Dr Tarek Virani

• Position:Associate Professor of Creative Industries
• Department:College of Arts, Technology and Environment School of Arts
• Telephone:+441179656261
• Email:Tarek.Virani@uwe.ac.uk
• Social media:

About me

Tarek is Associate Professor of Creative Industries at the School of Arts - College of Arts, Technology and Environment (CATE). His research interests in the creative industries includes: Organisational resilience, urban and cultural policy, creative and cultural ecosystems, post-creative cities, culture-led regeneration and cultural districts, creative and cultural hubs and international dimensions of creative and cultural work and policy.

Recent and current projects:

• Measuring the challenges and opportunities in Bristol's music ecosystem. (Noods Levels / WECA - Culture West) 2025
• Skills Bootcamp for Creative Future Leaders - Wave 5. (WECA - Sept 2024 - Jan 2025).
• Place Partnerships programme – Culture West  (WECA/Arts Council England – 2024)
• Creating an evaluation framework for Meanwhile spaces –Sparks Bristol (internally funded, 2023 - 2024)
• Bristol and Bath Creative R and D. (AHRC, 2020 - 2023).
• Mayor of London's Creative Enterprise Zones evaluation (GLA - 2021 – 2023).
• Covid 19, Creative Economy Resilience and Recovery (ESRC – 2020-2022)
• Creative Workforce for the Future. (WECA - 2020 – 2023).

Recent policy work:

• The creative enterprise zone evaluation report (2023).

Teaching:

• BA Media Production: Media Networks, Practical Research Methods, Creative Industries and Cultural Value, Professional Practice in Media.
• BA Media Communication: Network Culture.

Recent and upcoming talks, workshops and keynotes:

• Panel Presentation: Tarek Virani, Abigail Gilmore, Andy Pratt, Marianna D’Ovidio, Jan De Schynkel. The Post-Creative City? Navigating inclusion, exclusivity, and the future of urban cultural policy. (Tuesday, 10th June, 2025 - Friday, 13th June), 2025 European Urban Research Association Conference, Bristol 2025.
• March 12th - Creative Leaders Bootcamp - Sources of funding and funding readiness. 
• March 19th, 2025. Funding workshop for creative micro-businesses. North Somerset Council. 
• February 26th, 2025. Organizational resilience workshop for creative micro-businesses. North Somerset Council. 
• January 16th, 2025. Growing the Cultural & Creative Industries: Building an Inclusive Engine for Growth for the Whole of the UK/ Public Policy Exchange.
• December 12th, 2024. Workshop. Resilience workshop for creative and cultural micro-businesses. Weston Super Mare. North Somerset Council. 
• November 28th, 2024. Keynote. #City of Cultures and Countercultures "The Right to a Creative City". About a City conference. Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. Milan, Italy.
• November 27th, 2024. Webinar. Resilient Region? 
  Resilient Region? A preliminary examination of organizational resilience in the West of England creative economy. DCRC seminar series. 
• August 13th, 2024. Guest Speaker. The importance of live music venues, the impact of Covid 19, and future directions. Reinvigorating the UK's Night-Time Economy: Adapting to Change and Developing Comprehensive Local and National Support Strategies. Public Policy Exchange.
• January 16th 2024. Panelist. Promoting the Cultural & Creative Industries: Meeting Challenges & Building on Success. Public Policy Exchange.

 Centres / groups:

• Digital Cultures Research Centre
• Creative Economies Lab (co-lead: 2020 – 2023)
• UWE Media Production
• UWE Culture, Media and Creative Industries

Current PhD supervison (Director of Studies)

• Valentina Orru

Other roles:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.
• Trustee - Acme Studios.
• Trustee – Bricks Bristol.
• Associate Editor - City, Culture and Society.
• ESRC Peer Review College

Please email tarek.virani@uwe.ac.uk if interested in PhD studies / opportunities.

Area of expertise

Creative and cultural industries, creative economy, creative hubs,  creative and cultural SMEs, creative, post-creative and co-creative cities.

Publications

Publications loading...