Grasping the inner workings of creative micro-communities: Illuminating the engines of small-scale achievement
In the vast landscape of the UK's economy, a fascinating tapestry of creative microclusters is emerging, each teeming with businesses that are shaping the future of various sectors within the creative industry. These microclusters, identified in the recently published 'Creative Industries Radar' report, are spread across the nation, showcasing a diverse range of focus areas, from media and design to music, film, and software.
The report, a comprehensive study by Nesta, has identified a total of 709 such creative microclusters, many of which are thriving outside the traditional, big, established creative clusters. Interestingly, companies located in these lesser-known creative microclusters are more likely to aspire for growth and have already demonstrated growth in the past year.
One such region that has seen a surge in these creative microclusters is Manchester, a city renowned for its vibrant music scene and flourishing creative industry, including media and software development. Other notable areas include London, Bristol, Glasgow, and Birmingham, each offering a unique blend of creative businesses.
However, access to external finance remains a barrier to growth for many companies in microclusters outside the South East. This is one of the challenges being addressed by the UK government through the Creative Scale-Up scheme, a pilot programme aimed at supporting creative businesses in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, and the West of England that wish to scale up.
The importance of accredited qualifications in journalism and the inclusion of journalism occupations on the DCMS's list of Creative Occupations underscores the government's commitment to nurturing and strengthening the creative economy.
Meanwhile, the Global Creative Economy Council (GCEC), under the leadership of Marta Foresti, is involved in conversations between the Global North and South to reorder the creative economy, challenging the status quo and fostering a more equitable creative landscape.
The Creative Industries Clusters Programme, a government investment, is another initiative aimed at building creative clusters, while the Creative PEC, in collaboration with Bernard Hay and Emily Hopkins, is discussing the implications of the 2025 Spending Review for the creative industries.
Professor Nick Wilson's discourse on the Equity Gap in Britain's Creative Industries and Dr Josh Siepel's insights on the co-location of the Creative Industries with Other Industrial Strategy Priority Sectors further enrich the conversation surrounding the UK's creative economy.
The PEC has also supported work on Covid, skills, and the efficacy of regional development programmes, while the Creative Industries Sector Plan has made several key sector-wide announcements, covering areas such as AI, Intellectual Property and Regulation, Business Models and Access to Finance, Cross-cutting, Geography of the Creative Industries, International, Trade, and Immigration, R&D and Innovation, Skills, Jobs and Education, and The Value of Arts and Culture.
As the creative microclusters continue to unfold across the UK, it's clear that the nation's creative industries are on a path of dynamic growth, with local businesses playing a significant role in this exciting journey.
