The rise of the black collar worker

May 30 2007 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

Jane Lloyd on the future of the creative industries in the UK economy

YOU’VE met Generation X, Generation Y and even Generation Txt. But did you know about Generation C?

Well you should, as creativity is now being hailed a major new engine for regeneration here on Merseyside.

The creative industries are finally being recognised as influential players in the region's economy, moving from the fringes to the centre stage. And the statistics speak for themselves.

Locally, the sector which includes everything from art and design to media and music, already employs more than 20,000 people in about 5,000 enterprises, with a combined turnover of more than £500m.

And those with a keen interest in economic trends and changing work patterns say things are going from strength to strength, estimating that by 2016 the creative industries will make up 50% of the UK economy.

“The sector is often labelled disparate and difficult to track, but these characteristics are now being recognised as strengths at the heart of the creative sector,” said Kevin McManus, director of Acme, a Liverpool based agency dedicated to supporting the creative industries. “Locally, the creative offer is both powerful and varied, made up of experienced professionals who have been established with national clients for decades, as well as new and equally ambitious emerging talent.”

TRADITIONALLY, Government has concentrated its sponsorship effort in industries such as agriculture, construction or motor manufacture, but having learned the hard way that industries rise and fall, there is a realisation they cannot afford to ignore opportunities for growth in new sectors.

“There is a real recognition that the creative industries are a key economic driver,” said McManus. “But what has also become apparent recently is that there is also recognition at Government policy level that creativity is vital throughout all industrial sectors. The Cox Review in particular has stressed the importance of strong design in keeping all UK industries competitive. This policy is now starting to filter through into initiatives which should see design have a much higher profile in the UK.”

According to Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool Council, the city’s creative scene is more lively and proactive than ever.

He said:“If you take as an example the film industry, we have seen a phenomenal growth in the amount of productions being shot locally. In 2006 it was up by 42% compared to the previous year, with an incredible 219 different productions being filmed here. That resulted in a £20m boost for the local economy, securing work for thousands of people, and not just those associated with the film industry. The likes of caterers, taxi drivers and hotels all benefit when there’s filming in the city.

“Liverpool has a reputation now as the most film-friendly city in the country, a place that welcomes producers and directors and does all it can to make filming as easy possible. The advantages for the city are huge, not only in terms of the economic impact and jobs, but also as a result of having the city as a backdrop on the big and small screen.”

Just last week a team from the Film Office and North West Vision were at the Cannes Film Festival, showcasing what the city has to offer and promoting the productions that have been shot here in the last year.

“The challenge now is to boost the home grown film-making industry and creative sector to make sure local people can take advantage of the tremendous opportunities, and we’ve been working on that since 2003 through the Merseyside Film and TV Fund,” continues Bradley.

“Last year, working with North West Vision, we made seven awards to Merseyside-based production companies to help them with productions. That created the equivalent of 52 new jobs and generated £1.35m of inward investment.”

For school leavers, joining the region’s growing army of artists, actors and musicians is a popular career choice. Their grandparents might have wanted to be engineers and architects, and their parents property tycoons, but today’s crop of budding entrepreneurs dream of winning X-Factor, directing films and writing computer games.

Forecasters tag the phenomena as the rise of Generation C, capturing the avalanche of consumer generated “content” that is building on the Web.

“The two main drivers fuelling this trend is the creative urge we undeniably possess,” says a spokesman for the on-line marketing company Trendwatching. “We're all artists, but until now we neither had the guts nor the means to go all out. Also, the manufacturers of content-creating tools relentlessly push us to unleash that creativity, using, of course, their ever cheaper, ever more powerful gadgets and gizmos. Instead of asking consumers to watch, to listen, to play, to passively consume, the race is on to get them to create, to produce, and to participate.”

And their works are all around us, from the clothes we wear to the buildings we live in and the TV programmes we enjoy. But new frontiers involve digital media and mobile communications. The business community needs to keep up with the rapidly changing opportunities or run the risk of languishing in the backwaters of traditional media.

With digital TV uptake, ever-increasing broadband speeds, and rapidly growing interest in mobile and 3G technology, media have definitely gone digital. And industry leaders and consumers are excited about the possibilities.

Sean Marley, managing director of Lime Pictures gives a heads-up on the current state of play.

“Nobody quite knows about the future. We are aware that as a content provider we just go where the technology takes us. Our job is to embrace the new world.

“As a city we could steal a march in new media and position Liverpool as a centre of excellence.”

With new impetus, a creative pedigree second to none, and 2008 nearly upon us, there’s no doubt the region is ready to cement its position as one of the most innovative and exciting contributors to the UK economy.