Rethinking creative education

In an age of sprawling institutions and academic red tape, it’s rare to find an education model that truly feels nimble, human—and effective. But that’s exactly what Richard Wallace and his brother Simon set out to build with LMA, a creative academy that’s quietly rewriting the rules of arts education.

In this week’s episode, Georgina Godwin finds out how LMA went from being a clasroom in Liverpool with 18 students to a thriving, multi-campus institution backed by Robbie Williams.

LMA’s approach is strikingly simple: build an environment where imagination is encouraged, not flattened; where “creative thinking” is just as valued as acting technique or musical skill. “Education needs transforming, not just reforming,” Wallace says. “We’ve got to stop treating kids like failures just because they don’t fit a linear model.”

That spirit of risk-taking and playful resilience runs through everything LMA does, from its industry partnerships to its “LMA Way” values. Students are immersed in real-world experiences, sharing corridors with Netflix productions and West End performers, while staff are trained to lead with empathy, not just expertise.

Even during the pandemic, LMA expanded—building out a new campus at East London’s Here East, where the optimism is tangible. “We're in the people business,” says Wallace. “The shiny studios are great, but it's the culture that sets us apart.”

With 300,000 students across 72 institutions now within its international network, LMA is proving that scaling doesn’t have to mean diluting. It’s about keeping the human touch intact—even as the vision grows.