PwC report warns Scotland’s thriving creative industries still must do more

In Scotland, the sector employs more than 68,000 people and contributes over £5 billion to the economy while operating across a diverse range of sectors from arts to manufacturing and life sciences to oil and gas as well as world leading work in games and technology development.

According to the report, entitled ‘Imagi-Nation: The business of creativity’, digital has and will continue to disrupt traditional creative business models.

It has als, the report says, fundamentally changed the way creative content is discovered, consumed, shared, stored and monetised. More people are being reached, and reached in ways that are different to before. This disruption has brought significant opportunities; sharing content has never been easier, faster or cheaper.

But, the report warns, the challenge is to ensure our creators are making the most of such opportunities, and not falling by the wayside to international competitors.

The report’s authors advocate the creation of a seamless industrial strategy and have identified seven policy areas (7Ps) that government could target in order to considerably grow the contribution of the nation’s world class Creative Industries to UK plc.

These are:

Perception – recognising and rewarding creative careers and using intelligent data to tell great stories so that creative professions are valued and respected in the same way as other professions.

People – focus on skills and education – the learning lifetime - unlocking creativity through multi-disciplinary ‘fused’ approach to education, combining STEM and creative subjects.

Pounds - driving more UK investment into creative projects and promoting alternative financing options and developing the right data so that investors can seek out attractive investment opportunities.

Place - identifying and targeting creative clusters and strengthening infrastructure and skills to help them scale and a view of London centricity vs. geographic clusters

Pipes - national infrastructure being ‘fit-for-purpose’; broadband coverage as a long term strategy will encourage businesses to set up from abroad.

Property - intellectual property and making the UK a more competitive proposition for investment and commercialisation of IP.

Picture - clear industry definitions and data and using this intelligent data to tell evidence based stories that truly reflect the contribution that the creative industries play in the UK economy.

Martin Cowie, private business leader, PwC in Scotland, said: “In Scotland and the UK, our creative industries make a tremendous contribution to our economy.

“But without a forward-looking framework in place, the UK risks constraining the success of one of its most prized and internationally recognised assets.

“Here in Scotland, steps are being taken to maximise the economic, social and cultural benefits of our creative industries through Scottish Government’s Skills Investment Plan, which focuses on ways to develop a diverse, skilled pipeline of talent to drive the industry forward.

“While this is a welcome move in the evolution of our creative industries, it only addresses a few of the 7P’s in our report. In Scotland and the UK, a coherent and seamless plan of action that demonstrates a long term commitment to nurturing and developing the UK’s creative businesses is needed if we are to deliver on the future potential of this industry.”

Ian Livingstone, games entrepreneur and Imagi-Nation author, added: “Creativity is a core strength of the UK, which gives us an edge as a nation. To build on the success of the Creative Industries, 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.

“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 the Creative Industries are supported by Government policies to ensure the sector’s long-term success.”