Creative Access masterclass in community-building

Sign up by: 9am Friday 23rd January 2026
Date: Tuesday 27th January 2026
Time: 6.00 - 7.15pm
Where: Online via Zoom

In a creative world that can often feel competitive, closed-off or overwhelming, authentic community has never been more important. This virtual masterclass brings together Creative Access alumni and community-driven creatives to explore how genuine connection is built, sustained and transformed into opportunity.

Designed for aspiring and early-career creatives, the session will offer honest reflections and practical advice on navigating creative spaces, finding your people, and building networks that support your growth not just your output.

Whether you’re looking to join an existing community or create one yourself, this conversation will give you the insights, tools and inspiration to take your next step with confidence.

About the speakers:

• Ajay Pabial: Renowned social entrepreneur, artist, founder and CEO of Art Clubbers CIC, an award-winning arts organization leading on groundbreaking programs that promote diversity, inclusion, and access for marginalized communities. Ajay’s wider advocacy includes board membership at We Create Space CIC, which emphasizes LGBTQ+ wellbeing. He was recognised by Pride in London as one of 52 dynamic LGBT+ visual artists.
• Lucia Aide: Founder of theConn3ct, a platform dedicated to curating experiences rooted in community, connection and creativity. Open to both practicing creatives and those who value meaningful connection, theConn3ct invites people to engage in creativity and connection in their own way. Lucia is also Thrive trainee at Creative Access, and is passionate about accessibility and representation in the creative industries, advocating for spaces where true belonging is the norm.
• Priya Biring: Co-director of Wondering CIC, a community interest company that transforms lives through filmmaking. Priya's background is in factual television, with a 12 year career that began with an internship at KEO Films, facilitated by Creative Access in 2013.
• Zhui Ning Chang: A Malaysian editor, writer, and theatre maker based in London. They are editor-in-chief at Hugo-nominated khōréō magazine, for cutting-edge speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers. Wider advocacy has extended to roles such as Advisor at Bloomsbury’s Lit in Colour programme, founding member of Migrants in Theatre, Connections Producer at Global Voices Theatre, and committee member of the British East and Southeast Asian Media Network.

This event is aimed at people who are under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who identify as Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, or people of any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, individuals with the characteristic of gender reassignment, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers and asylum seekers.