Collaboration between creative business and academia vital for ensuring economic success

Challenges and Opportunities for the Creative Industry

The researchers of a new report from the School highlighting the many challenges and opportunities for the sector believe more needs to be done to leverage the full potential of a thriving industry.  

The report, “A Spotlight On The North East Creative Industry 2024” is the result of a scoping workshop organised by the Durham Social Science Enterprise Lab with creative sector representatives from across the whole North East – a region which boasts an economy worth more than £40 billion and is home to 5,500 businesses. 

Compiled by Dr Sanne Elbrink and Professor Pablo Muñoz, both faculty at the Business School, the report shines a spotlight on three central challenges faced by the sector, which the team of researchers and representatives say must be addressed before new solutions can be put in place to grow the sector, or existing support schemes can become successful;  

• Value: A common challenge for organisations and individuals in the sector is to clearly assign, define and articulate the value of their work, which is limiting future opportunities for growth. It is difficult in the creative arts to define what “success” looks like for the sector and how to measure it. This limits pay, as well as investment, hindering growth. 

• Identity: The rich diversity of the sector makes it difficult to establish a unified voice or identify any distinguishing factors that sets creatives in the North East apart from other regions. This can limit development and hinder innovation. For example, projects such as establishing a successful film and TV hub, rely on defining a clear identity to succeed in attracting new projects to begin production in the region. 

• Prospects: The sheer abundance of pathways for creative professionals to follow can make establishing or promoting sustainable career pathways in the sector difficult. In this context, it can be particularly difficult for smaller organisations within the sector to attract new skilled individuals or retain local talents who might seek their fortunes in the South.  

Steps such as uniting the sector to speak with one voice, defining the key elements of what it means to be a creative in the North East and establishing better careers support for pipelining and investing in new talent will all, the report states, be effective solutions. 

Bringing research and practice together

Following the publication of its report, the Durham Social Science Enterprise Lab will continue to collaborate with the creative industry and Durham-based researchers to ensure progress. In innovative pilots, they bring research and practice further together to develop scalable solutions. 

Dr Elbrink says; 

“Neither theoretical nor technical knowledge alone is adequate or sufficiently curated to assess future prospects and possibilities or to derive meaningful solutions. Researchers and practitioners need to join forces with the experience-based knowledge of practitioners to develop a sustainable future for the industry."  

In the next few months Catherine Johns from Dance City, Daniel Lemon from The Actors Forge, Ross G Palmer from We Are Ken and Len Collin from Ballpoint will team up with Durham-based researchers to further explore sustainable solutions that will support the North East Creative Industry by addressing the challenges identified in the report.  

More information 

• Read the full report: A Spotlight On The North East Creative Industry 2024  
• Learn more about The Durham Social Science Enterprise Lab 
• Find out more about Dr Elbrink and Professor Munoz’s research interests.