Empowering the visionaries of the future: leading global creative studio Uncommon launches pop-up residency for London uni students to weaponise the next gen of British creatives
- In an industry-first move, Uncommon Creative Studio announces a collaboration with Ravensbourne University, London
- Kicking off today, the four-week creative incubator will bring together and nurture a diverse group of students from a range of Ravensbourne’s courses
- The initiative seeks to explore themes of British culture and create a new conversation in the midst an ever-shifting cultural landscape
- It will culminate in students exhibiting their work in a show on Thursday 10th April, and the four-week process will also be captured in a documentary film
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 19 MARCH 2025, LONDON: Hot on the heels of the government’s plan to use AI tech to ‘turbocharge’ the economy — which has raised concerns within the creative industry when it comes to intellectual property theft — renowned creative studio Uncommon has today unveiled an industry-leading partnership with a new wave of British creatives through Ravensbourne University, London, which aims to foster the next generation of talent.
The collaboration sees the creation of a four-week residency, running until 10 April, and hosted in Uncommon’s dynamic, creative and energetic studio environment in central London. Students from a range of Ravenbourne’s courses will be invited to explore themes of British culture and create a national conversation through a creative output, during a time when Britain is experiencing rapid technological growth and cultural change.
Participating students will attend engaging workshops, mentoring sessions and talks, and during their final week the mentees will give a final presentation of their ideas to the Uncommon team and their wider industry network. Exceptional work has the potential to be put out into the real world, which will be funded by Uncommon and created by its team alongside the student(s).
The four-week residency will also be captured on film from start to finish — documenting the evolution of ideas and personal journeys of participants as they unpack the theme of British identity — thanks to filmmakers from the university’s Digital Film Production course.
Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon Creative Studio, comments: “Developing and inspiring the next generation of creative thinkers and makers is key to ensuring our industry thrives for years to come. Our pilot residency project with Ravensbourne aims to arm students with the tricks of the trade with a brief to start a new conversation to shape British culture. Ultimately, we’d like to make this an annual initiative that supports more and more young creatives in the future, weaponsing them for success.”
Ensuring knowledge-sharing goes beyond the walls of the studio, key insights and ideas from these events will be broadcast to the world via a weekly podcast.
The project draws inspiration from Atelier Populaire, a highly influential protest art series created by Parisian students in 1968 to revolt against the ‘bourgeois’ state. Their printed posters juxtaposed weaponized language with youthful, playful imagery, and demonstrated how intertwined art and politics can become during periods of social change.
MORE ABOUT UNCOMMON CREATIVE STUDIO
Uncommon is an award-winning multidisciplinary creative studio making films, entertainment, experiences and design that people in the real world actually wish existed. In 2024, the studio was included among Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies across all industries globally; ranking number one in Advertising and Marketing.
As one of the most successful creative studios in the UK, Uncommon has rapidly expanded its global reach. Now approaching its eighth year, the studio has established outposts in New York and Stockholm.
The London headquarters is behind the award-winning provocative new advertising work with British Airways including the viral period-drama inspired safety video, the UK’s most recognised mental health campaign #BritainGetTalking with ITV and most recently the new brand identity and global launch for EA SPORTS FC — coined as one of the biggest rebranding exercises in entertainment history by BBC News.
Uncommon’s creative reach also extends into the world of entertainment, architecture and entrepreneurship. The studio has produced critically acclaimed films, including This Much I Know To Be True, an intimate exploration of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ creative partnership, directed by Andrew Dominik. This was followed by Uncommon’s second feature film, In Camera. Their latest project, The Thing with Feathers, was produced in collaboration with Lobo and Sunnymarch Films, directed by Dylan Southern, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch. The film premiered at Sundance 2025, further cementing Uncommon’s presence in the cinematic world.
Beyond entertainment, Uncommon has also ventured into architecture, partnering with renowned architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick as the lead creative founding partner on his ambitious Humanise movement. This initiative aims to spark 10 million conversations and ignite a global movement, encouraging people to become more aware of the buildings that shape their daily lives.
Uncommon is also deeply committed to fostering the next generation of businesses. The studio played a pivotal role in founding Unrest, an accelerator dedicated to developing impact-led consumer brands. From its inception, Uncommon helped shape the incubator, design the program, and continues to serve on its board while acting as the brand partner for emerging start-ups each year. Since launching at Uncommon’s Clerkenwell studio in 2021, Unrest has supported the growth of over 60 unique brands, 72% of which are female-led or co-led, with an 87% survival rate after two years — more than 10% above the industry average. Through strategy, brand communications and design — Uncommon has helped start-ups like Bold Bean, Planty, and NX10 establish their identity and position in the world.
