The boundary-pushing initiative will give £10,000 to help one lucky mentee actualise their creative vision, with a little help from Sherelle, AntsLive, Ayshe Zaifoglu and Troy Roscoe.

Back for its second edition, the Relentless Freeform Forum, in collaboration with Pirate Studios, is looking for 12 young and disruptive creators to push their limits and secure a £10,000 creative fund from the energy drink company. Levelling the playing field and empowering those willing to break the mould, applications for the initiative are now open, encouraging anyone between the ages of 18-25 to bring a project they’re passionate about to the table. 

 

This year MOBO nominated rapper AntsLive, dance music visionary Sherelle, visual creative Ayshe Zaifoglu (AZ) and Burna Boy’s fave film director, Troy Roscoe, will provide their expertise to the lucky mentees. The three-month programme offers the creatives in-person meetings, networking sessions, guidance on how to stand out and support with the completion of a proposed project.

For those who aren’t lucky enough to be selected, Relentless and Pirate Studios have also set up a live Discord forum that encourages creative discussion between members of the public. The Skills Hub also provides insight and practical tips from partners like Pirate Studios, on how to overcome industry barriers, like where to get experience performing live and how to create a budget studio, through live chat forums and features.

 

This is all part of Relentless’ wider commitment to supporting subcultural scenes and championing creative freedom. Anchored by the knowledge of cultural trailblazers, the Freeform Forum helps creatives navigate competitive industries, that are often inaccessible because of costs and other restrictions. It shouldn’t be about who you know, it should be about what you know, and Relentless’ Freeform Forum is the answer to this. 

Last year, rising filmmaker Oluwafemi Adebayo was awarded the £10,000 grant for his project, ‘Dollar Signs’. The two-part music video, which also came as a flipbook, explored the importance of staying true to your vision in the face of adversity: a fitting narrative for Relentless’ emerging program.  

 

On the experience, Ade said: “I’m so over the moon, not only to have been selected for the creative fund but also to have been a part of the Freeform Forum mentorship from the outset”. He added, “I’m used to doing things myself with very small budgets or no budget sometimes – my creative ideas were just not getting off the ground. This experience gave me the opportunity not only to learn from creatives at the top of their game but to network, gain skills and access funds to push my creative limits even further.” 

It’s an invaluable opportunity for anyone with great ideas who simply doesn’t know where to start. On the experience, AntsLive says, “Freeform Forum is for people who want to rip up the rule book and create something totally unique and different. I’m looking forward to taking my mentees through what this means to me as an artist, and how this can help them on their creative journey in the music industry.”

 

Find out more about Relentless’ Freeform Forum and sign up here now.