What HEY Creative does

HEY Creative is Hull & East Yorkshire's designated Cultural Compact, a non-profit strategic connector that develops arts, culture and heritage through cross-sector partnerships rather than direct funding or programming. Incorporated in 2024 following the 2019 Cultural Cities Enquiry, it operates with 1-10 staff from Kingston upon Hull and is supported by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Its flagship product is the free Hull & East Yorkshire Creative Charter, which has attracted 120+ signatories spanning business, education, health, local government and cultural organisations, each pledging concrete commitments — for instance, Hull Truck and NHS Hull University Teaching Hospitals collaborate on arts-health activity under the Charter.

The organisation's go-to-market is advocacy and convening rather than commercial sales: it publishes policy and research outputs (Impact of Culture Report, Devolution Manifesto, Collaboration Without Borders Report) and runs programmes such as Creative Careers / "Generation Hull" to widen participation in the creative economy. Partnerships with the British Council (international collaboration across 30 countries), Visit Hull & East Yorkshire (aligned to a £1bn visitor-economy target by 2029), and engagement with the Northern Culture All-Party Parliamentary Group form its principal routes to influence. Revenue mechanics rely on public-sector grant funding and partnership contributions; there is no paid product, tiered pricing, or transactional customer base, and Charter participation is deliberately free and open to maximise signatory breadth.

Name

HEY Creative

Legal name

HEY Creative

Website

https://hey-creative.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HEY Creative is Hull & East Yorkshire's Cultural Compact, a non-profit that develops arts, culture and heritage by convening cross-sector partnerships across business, education, health, local government and cultural organisations through its free Creative Charter and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Development Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Cultural development partnerships
• Arts and heritage advocacy
• Cultural compact convening
• Creative charter programs
• Cross-sector cultural strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Partnership and advocacy funding: HEY Creative operates as a Cultural Compact, functioning as a strategic connector and enabler rather than a direct funder. They align public, private, and third-sector investment into the cultural sector through partnerships and advocacy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HEY Creative operates as Hull & East Yorkshire's Cultural Compact, developing arts, culture and heritage through cross-sector partnerships spanning business, education, healthcare, and local government. Its flagship offering is the Hull & East Yorkshire Creative Charter — a free-to-sign and free-to-deliver UK-first pledge program with four structured commitments (Unite, Advocate, Grow, Include) — alongside convening, advocacy, partnership brokerage, and research services such as the Devolution Manifesto, Impact of Culture Report, and Collaboration Without Borders Report.

Product overview

HEY Creative is Hull & East Yorkshire's Cultural Compact organization. Rather than a technology product company, it operates as a charitable coordination body that develops arts, culture and heritage through cross-sector partnerships. Its offerings include the Hull & East Yorkshire Creative Charter (a free pledge initiative for businesses to support arts and culture), advocacy initiatives including a Devolution Manifesto, research reports such as the Impact of Culture Report and Collaboration Without Borders Report, creative careers programs, and various resource toolkits for signatories. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hull & East Yorkshire Creative Charter Free-to-sign and free-to-deliver UK-first pledge program for organizations to support arts, culture and heritage in Hull & East Yorkshire. Signatories make four commitments (Unite, Advocate, Grow, Include), each with one mandatory action, and gain access to a Resources and Toolkit.
• Discover! Creative Careers Creative careers education initiative delivered in partnership with Generation Hull and East Riding Cultural Education Partnership, including 11 showcase events in schools across Hull and East Yorkshire to champion creative career pathways for young people.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £100m annual economic contribution from arts and culture to the region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, primary and secondary.

