Government urged to get creative to help one of the UK’s big success stories

The UK’s creative sector needs a seamless industrial strategy to ensure it keeps meeting soaring domestic and global demand.

A new report by PwC and games entrepreneur Ian Livingstone  called “Imagi-Nation: The business of creativity”, said UK creative industries were thriving but the government needed to do more to “cement the future success of one of the UK’s prized assets”.

Livingstone, the report’s author, said the industry is responsible for millions of jobs with employees using their creative skills to help other industries innovate “further contributing to economic growth and prosperity”.

Internationally he said the UK has some of the very best creative talent around the world with leading positions across a number of key sectors from music to art, film to television and design to gaming.

The report highlights seven policy areas or ‘7Ps’ the government could target to create further growth.

The first is “perception”, where creative careers should be recognised and rewarded by using intelligent data to “tell great stories so that creative professions are valued and respected in the same way as other professions”.

“People” would see the government unlock creativity in skills and education through combining STEM and creative subjects and “pounds” would drive more UK investment into creative projects by promoting alternative financing options and using the “right data” to help investors seek out the best opportunities.

The fourth P is “place”, in which the government should identify and target creative clusters and strengthen infrastructure and skills to help them grow.

“Pipes” would create a national broadband service that was fit-for-purpose, “property” would help with the commercialisation of Intellectual property and “picture” which would ensure that the contribution of the creative industries to the UK economy is fully recognised.

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“Creativity is a core strength of the UK, which gives us an edge as a nation. To build on this success we must further incentivise, invest in and reward creative endeavour. It is important that intellectual property is not only created, and protected by law, but also retained further down the value chain by its creators to build enterprise value,” said Livingstone. 

“A skilled talent pool, access to finance and a world-class digital infrastructure will underpin the future growth. International competition is increasing, and it is vital that creative industries are supported by government policies to ensure the sector’s long-term success.”

Mark Maitland, entertainment and media strategy partner at PwC, added: “Addressing each of these issues will require a coherent and seamless plan of action, setting out the role of the government, and laying the foundations for the future prosperity of the nation’s iconic creative industries. 

“This strategy should ensure there is a long-term commitment to the continued development and prosperity of the UK’s creative industries. Without such a framework in place, the UK risks constraining the success of one of its most prized and internationally recognised assets.” 

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