London College of Contemporary Arts officially opens its doors to The Amp
Recently, the London College of Contemporary Arts (@LCCAUK) hosted a celebratory event attended by senior members of GUS and the college’s partner, the University for the Creative Arts, as well as singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia, to mark the official opening of The Amp, LCCA’s new campus in Aldgate, London, E1 1LA.
To celebrate the opening of the new campus, LCCA hosted an evening filled with thought-provoking insights, a chance to network with colleagues old and new and a showcase of work by LCCA students. The event also included performances from the London College of Contemporary Music students, part of GUS, as well as an impromptu acapella performance by Natalie Imbruglia of her worldwide hit song, ‘Torn’.
Deborah Hayes, Managing Director of LCCA, opened the proceedings by highlighting the excellent London College of Contemporary Music (LCCM) band that had been playing as people came in before introducing Joe Johnson, Chair of Future Learn, who said he was proud to be at the event, calling The AMP building iconic.
“You have made a very smart choice about were to be based,” said Johnson. “This building is turning into one of the most exciting clusters of creative energy anywhere in London, and probably Europe.
“It’s a great place to be based, and a great time to be in this part of the sector, working in the pipeline of talent that is going to supply our creative industries. Everyone in this room will know just how important the creative industries are for the UK. They represent every year, about a hundred and twenty-five billion pounds worth of economic activity, and they have been growing at more than twice the rate of the UK economy as a whole.”
Following Joe Johnson’s talk, Aaron Etingen, Executive Chairman and Founder of GUS, shared fascinating facts. When he started in business, he thought that people wanted to start their own businesses and there would many entrepreneurs in the room. To his surprise, however, most of the business school students had no interest in having their own businesses. Most were interested in petroleum, banking and structured careers. He pointed however, that the most entrepreneurial of the disciplines was the creative arts.
“We all have some talent said,” Etingen said. “Somethings we are good at and some we are really bad at. The biggest secret, however, is to collaborate and surround yourself with people who let you shine and let you rise up. It’s absolutely perfect to be imperfect.”
Jane Roscoe, President and Vice Chancellor of UCA started by saying that The Amp was a fantastic space and congratulated the students amazing work. “Just from a quick look round I am already inspired,” she said.
“It’s a fantastic time to be in the creative industries with and there are so many opportunities in this city. Here in this space, in this city, you will be doing lots of connecting and collaborating but also think globally and nationally.
“At UCA we are a very proud partner of you. We are excited about the future and how we can expand our partnership and keep supporting you going forward. We believe in storytellers, we believe in creativity and we believe in the right environment for you to find your voice.
Following the cutting of the ribbon by Aaron Etingen and Jane Roscoe, Deborah Hayes thanked a number of LCCA staff including Gordon Wright; Deputy Managing Director LCCA who drove the project around The Amp; and Boaz Arbel, Portfolio Managing Director and Nitin Gupta, Portfolio Managing Director for being sounding boards, as well as the builders and the students.
