsatsuma plays an important role locally helping young people get the experience and training they need to flourish in a career in our creative and digital industries. It will be great to see the impact that our investment will bring, enabling boomsatsuma to create new jobs, significantly expand its programmes and increase its reach for young people in marginalised communities."

Mark Curtis, creative director, boomsatsuma, says:

"We are passionate about Bristol, its richly diverse communities, and its world-leading creative and digital industries. We believe that every young person should have the same opportunity to access an education that delivers on that young person’s aspiration, regardless of their economic or cultural background. This investment takes the brakes off our plans that were slowed by the last three years of access restrictions from Covid and means that we can reach twice as many young people from across the city and this investment means we can confidently begin recruiting for over 20 new jobs this year alone."

Pictured (left to right): boomsatsuma Creative Media teacher Lindsey Davis and Creative Director Mark Curtis welcome BBRC's Ryan Munn to their Leadworks course centre. Image Credit: Matthew Broadhead.