The creative sector is one of the jewels in the South West economy, and its networks and coalitions are starting to make themselves heard. Christian Annesley reports.
For creative businesses in the South West the big issue is not the recession,” says Roger Proctor, chair of the South West Design Forum and managing director of Bristol-based design and communications agency Proctor & Stevenson.
It’s not that Proctor and others in the South West creative industries aren’t affected by the downturn – they are being squeezed just like others. But the feeling that there is a big opportunity waiting to be grasped comes over time and again when you speak to creatives in the region.
Until quite recently, the strength of this diverse sector went relatively unnoticed by those charged with driving economic development, but it’s now been discovered in a big way and in the South West things could snowball.
That’s because these days it’s understood that the creative industries are a huge employer and worth more than farming and fishing combined to the regional economy – and even more than tourism. It’s a particular strength of the region, partly because it has always attracted creative-types, from the artists who flock to St Ives to the animators at Aardman and the wildlife film-makers at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol.
That this flourishing area of the economy has taken root under the economic radar probably comes down to a telling social anomaly: five out of six operating in the sector work on their own, and many of the rest are in micro-businesses.
But things are changing fast, helped by the power of networks and networking, both electronic and face-to-face. It means the talent pool in the region is mixing more and more, leading to new creative partnerships and collective enterprise.
“In many ways scalability is the fundamental challenge we face,” says Mike Bennett, chief executive of Bristol Media, which has evolved into one of the region’s key creative industries hubs and has just pulled together a revealing listing of the region’s key creative businesses.
“Our top 100 list isn’t exhaustive but it clearly shows that the sector is still dominated by smaller, embryonic businesses. Those employing more than 20 are few and far between,” he says.
There are some good reasons for this predominance of micro-businesses, not least the fact that many small companies choose to stay small because it suits them. But Bennett and others recognise that providing help for those that want to grow is one opportunity the region’s creative sector, as well as its regeneration masters, should grasp while it is still there.
“Help is essential if a creative company is to grow from five people to 105 over time. Having access to finance, finding a suitable base to call home, pulling in the right skills, and having the support of mentors are all key to making that transition,” says Bennett.
“You might think businesses of all types need these sorts of resources, but I believe some parts of the creative economy are especially fragile and in need of help because they are still emerging as technologies evolve.
“Digital, for one, is an area that needs to be nurtured. It’s as immature as silent movies once were in film terms. So the support of agencies and local councils could make a real difference to the ability of start-up businesses to survive and flourish.
“This need for energetic government help and engagement is a point that Greg Ingham, chair of Creative Bath and chief executive of MediaClash in the same city, makes just as vehemently.
“Creatives need to be recognised by city planners. The success of a privately funded enterprise like the Paintworks creative hub in Bristol shows that there is a pent-up demand, but some projects will need public support to get off the ground, and in many cases what’s required is a long-term vision from the public sector.
“In Bath we have some dynamic and important businesses but many are tucked away and lack profile. The city is hemmed in by its topography and constrained by its World Heritage status to an extent. That means you need support for the creative economy in order to bring through the right sort of space to give businesses the platform to thrive.
“Ingham says Bath & North East Somerset Council is doing a “promising job” of embracing the challenge, but wants to keep up the momentum to develop the city as much more than a heritage site with a tourist economy.
And what’s heartening for people like Ingham is that most parts of the public sector are really listening.
Chris Garcia, head of clusters at the South West RDA, says the agency has spent a lot of time and energy trying to understand what is special about the South West’s creative sector – and how to nurture it.
“We have discovered some really key differentiators. Bristol, for example, is home to a lot of cutting edge talent and technology. That blend is unique. You have the likes of Aardman moving into computer-generated imagery, and Bristol is home to HP Labs’ largest research lab outside the US. It’s making a concerted effort to engage with creatives and explore how technology can be put to use.
“This endeavour to push the boundaries and create new forms of digital media even has a home in the city: the Pervasive Media Studio was opened by Chancellor Alistair Darling in February 2008, and brings together the IT, creative and communication industries in a pioneering spirit.
The studio, a collaboration between the Watershed Media Centre and HP Labs, with support from the RDA, is already winning plaudits well beyond the South West and looks like one good example of how the public and private sector can come together to foster creative innovation.
“By bringing together creative practice and technological innovation and giving people the space necessary to develop projects, the Pervasive Media Studio is already making a difference. It’s something to be proud of and something we can learn from,” says Garcia.
The RDA is trying to make its investments to help the sector go as far as possible, and Garcia says the Watershed is also a good example of thoughtful investment. In 2007 the agency gave £6m to the Watershed Arts Trust to enable it to become the landlord of its building, generating £300,000 a year in rental yields that Watershed is investing into an annual endowment fund, which will be used to support the city’s creative industries for at least the next 112 years. Cumulatively, this will be worth at least £40m over that extended period.
This support from the RDA is recognised and welcomed by those on the front line. Proctor, for one, singles out the agency for praise, saying its efforts have “given creatives real encouragement and a focus”. But he also warns that more still needs to be done and money must be found.
“The sector here in the South West would still benefit from an element of central support. Seed funding could make a real difference to some enterprises. The evolution of clusters and groupings is making a difference but investment is still required.
“Proctor is not talking about charity, as he is quick to point out. “Those that do invest could get a lot back,” he says. “My concern, though, is that the opportunity we have now could shrink back without the impetus of investment. The RDA and bodies like Culture South West and South West Screen have recognised that there is something here worth pulling together for and there is much more cohesion as a result.
“Proctor’s rallying call for funding tells a tale: private sector backing is in short supply. Steven Coombe, a partner specialising in media at the consultancy Smith & Williamson, says any investment money that finds its way into the sector goes to technology-related business. “There are grants available. But unless you fall under that category it’s difficult,” he warns.
But doom and gloom isn’t the order of the day: as the efforts by Bennett and Ingham to drive the sector show, the region is nothing if not enterprising. Similar groupings have emerged to promote the screen-based industries, with the well-established Wessex Media Group being one. Malcolm Brinkworth, chief executive of Touch Productions, who is involved with Creative Bath and also helped to set up Wessex Media Group, says the growth of creatives will, though, partly come down to the quality of its output.
“The TV content market is global. And it’s something that the South West and the UK does very well. In the past five years, the UK has become a huge global exporter of content, second only to the US, and the South West is one of the major production centres for that content.
“The key to ensuring demand holds up is to keep producing world-class content. That’s a real opportunity, because the talent is here in the South West. We just need to keep delivering in what is a meritocratic global market,” he says.
Clustering and networking will help, Brinkworth adds, since it helps the talent base come together effectively on projects – and it also means the sector can shout with one voice.
That’s a sentiment that Phil Gendall, strategic director of Cornish design agency Gendall Design, agrees with, but he also sees other advantages in his field of activity.
“Coming together is also important in the design community because it’s an industry that is still trying to get itself taken seriously in some quarters. Designers shouldn’t be expected to make their pitches for free, but that’s what one or two businesses expect. It’s a wasteful for the sector and a lousy way of ensuring good design. If we stand together we can put those days behind us.”
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