Creative Industries
The Yarra Ranges has a strong and vibrant creative and cultural sector. Creative industries account for 3.5% of employment, 5.5% of businesses and $483.5 million in economic output for the region.
Creative industries provide opportunities for wealth and job creation for individuals seeking to use their creative skills, knowledge and talents.
Many creative professionals work as sole traders and freelancers, commute to Melbourne or work from home. Yarra Ranges' creative community is established, engaged and growing.
Creative Industries Report 2019
Yarra Ranges Council commissioned BYP Group to inform our Creative Communities Strategy.
BYP Group set out to answer the question:
“How do we increase the economic size of the creative industries and expand its impact on both the local economy and vibrancy of our communities?”
View the Creative Industries Report 2019(PDF, 1MB)
Methodology
To form a list of recommendations BYP Group:
- developed a statistical overview of the Yarra Ranges creative industries
- used insights to identify relevant trends in the creative industries
- conducted 12 one-hour consultations with stakeholders and analysed the key issues and opportunities for growth
- developed five case studies of how other Local Government Areas have sought to do this
Findings
Stakeholders identified key opportunities for growth as:
- unique arts and cultural experiences as a drawcard for cultural tourists
- increased capacity within community to meet the demand for Aboriginal cultural experiences and education
- collaborations and partnerships to leverage the local creative community and Yarra Ranges’ strengths
- artists becoming entrepreneurs, deriving greater income from their practices
- Yarra Ranges to become an arts ‘hotspot'
Key Recommendations
To achieve a prosperous and vibrant creative and cultural community, BYP suggests that Yarra Ranges Council work with this local sector to:
- develop a distinctive cultural and creative brand for the Yarra Ranges. The aim is to attract and retain creative professionals, creative businesses and ‘cultural experience’ spend
- develop signature and blockbuster events with a focus on First Nations initiatives because of their unique economic and cultural value
- create rich digital content to ‘cut through the noise’ of the creative and cultural marketplace. This must be unique, authentic and have ‘a sense of place’ to attract high-spend cultural tourists and creative professionals
- stimulate the local arts community, support grassroots activity and niche strengths, in particular First Nations unique cultural experiences.
Next Steps
Yarra Ranges Council will now consider these recommendations and provide opportunities for engagement and feedback in early 2020.
Want to learn more about creative industries in Yarra Ranges? View our Creative Communities Strategy for more information.