Last week the government reported that the creative industries contributed a whopping £101 billion to the UK economy in 2017! This represents an increase of 53% since 2010!
The creative industries in the UK continues to out-perform the rest of the economy, contributing more to the country than Automotive, Aerospace, Oil and Gas, and Life Sciences combined. Further analysis is being done by our partners at the Creative Industries Federation, but we have to ask: why does the government continue to underfund arts and creativity in education, and the arts generally in the UK when they continue to prove beneficial to the economy of this country, not to mention the benefits to our society, culture, and tourism?
But what does it take to make it in the creative industries?
Whether you plan to work on or off stage/screen in the creative industries, the key component to success is the same: education! You not only need to get training in your specialist field, such as in acting, dance, directing or stage management, but also in the business of the industry.
Without knowing how the industry actually works, it is difficult to make any real success. Sadly, this is a flaw in many arts training programmes, resulting in at least 50% of actors quitting within five years and 75% within ten!
Theatre Workout's The Business Of Theatre workshop is ideal for any group of students hoping to work in the creative industries in any capacity.
Creative Industries Blog Post
Luise Yang is Research and Policy Officer for the Creative Industries Federation. Read her blog post for the Hospital Club on what growth really looks like in the creative industries here.
Read the governments report here.