Last night, CreateScene was named Creative Startup of the Year at the South East regional finals of the UK Startup Awards.
It's a sentence I'm incredibly proud to write.
Not because of the trophy itself, but because of what it represents.
For the last few years, Frazer and I have been building CreateScene with a simple belief: creativity deserves better tools, better opportunities and better communities.
What started as an idea between two friends became a project that consumed thousands of hours, countless late nights and more moments of uncertainty than I can remember. Like most startups, the reality behind the scenes is rarely as glamorous as people imagine. There have been technical challenges, financial challenges, mental and physical health challenges, moments where progress felt painfully slow and periods where we questioned whether anyone would ever truly understand the vision we were trying to build.
The creative industries are full of talented people, yet so many creatives still struggle with the same challenges. Finding collaborators. Building meaningful connections. Being discovered. Accessing opportunities. Maintaining their mental wellbeing in industries that can often feel isolating and competitive.
We didn't set out to build another social media platform.
We set out to build something that could genuinely help solve those problems.
That's why hearing the judges' feedback meant so much to us.
"CreateScene stood out for building a purpose-led platform designed around the real needs of creatives rather than generic social media behaviours. The judges praised its focus on collaboration, visibility, opportunity and mental wellbeing, as well as its ambition to make creative careers more accessible, sustainable and connected."
Those words resonated deeply because they perfectly captured what we've been trying to achieve from day one.
When you're building something new, especially something ambitious, there are long periods where you're operating on faith. You can see the destination in your mind, but convincing others to see it too is often the hardest part.
That's why recognition like this matters.
Not because it means we've "made it". Far from it.
In many ways, it feels like we're only just getting started.
What it does provide is validation.
Validation that the problems we're trying to solve are real.
Validation that our mission resonates beyond our own community.
Validation that industry leaders, entrepreneurs and judges can see the value in creating a platform designed specifically around the needs of creatives.
For years, Frazer and I have poured our own time, money and energy into building CreateScene. We've taken the long road, funding development ourselves, refining the product, listening to feedback and constantly evolving our vision as we've learned more about the community we're serving.
There were undoubtedly easier things we could have done with our time.
But neither of us started this journey because it was easy.
We started it because we believed it was needed.
Winning this award doesn't change our mission, but it does strengthen our belief that we're heading in the right direction.
It also puts CreateScene on a much bigger stage.
As regional winners, we'll now progress to the UK Startup Awards national finals at Ideas Fest, where we'll have the opportunity to represent the South East alongside some of the most exciting startups in the country.
To even be part of that conversation is an honour.
For us, this recognition isn't just a win for CreateScene. It's a win for the wider creative community that has supported us, tested the platform, shared feedback, believed in the vision and helped shape what CreateScene is becoming.
Every user who joined early.
Every person who shared our content.
Every creative who took the time to tell us what was working and what wasn't.
Every supporter who saw potential in the idea before there was a product.
You've all played a part in this journey.
The road ahead is still long. There is still so much we want to build, improve and achieve. Our ambition remains the same as it was when we first started: to create a platform where creativity leads to connection, connection leads to opportunity and opportunity helps people build more sustainable creative careers.
Last night's award doesn't mark the finish line.
It simply reminds us that the journey is worth continuing.
And for that, we're incredibly grateful.