Career success for former Performing Arts student

Date published: 25 November 2011

Bury College Performing Arts students have been achieving prestigious positions in higher education for many years, following their courses at the College. Many have also progressed on to achieve successful careers in the industry.

Brian Hook of Hartshorn-Hook productions completed a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts course at Bury College in 2006. Since progressing from Bury College, Brian has counted numerous achievements.

He is co-founder of a commercial entertainment production and management company, Hartshorn - Hook Productions and is currently one of the youngest ever producers on the West End. His production of 'Woody Sez' has been nominated for the London Evening Standard Award for best musical, competing with the RSC, Cameron Mackintosh, The National Theatre and Southwark Playhouse.

More recently Brian and his business partner have been named as two of the youngest members of CVTF500, a business network that recognises the country’s most innovative business brains and creative talent.

Speaking about his time at Bury College, Brian said: "I have many fond memories of my time at Bury College. It was the first experience I had ever had of creating theatre, in a theatre. I did my best to make the course my own, and the tutors did an outstanding job of allowing me to be myself and learn my craft on my own terms, taking my dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD in their stride.

"Put simply, for me, Bury College was the first time within education that adults had taken an active interest in my potential, nurtured it and given me the tools and space to learn the skills I now use at a global level as a professional actor, producer and theatre consultant. I have a great sense of gratitude to the tutors past and present and am glad to count them amongst my personal friends."

Brian returns to Bury College annually to offer students advice and encourage them to succeed in the industry. His company has also helped former students produce their final major production of 'Grimm Tales' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest Arts Festival on the planet.