GM’s creative industries unite to boost opportunity

GM’s creative industries unite to boost opportunity

Where there’s a collective will, there’s a way, was the resounding message from MediaCity and its stakeholders at the Greater Manchester (GM) Creative Industries event hosted in the heart of its creative hub – The Content Studio on Friday.

Over 70 attended from across GM’s dynamic creative ecosystem including civic and sector leaders, CreativeUK, the Royal Television Society (RTS), The University of Salford, dock10, the BBC as well as a raft of creatives from MediaCity and beyond to learn the key themes and priorities emerging from the draft Creative Industries Sector Plan. A potential gamechanger for the industry.

It’s a plan which Landsec – MediaCity’s new owners, fully support, Mike Hood, COO comments: “It’s great to see the Government giving the creative industries the weight it deserves as an economic accelerator in its Industrial Strategy, and to see MediaCity recognised in the Creative Industries Sector Plan for its role in developing a regional creative and digital cluster.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with our city region colleagues in the North West – where we have invested £1 billion to date – to drive place-based regional growth and deliver positive economic outcomes for businesses and communities alike.”

As the event got underway, the tempo was set from the start with Martyn Evans, Landsec’s Creative Director, giving MediaCity’s full commitment to support Salford and GM in shaping the plan not only as a leading regional creative cluster but one with global aspirations and output. But we cannot do it alone.

Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford echoed Martyn’s sentiment that we have the resource and talent on our doorstep for GM’s creative industries to reach their full potential. Acknowledging the collective which makes Salford great from the likes of the BBC to start-ups and freelancers – all inspiring and providing opportunity for the next wave of talent. All this is underpinned by skills programmes, apprenticeships, and partnerships with schools and colleges to make opportunity truly inclusive. He explained that it’s a full-system approach where individuals, communities and businesses are empowered to reach their significant potential.

Kate Doyle, Head of Programme, Quays Culture reinforced the need to support the next generation of talent and the importance of creating clear pathways into careers in order to be able to effectively deliver the ambitions of the sector.

Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, gave perspective to the opportunities that lie ahead – with the Government identifying GM as one of the six creative industry priority places set to receive a share of £150m from the Creative Places Growth Fund. She shared how GM’s growth has outpaced the rest of the country over the past decade with the creative industries truly driving its economic output. However, Bev acknowledged that the Creative Places Growth funding, while not insignificant, will not achieve the growth the sector needs on its own. She went on to stress why the GM Creative Industries Plan is so important in pulling fractions of the sector together to reach its full potential.

The Greater Manchester Strategy which is due to be published by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) sets ambitions to make GM a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life. The creative industries play a key role in this as Caroline Simpson, CEX, GMCA, cited how the sector is not only an important economic driver but essential in how we tell the story of our successes to the region and to the rest of the world. She went on to reinforce how collaboration is key.

Rebecca Swarray, Principal -Culture, Creative Policy, Creative Industries & NTE followed to share the key themes and opportunities of the Creative Industries Plan while Heidi Dawson, Head of BBC North, leading the call to arms for representatives in the room to pledge their support and provide valuable input.

What was clear that it’s a pivotal moment for GM’s creative sectors to harness the current momentum in the industry, break down barriers, unlock more opportunity and reach our full potential. The spotlight is on us and it’s our time to shine.