Holiday Club’s Bisoye Babalola is opening doors for the next generation of creative talent
What began life as a South London summer school has evolved into a dynamic mentorship scheme offering emerging creatives hands-on experience and real-world opportunities in fashion, media and culture. Hattie Collins meets Holiday Club’s founder, Bisoye Babalola, who is on a one-woman mission to unlock opportunities for young talent.
Four years ago, I received an email asking if I would deliver a workshop on the business of print for a youth charity aimed at 15 to 25-year-olds. Three weeks later, I met Bisoye Babalola, Holiday Club’s founder and Managing Director and a room full of inquisitive south Londoners figuring out how and where they might fit in the creative industries.
Since 2020, Holiday Club’s annual Summer School has formed the foundation of a wider editorial and creative ecosystem. The Holiday Club magazine was developed to give participants and alumni a tangible portfolio, shaped through hands-on involvement in the full production process from journalism to photography, retouching, set design and styling, all under the guidance of industry mentors.
Some of the most influential figures in music, design, media and fashion – including Amelia Dimoldenberg, IB Kamara, Sasha Keable, Samuel Ross, Yoon Ahn, Yinka Ilori, and Charaf Tajer – have been invited into the programme where, as well as being featured in the zine, they share their experiences directly with the next generation. For Bisoye, this exchange is central to Holiday Club’s philosophy: creative careers are rarely linear, and honesty about failure helps demystify the industry.
Bisoye has created something brilliantly special with Holiday Club, a hands-on, hectic and exhilarating fifteen-day Summer School that feels unlike anything else, where lasting friendships and working relationships are formed. While she was awarded a BEM in 2019 for her contribution to the creative and youth industries, and receives some funding and support, she pretty much pulls off this incredible feat by herself and with her own resources.
We spoke to Bisoye about the origins of Holiday Club and what her own creative future, outside of helping others, holds.
Holiday Club started off as a South London based charity. Is that where you’re from?
Yep, I’m a true South Londoner (laughs). I grew up in Battersea and went to secondary school and Sixth Form in Wimbledon. South London has greatly shaped my worldview. I’m also Nigerian and deeply proud of my culture.
How did Holiday Club begin? Was this always the plan?
Holiday Club was always in the plan, but I thought it would be something I did when I was much older. I’ve always been very interested in business, and I’m very inspired by American culture. I would watch shows like MTV Cribs and think if they can do it that big, so can I (laughs). As well as that, I’m Nigerian; being ambitious and audacious is in our nature. My Mum also raised me to think with no limits; I truly believe I can achieve anything with God. I interned at [the now defunct] Live magazine aged 14, ran a T-shirt business at 16 and completed two Channel 4 internships before university. After graduating from university, I assumed I’d easily get a graduate job. I didn’t (laughs).
I’m very inspired by American culture, in particular Hip-Hop and business culture. I used to watch shows like MTV Cribs, and think if they can do it that big, so can I. I’m also Nigerian; being ambitious and audacious is in our nature.
Bisoye Babalola
So what happened?
I secured a PR internship but wanted more. My goal was to work at a music label so in 2014, I started a music blog. After endless unsuccessful applications, I decided to launch a PR agency for independent artists and brands. The PR agency was occupying all my time, so I decided to pause the blog to start Screened Nights where I’d screen films by emerging filmmakers and music video directors. I had lots going on but the problem was I didn’t prioritise business development – i.e. money (laughs) – and along the way I got distracted from what my mission was; to use my agency as leverage for a job in a record label. So I started Holiday Club.
To use that as leverage?
No (laughs). It was now 2018 and I was confused and borderline depressed. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t secured a job yet. I started thinking: if I am struggling despite having contacts, placements and experience, younger people must be too. I began volunteering in schools and realised many of them hadn’t heard of the numerous roles that exist in the industry. That became the starting point for Holiday Club. After running small workshops with 14–18-year-olds for two years, I realised I had something. That work eventually became the Holiday Club Summer School.
What are some of the challenges of running Holiday Club?
Funding has always been our biggest challenge. You want to help people, but growth requires money, and funding is rarely stable. The moment a funder changes direction, support can disappear. Additionally, the business model of Holiday Club is not necessarily the best suited for traditional funding, because they prioritise scale and volume, while we prioritise depth and quality output. I knew we needed to rebrand, as funding alone was not going to make us sustainable.
After graduating from university, I was confused and borderline depressed. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t secured a job yet. I started thinking: if I am struggling despite having contacts, placements and experience, younger people must be too.
Bisoye Babalola
SUMMER SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS AND MENTORS
INK RETOUCH WORKSHOP
So how have you evolved?
Holiday Club is much more than the Summer School, although it will always remain at the heart of what we do. Our work is now split across editorial and brand partnerships. We recently launched our Substack and collaborated with Nando’s around a role they were hiring for.
I tested the idea of producing a zine in 2022 as part of the Summer School and it quickly became the central pillar to the programme. It’s produced by the participants and alumni under the guidance of our mentors, which include yourself (Hattie Collins), Nat Bury, Laura McCluskey, Jake Hunte, Maureen Kargbo, Thomas Bird and Emily Davies and agencies Ink Retouch and Wild Island Films. Beyond editorial, we’ve partnered with ITV, North Six, UNIT, Gungho and RanaVerse to offer paid jobs or shadowing experience in event and fashion production, PR and advertising.
11-year-old Bisoye wanted to be an entrepreneur. What does 34-year-old Bisoye want to do?
Right now, I’m focused on building Holiday Club into a sustainable business. I want to grow the agency side, working with brands on how creative roles are framed, marketed and understood. Alongside Holiday Club’s growth, I’m focused on film and long-form storytelling. I’ve just wrapped as an Executive Producer on a documentary featuring A$AP Rocky, Michèle Lamy and Marc Jacobs, which reinforced how powerful culture-led partnerships can be. I’m also interested in play, collecting and design. I’m fascinated by how brands like Lego and Mattel think about longevity, licensing and adult play, and how those ideas intersect with culture. I’m a collector too (Barbie, playing cards, objects) and I’m drawn to businesses that understand emotional value as much as commercial value. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but I’m proud that I’ve stayed curious and kept building. I’m still learning every day through film, reading, and conversation. I just joined Substack, also, so I can talk more about my interests.
I am deeply inspired by Edward Enninful, Vanessa Kingori and Sharon White. I jokingly call them my uncle and auntie. To have achieved what they’ve achieved as Black people in the UK is incredibly inspiring.
Bisoye Babalola
SUMMER SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS AND MENTORS
Who are some of the people that you admire?
So many people. My Mum of course, but in business it would be Emma Grede, [Terra Firma founder] Guy Hands, Michael Ovitz, Aliko Dangote, Bernard Arnault, Walt Disney and [broker] Ryan Serhant. I am also deeply inspired by Edward Enninful, Vanessa Kingori, and Sharon White. I jokingly call them my uncle and auntie in conversation with friends. To have achieved what they’ve achieved as Black people in the UK is incredibly inspiring.
I think what you do with Holiday Club is incredibly inspiring.
Thank you. I love being able to collaborate with so many young people and to give them an opportunity. In an industry that can sometimes feel gatekept, it’s important to be able to share my knowledge, my experience, my network, my understanding; to give people confidence where maybe they didn’t have confidence before. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
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