Dr Steven Sparling

Overview

Dr Steven Sparling holds a PhD in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (Institute of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths University of London) and comes to City St George's from the Kingston School of Art, Kingston University where he was Head of Department, Creative Industries. He is also on faculty teaching modules on employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and Birkbeck, University of London. Previously he was on faculty at London College of Music, University of West London, where he was Programme Director for the BA Hons Musical Theatre degree. He has also taught at Toronto Metropolitan University (School of Creative Industries), Sheridan (Musical Theatre) and School of Music, University of British Columbia. He has previously been invited to lead masterclasses and guest lectures at institutions in Canada, Lithuania, Holland and South Africa. Through his consultancy, The Thriving Creative, he has taught workshops for organisations such as Red Door Studios, Makerhood, Morley College, University of the Arts and many others.

Dr Sparling is on the Board of the Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education and has published in their Journal of Arts Entrepreneurship Education. He is currently working on a book for Routledge on freelancing in the creative economy.

Prior to working in academia, Steven worked in the creative industries in Canada and the UK for over 25 years as an actor, singer, dancer, director and choreographer in plays, musicals, opera, dance, film, TV, recording and concerts spanning Canada, the UK, as well as London's West End and off-West End theatres. He can be heard on recordings of Dracula (Sang die Vie Productions) and It Takes Two: Stephen Sondheim Duets (Rich Rogue Arts Productions). As a journalist covering the arts and LGBTQ+ views his work appeared in The Stage Newspaper, the Pink Paper, Drama Student magazine, Out in the City magazine and many others.

Actively engaged in enterprise, Dr Sparling is a Partner in the Promoveo Group consulting working on projects of transformation management and leadership development and has an active coaching practice with creatives, founders and leaders. He is a certified mindfulness/meditation teacher (UK College of Mindfulness) and is forging new territory in combining mindfulness practices with creative entrepreneurship to better support creative freelancers and start-up founders.

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