Factory Academy – Core Programmes

• An introduction to sound, lighting and stage management
• Essential knowledge around a wide range of health and safety issues, including protective equipment and working at height
• Risk assessments, ground plans and working to scale
• Roles within the industry and how to find work

As well as giving students practical experience of real backstage environments, the course is aimed at promoting technical production as a viable career and in turn helping to meet the demand for technical crew within the industry.

Sessions take place at Aviva Studios, with students shadowing Factory International’s in-house technical team, as well as gaining experience at other cultural venues across Manchester. Better still, students have had the opportunity to work on gigs by major artists such as Bastille, Ella Henderson and Mumford & Sons at Aviva Studios, thanks to Amazon Music’s City Sessions, powered by Aviva.

"This course has made me feel a lot more confident with being a technician, and I feel a lot more confident now to go out there and try new things, and gain even more experience from working with bigger venues as well."

"I was kind of on the fence about doing it, because it’s something that’s completely new to me, but as soon as I started the class I felt very welcomed. Everyone’s been so lovely."

Our Intro to Producing students:

• Gained hands-on knowledge of how to develop new shows
• Learned from world-class producers on large-scale projects
• Worked with MIF23 partner venues including Contact, The Royal Exchange, HOME and New Century Hall
• Attended tours, site visits and talks from guest speakers

The job of a producer is gloriously unpredictable; from drawing up contracts one day to answering unusual requests the next. No two days require quite the same set of skills... So where to begin?

Our goal was to open up the world of producing to untapped talent. Our approach was to equip incoming students – with no professional experience of producing – with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to get started on a successful career path.

Who better to design the Intro to Producing curriculum than our very own producers – who have years of experience working with leading artists on original productions. They helped us build a new eight-week course, held in-person and online, on which students got a sneak peek behind the scenes and exclusive access to projects being developed for MIF23.

"I got loads out of it. It’s always great having structure if you’re in between jobs, just being somewhere at 10 in the morning and being there for seven hours, that’s great for getting some structure back into your life. But then also you pick up a lot of admin skills and you’re interacting with a lot of people, getting a lot of contacts, meeting names. I think the contacts is such a massive thing."

Across six months, we’ll explore the importance of collaboration, the power of branding, how to budget and secure funding and how to pitch and network with confidence.

The Promoter Academy is a tailored six-month development program designed to refine your skills, deepen your knowledge, and build a strong understanding of how to create, manage, and grow your own promotional platforms – whether live events, festivals, record labels, or club nights.

With guidance from a carefully selected group of mentors and specialist masterclasses facilitated by SFTOC & Factory Academy, the programme is shaped around you - centring the work you do and the career you want to build. Combining hands-on learning with supported guidance, the course works towards you pitching for a stage at Sounds from the Other City 2026, giving you an experience to be part of one of Greater Manchester’s most important independent music festivals.