Who are Curiosity Creative?
About Curiosity Creative
Curiosity Creative is a non-profit-distributing social enterprise, dedicated to creating and archiving digital stories made by people in the North East.
We're the region's own digital storytelling centre, working with community groups, individuals and private companies, helping them to tell their own stories and record them using sound, images and photographs.
We believe that digital storytelling has real benefits including the development of new skills and improved confidence. Above all, it allows people to have their voices heard. It's an opportunity for creativity and helps to build community pride and develop relationships between different local groups.
Not only do we run workshops where people can record their personal stories, we also act as an archive, sharing the region's stories online and keeping them safe for future generations to watch.
Find out moreMeet the Curiosity Creative team
Alex Henry
Founding Director & Operations Manager
I've worked in the heritage sector for more than 10 years, including many years working in partnership with groups such as older people's support groups, people with dementia, young carers, young offenders, youth services, prisons, refugees and asylum seekers and disability and d/Deaf support groups.
I managed the HLF-funded Culture Shock project, one of the largest digital storytelling projects in the world and internationally recognised as an example of good practice.
Everybody has a story (or two, or three) to tell and when you start a project, you never know what stories will be created. That's one of the reasons why I love what I do.
Kath Smith
Director
I'm Kath Smith, Director of Remembering the Past, Resourcing the Future (RPRF), the oral history and reminiscence specialists for North Tyneside. I came into this role after working as a social science researcher at Durham University, meeting people across the region in their home and work environments. My job gives me the chance to combine the interview skills I gained during my time at Durham with my longstanding interest in 'people's' history.
I've been delighted to join the Board of Curiosity Creative because it provides a North East based centre of excellence for the development of digital story telling and the archiving of digital stories. One of my key interests in the development of Curiosity Creative is to enable more people, regionally and nationally to become aware of this innovative technique and benefit from sharing the incredible skills which form the foundations of this emerging company.
Chris Thomson
Director
Chris has been living in Newcastle since 2010 but his connection to the area stems from the fact he married a Gateshead lass in 1998. He’s very attached to the area and is proud that his two young children are growing up as Geordies even though he hails from Edinburgh.
Chris's main interest in storytelling is its place in learning and education. He works as a consultant trainer at Jisc Netskills, based at Newcastle University but his interest in digital storytelling goes back to 2006 while he was working in Sheffield, helping schools get to grips with technology.
In 2013 he completed a Masters course, doing his dissertation on the subject of digital storytelling within organisations. This is the story of that dissertation -https://vimeo.com/67013552
When he's not at work you're likely to find him cycling or on the beach somewhere in Northumberland.
Marty Henry
Office Coordinator
After several years spent in project management, admin and freelancing as a photographer, I was lucky enough to join the team at Curiosity Creative in June 2014.
What I really enjoy about working here is that no two days are the same, just as no two stories we help people to share are same.
In My role as office coordinator I oversee the admin and finance as well as working on the post production, Archiving of the stories we produce.
Outside of work I enjoy gardening, Camping in our VW and raising our two smashing daughters.
