Who we are Meet the Team Martin Bright, Founder & CEO Martin is the award-winning former Political Editor of the New Statesman and The Jewish Chronicle. His idea for The Creative Society (formerly New Deal of the Mind) captured the imagination of the cultural world in 2009 and attracted the support of politicians from across the political spectrum. Martin is Founder and Chief Executive of The Creative Society. Since March 2009 he has been working closely with ministers, officials and arts organisations to deliver jobs in the creative industries. [email protected] Barbara Palczynski, Projects Director Barbara joined The Creative Society as Projects Director in November 2016 bringing with her a wealth of knowledge of the arts and creative sector to strengthen our strategic-thinking and projects work. She has worked for 20 years in music, overseeing large-scale orchestral and opera projects, to cross-arts, multi-media and digital projects with NPOs. She was a founding member of the pop-up club inégales, an open space for multi-genre free improvisation and collaboration. Several of her projects have been nominated for an RPS Award. She has worked with multiple stakeholders across many different countries and she believes firmly in the importance of cultural exchange, creating an environment in which partnership working, imagination and openness can flourish. Barbara works closely with Martin on strategic planning and oversees the mentoring and projects for The Creative Society. [email protected] Kitty Withington, Project Manager After graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2014, Kitty worked as a freelance drama facilitator and playwright for theatre projects across London. Kitty’s debut play The View From Down Here was produced at Ovalhouse in South London in October 2014. Kitty has since worked for Theatre Royal, Stratford East and Rewrite as both playwright and facilitator. At Creative Society, Kitty project manages the Creative Job Studio in partnership with Somerset House. Kitty also mentors young creatives and set up the Creative Society Lates at Peckham Levels. [email protected] Hiba Mohamed, Project Manager Hiba is a writer and cultural producer who founded Taming Lions, a zine showcasing the work of emerging artists. Through The Creative Society, she found a job as an advisor for Create Your Future, a personal and professional programme to support women of colour into sustainable employment. Since then she has joined the Creative Society to manage the Creative Job Studio programme in North London. In her spare time, Hiba writes Side Hustle Sundays, a self-development blog which takes inspiration from her work supporting people into employment to write about the ‘come-up’. [email protected]