The Creative Exchange
A creative professional development series from SEATTLE CREATES built for the next wave of Arts + Tech leaders.
Bringing industry into the classroom and emerging talent into the workplace.
Two ways THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE works.
01
Workshops brought to your campus
Hands-on workshops, field trips, and immersive learning experiences delivered to schools and universities, led by working creatives from arts, tech + creative industries.
02
1-to-1 internships
A 3-month placement where one intern works directly with one mentor on real world projects. SEATTLE CREATES manages the placement and supports both sides.
Bring The Creative Exchange to your campus.
01
You don't need to build another career-readiness program from scratch.
Built with you, delivered by us: we design the series around your students and curriculum, source the teaching artists + industry professionals and produce each experience.
You connect us to your students.
Benefits of The Creative Exchange
Industry Readiness
Career exploration, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and professional development.
Workshop Series
Hands-on sessions that pair a skill with the working professionals who use it.
Internship Pipeline
Connect students to paid opportunities and 1-to-1 mentorship placements with Workforce Partners.
WINTER - SPRING 2026
We built this with
Seattle University
The Creative Exchange began at Seattle University as a collaborative series between SEATTLE CREATES and the Seattle University Library Makerspaces, hosted in the Billodue Makerspace and the Media Production Center.
Over Winter and Spring 2026, we ran it as a pilot: hands-on workshops, field trips and immersive learning experiences that prepared students for interdisciplinary careers with a focus on workforce development, upskilling + S.T.E.A.M. principles.
Each session was led by someone who built something from scratch. We had honest conversations about craft, career and what it takes to make a living doing what you love in Seattle.
Everything we saw is shaping how we bring the program to other campuses.
1-to-1 internships.
02
Students + Career Jumpers
Talent is everywhere. Access is not.
A 3-month, 1-to-1 mentorship internship with a real business, a real project and a real mentor in your corner.
You’re matched with one Workforce Partner, a small business, studio, nonprofit, agency or company, and paired directly with a supervisor who works alongside you for the full three months.
You’ll see how your skills show up in a working environment and leave with portfolio-ready work.
For Workforce Partners
Need talent?
Help someone build theirs.
Bring a motivated emerging creative onto your team for 90-days, with SEATTLE CREATES providing guidance and support throughout the duration of the project.
Move a project, campaign, or back-log forward with a dedicated person. We learn what you need, then screen participants for skills, goals + fit. We curate the role and Scope of Work in partnership with our mentors to ensure the process runs smoothly.
See how someone works over 90-days before deciding to extend, hire, contract, or endorse them for their next role.
Cross Sector Industries
event production
tech
visual arts
film + videography
social media
marketing
fashion
engineering
business development
architecture
design
theatre
gaming
creative direction
science
performance arts
finance
animation
sports
styling
content creation
economics
music
SEATTLE CREATES fuels the Creative Economy
