start with
what you have.

Self-Led Creates was founded in 2023 by William Stewart, a Scottish actor and creative known professionally as WILLA.
William knew from the age of eight that he wanted to perform. Growing up in a low-income family and a town where drama education was not offered meant his route into the industry was rarely straightforward. It taught him from a young age to seek out opportunities, work resourcefully with what was available, and keep finding another way forward.

That mindset has shaped almost every part of his life and career. After graduating college in 2021 and facing three consecutive years of drama school rejections, he decided to stop treating one route as the only way in and start building the career he wanted for himself.
Over the years that followed, William did exactly that. He spent five years working in youth work while building a creative career, sought out opportunities across performance and production, worked internationally, moved to London, and gained experience both in front of and behind the camera. Rather than waiting for one defining break, he built momentum through every job, project and opportunity along the way.

Self-Led Creates is an extension of that mindset: creating ambitious original work, opening accessible and fairly paid opportunities for others, and building a creative career through action rather than waiting for permission to start making things happen.