Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bandwagon sectors and Manchester's creative ambition

Pumped with excitement from a few different media events about the ambition of Manchester's creative sector, I did a talk to a networking event this morning.organised by the delightful team at Barnardos.

There's plenty of competition for Manchester; places purporting to be great centres of creativity. Like these:

"With its 950,000 inhabitants, the area boasts a high standard of living, a specialised and markedly international production system, qualified human resources and a close-nit and vibrant creative community."

That’s Bologna.

"The partial transformation of the harbor into a modern business and residential district is an important urban planning project to position the city as a center for the creative industries, including advertising, art and media, in Europe."

That’s Dusseldorf.

"Creative industries are one of the fastest growing sectors of our regional economy.  Our council works with our partners on a project called Creativity Works which offers advice, support, information and networking opportunities.  There are annual  Creativity Works awards raising the profile of this valuable economic sector."

That’s Blackburn.



And then there's London. I couldn't help myself, but I ended with this again:

"In the North West it rains and it rains. And yet we managed to produce the industrial revolution, trade union movement, the Communist Manifesto and even the computer. And Joy Division, Oasis, M People, The Smiths, Elbow and the Happy Mondays. Down south, where the sun never sets, you took all our money and what did you produce? Chas and Dave."

Tony Wilson. Gone, but never forgotten.

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