Dr Peter Merrington
Lecturer in the Business of the Creative and Cultural Industries

Profile

Biography

I am a Lecturer in the Creative and Cultural Industries and Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Business of the Creative Industries. I joined the School of Arts and Creative Technologies in 2021, bringing a diverse background in both academia and the arts and cultural industries. Previously, I worked as a postdoctoral Research Associate on an AHRC-funded project in the School of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow and the School of Geography, Politics, and Sociology at Newcastle University. 

Prior to completing my PhD in Fine Art (AHRC-CDA) at Newcastle University I gained professional experience working with leading UK contemporary art festivals and biennials. This included as the Assistant Director of AV Festival from 2015-17. I hold a BA (Hons) in Social Science (Geography and History of Art) from Durham University.

Research

Overview

I am an interdisciplinary researcher with a focus on cultural production. My work is situated in relation to visual culture, media history and cultural studies, often focusing on questions of the relationship between art, film and place, as well as labour, design, technology and creative practice. 

My current research investigates the practical production of interdisciplinary cultural projects, focusing on the working processes of cultural organisations with an explicit interdisciplinary focus. This research will be published in an upcoming book with Routledge.

Between 2017 and 2021, I served as a postdoctoral Research Associate on the AHRC project ‘Beyond the Multiplex: Audiences for Specialised Films in English Regions’, a collaboration between the universities of Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool and York. Through the project we explored non-mainstream film exhibition and consumption in the South West and Northern regions of England. My AHRC-funded PhD, examined the relationship between contemporary arts festival curating and place, utilising AV Festival as a case-study to analyse the recent cultural history of North East England. My research has been published in journals including Studies in European Cinema, Cultural Trends, The Journal of British Cinema and Television and Participations.

As part of my research, I actively engage in interdisciplinary collaborations with artists, producers, programmers, and curators, resulting in exhibitions, artists' books, screenings, performances, and events.

I welcome PhD proposals from prospective students whose research interests align with my own.

Teaching

Undergraduate

I am Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Business of the Creative Industries. In this role I convene several key modules, including: 

• Global Producing Contexts: Exploring cultural production in non-Western contexts).
• Creative Business Methods: Collaborating with the York Law School to teach key finance, legal and planning skills for the cultural industries.
• Group Project: An industry-focused module where I work with external partners to mentor student projects based on real-world opportunities or challenges.

Postgraduate

I’ve also contributed to teaching on the Postgraduate MA Management in the Creative and Cultural Industries (MACCI) programme with a particular emphasis on developing authentic learning experiences and fostering industry collaboration.