• Hull Truck TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Founding Creative Charter signatory; delivered GP training programme with NHS (won Innovation award at Stage Awards 2026).
• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Funded the 'Collaboration Without Borders' report mapping Hull & East Yorkshire's cultural and cross-sector international connections across 30+ countries.
• Visit Hull & East Yorkshire (VHEY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2025Co-hosted mayoral hustings on culture and visitor economy; shared vision for £1bn visitor economy by 2029.
• We Are CreativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2025Artist-led not-for-profit supporting 180+ freelance creative members; partnership enables organizational development and networking events for freelancers.
• KADA ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Conducted the Impact of Culture research report and the Collaboration Without Borders report, providing evidence base for cultural advocacy.
• Generation HullprimaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered to deliver Discover! Creative Careers program, including 11 showcase events in schools across the region.
• East Riding Cultural Education PartnershipprimaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated on Discover! Creative Careers initiative to champion creative careers in schools.
• Arts Council EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Established the Cultural Compacts model and provides ongoing support for HEY Creative as the Hull & East Yorkshire Cultural Compact.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Supported the development of Cultural Compacts nationally, with HEY Creative being one of 30-40+ Compacts across England.
• University of HullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey founding signatory of Creative Charter; partner on international collaboration initiatives including University of the Arctic.
• Hull City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory of Creative Charter; key partner in devolution manifesto and regional cultural strategy.
• East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory of Creative Charter; key partner in devolution and regional cultural initiatives.
• Hull and Humber Chamber of CommerceprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerFounding signatory of Creative Charter; connects HEY Creative with business network.
• Future HumberprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory of Creative Charter; strategic partner on place branding and economic development.
• For Entrepreneurs OnlyprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory; hosted 'Turbocharging Business Through Creativity' events; CEO Jan Brumby serves as HEY Creative Board member.
• The DeepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory demonstrating active commitment across all four Charter pillars; Board member representation on HEY Creative.
• Wykeland GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDominic Gibbons (MD) serves as Chair of HEY Creative; founding signatory of Creative Charter.
• Northern Culture APPGsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEY Creative gave evidence at House of Commons session on Northern culture potential.
• Hull Truck TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding signatory hosting mayoral hustings and major cultural events; Vice Chair Janthi Mills-Ward serves on HEY Creative Board.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• British Council: The UK's international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, with a broad global partnership network. It is comparable through HEY's international cultural collaboration and cross-sector convening work, but is much larger and not a direct competitor.
• The Audience Agency: A UK cultural-sector organization providing audience insight, development, and evaluation support to arts and heritage organizations. It is comparable as an enabling participant in the cultural ecosystem, not as a direct regional compact competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Creative Lives: A UK-wide charity supporting participation in creative activity and the people and organizations that enable it. It is comparable to HEY Creative's arts advocacy, network-building, and inclusion objectives, though it operates nationally rather than region by region.
• Arts Council England: The national development agency for arts, culture, and creativity in England, supporting Cultural Compacts and cultural investment. It is a broad institutional analogue to HEY Creative's public-sector convening and cultural-development role, but it is a funder and strategic body rather than a local delivery peer.
• Locality: A national membership network for community organizations, social enterprises, and local groups, focused on community-led development and local influence. It shares HEY Creative's place-based, community-led convening and advocacy model, but serves a broader development agenda.

Regional players

• Creative Black Country: A regional cultural and creative development body working across the Black Country with businesses, public bodies, and communities. Its place-based cross-sector model and creative-sector advocacy closely match HEY Creative's convening remit.
• Culture Central: Birmingham's cultural development agency, coordinating cultural organizations, city priorities, and strategic partnerships. It is comparable through its city-level cultural convening and place-making role, although its urban scale and ecosystem differ.
• Bradford Producing Hub: A producing and development organization in Bradford that connects cultural producers, partners, and city or regional agendas. Its local cultural-development and partnership-building function overlaps with HEY Creative's work across sectors.
• Absolutely Cultured: A Hull-based cultural development organization that produces and coordinates cultural programming and place-based engagement. It is a close regional analogue to HEY Creative's role in convening culture around economic and civic outcomes.

Emerging players

• Yorkshire Artspace: An artist-led organization supporting artists, studios, and creative practice in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. It overlaps with HEY Creative's creative-sector development and inclusion goals, though its primary focus is direct artist support rather than regional cross-sector coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HEYCreativeCC
• Facebookfacebook.com/HEYCreativeCC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heycreativecc
• Instagraminstagram.com/heycreativecc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HEY Creative