š” Creative Briefing #85
News, research, case studies & opportunities for the UK creative sector
Hello,
The creative industries are continuing to grow faster than the wider UK economy, according to the latest provisional figures from DCMS.
Overall, creative industries GVA increased by an estimated 4.6% between 2023 and 2024, compared to 1% growth for the UK economy as a whole.
The creative sector contributed an estimated Ā£145 billion in GVA to the UK economy in 2024, accounting for 5.5% of the UK economyās total output that year.
Across the sector, the advertising and marketing sub-sector delivered a strong performance, contributing Ā£24.3 billion to the economy (+2.1%), while film, TV, radio and photography contributed Ā£20.8 billion (+4.6%). Architecture added Ā£6.3bn (+6.8%), alongside publishing (Ā£10.9bn), music, performing and visual arts (Ā£7.6bn), and design (Ā£4.1bn).
With the right support, the creative industries can go even further - contributing more to the economy, creating high-value jobs and increasing exports.
Through the Creative Industries Council, industry and government are working together to increase regional investment, create a more skilled workforce, boost international trade and improve access to finance and R&D.
Creative industries news
Amazon MGM Studios plans to transform the historic Bray Studios in Berkshire - once home to the cult classic Hammer horror films - into a world-leading sustainable production site, contributing an estimated Ā£1.74bn to the UK economy over its first decade.
Northern Ireland Screen has launched a new growth strategy for the regionās film and TV industry, building on strong momentum over the past four years, during which supported productions generated more than Ā£477m for the local economy.
Goldsmiths has opened a new Futures of Creativity and Innovation Institute, a research hub for future-facing work across creators, audiences and communities.
Games studios are adapting how they recruit and develop staff in response to changes in technology, production workflows and the wider economy, new research from TIGA shows.
Management practices are stronger in the creative sector than in the wider economy - and more investment in training could boost productivity even further, new research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre shows.
Celebrating 100 years of a UK creative icon
Broadcast on BBC One & iPlayer live from The Royal Albert Hall on Friday, ā100 Years on Planet Earthā will honour Sir David Attenboroughās contribution to conservation and wildlife filmmaking.
The show will feature clips from his archive, reflections from leading figures and live music from his best-loved series, including āPompeiiā by Bastilleās Dan Smith and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The celebrations also include a new documentary about the making of Davidās ground-breaking landmark series Life on Earth - a three-year odyssey around the world which began in 1976, travelling to 40 countries, across a million miles, and filming over 600 species. Davidās latest series, Secret Garden, stays closer to home with a look at Britainās backyards.
š Creative health & wellbeing news
š The National Centre for Creative Health has named the first six sites for its Creative Health Leads Programme: Berkshire West, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, North East London, South East London, Walsall Together and West Yorkshire. Funded by Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation, the programme will embed dedicated creative health leads in health and care systems, aiming to grow to 25ā30 roles across England.
š» The APPG on Creative Health has held a roundtable on digital health and CreaTech, exploring how creative approaches delivered through digital tools can support health and care in the UK. The discussion (available to watch online) focused on access, engagement, evidence and the practical barriers to wider NHS adoption, including regulation, infrastructure and trust.
š¶ Play and See, a participatory digital arts installation, is being adapted for the paediatric ward at Royal United Hospitals NHS Trust in Bath. The pilot is using music, animation, and light to offer children, families, and staff a low-pressure, creative activity in a clinical setting, with evaluation by a music therapist.
š Arts Council England has awarded funding to a two-year project led by DanceEast and the Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board, connecting cultural, creative, health, social care, education and innovation partners, aiming to embed creative activity in health and care services and create opportunities for creative health practitioners.
š©āš¼The Jameel Arts & Health Lab has premiered a new film, produced by BBC StoryWorks, that shares the story of Music and Motherhood, an evidence-informed group singing intervention that supports maternal mental health and reduces postnatal depression.
š New campaign to get the nation reading
A new campaign has launched to promote the National Year of Reading, aiming to spark a renewed love of reading and drive lasting changes in habits across the UK.
Built around the āGo All Inā movement, the campaign encourages people to deepen their interests through reading in all formats.
It comes as new research from the National Literacy Trust and KPMG shows reading is in decline among some families in the UK, with fewer than half of parents (45.9%) reading daily with their children, a 30% decline since 2019.
Opportunities
Aquis IPO Academy. Free six-month programme for companies with Ā£1m+ in revenue (or recent funds raised) and 10+ employees who want to build a clear, credible pathway to the public markets. Apply by 15 May.
Female Founders Rise. Sponsored by Barclays, this accelerator supports 60 women-led businesses per quarter who are proactively trying to raise capital.
Applications for cohort 9 close on 15 May.
The Next Chapter Internship. Six week paid publishing industry placement with Orion and Hodder & Staughton aimed at applicants who are changing careers or have taken time away from work. Apply by 18 May.
Southwark Council Creative Health Commissions. Funding of up to Ā£18,000 for organisations delivering arts, culture and wellbeing activity, with support to build partnerships with NHS and neighbourhood health services including social prescribing. Apply by 1 June.
Female Founder Accelerator. Designed by Barclays Eagle Labs and AccelerateHER, this accelerator supports 100 female founders over nine weeks with one-to-one mentoring, accountability groups, in-person community networking and the ability to connect with a community of like-minded female founders. Apply by 12 June.
Barclays Eagle Labs Scaleup Programme. Accelerator for high-growth UK tech companies ready to tackle the challenges of scaling. CreaTech firms in previous cohorts include game developers Footium and Matchingham and influencer marketing platform SoSquared.
For a full list of funding and development opportunities, visit our opportunities page.
Events
7 May - Authors, AI and the Economics of Creativity (online). Using authors as a focal case, this seminar examines how AI is reshaping incentives, property rights, and bargaining power in the cultural economy.
12 May - Future Skills Agenda of the Creative Industries report launch (London & online): CIC Co-chairs Shriti Vadera and Peter Bazalgette are among the panellists discussing the findings of Creative PECās latest research and what it means for the future of creative education, skills and workforce planning.
18-24 May - Creativity and Wellbeing Week. This yearās theme, āCritical Hopeā, will showcase creative health work across the UK through events, workshops and discussions.
June & July - Festival of Play. A series of free creative careers and computing conferences for students aged 9 - 14 years, packed with interactive workshops, inspiring talks, and innovative games. Held in Dundee, Belfast, Rhos-on-Sea, Liverpool and London.
Until next time,Ā
Rachel Wareing (Newsletter Editor) &
Carlos Grande (Editor,Ā thecreativeindustries.co.uk)