Mentors Cafe | Career & Business Advice

Mentors Cafe at IMSTA FESTA is a dedicated space for career and business advice where emerging artists and creatives can access focused, practical mentorship from industry leaders. Our advisers, Warren Salmon, Nadeem Mughal, and Professor Finlay Braithwaite, bring complementary perspectives in education technology, independent music entrepreneurship, and academic training. Guidance is structured to move beyond generic advice, concentrating instead on tangible actions: how to build a career-ready portfolio, which technical and business skills to prioritize, strategies for monetizing creative work, how to evaluate training programs and certifications for real-world value, and cultivating a winning mindset. The format is one-on-one consultations with small-group work if necessary, enabling direct feedback and clear next steps for each participant.

We aim to equip attendees with both strategic clarity and practical tools so they can make informed decisions about training, networking, and career pathways. Mentors Cafe helps creatives translate ambition into a sustainable plan by identifying gaps, recommending targeted learning, and suggesting partnership or funding pathways where appropriate. Mentors Cafe is an essential stop for anyone serious about turning musical passion into a lasting profession