"The Personal Economy": Leaders and Products of Local Creative Industries Discussed at the Krasnoyarsk Forum in Russia
On November 24–25, Krasnoyarsk hosted the second “Russian Creative Week - Siberia” forum. At the event, the Creative Industries Federation (CIF) presented the results of its “Yenisey Study. 100 Most Creative Russians” research project, spoke on the development of the WONDERUSSIA online showcase of creative products and organized the premiere of the "Pskov Creative Way" documentary.
The Krasnoyarsk Territory has become the fourth region in Russia to join CIF’s “100 Most Creative Russians” project. The survey was conducted jointly with the Siberian Institute of Creative Industries Development. It was attended by 200 opinion leaders, industry experts and business owners representing 12 different creative industries. They helped identify 100 creative leaders of Siberia, including the most prominent entrepreneurs, managers, authors and creative teams of the Krasnoyarsk region. The results of the study were presented in the form of a show-presentation, the main focus of which was collaboration. Speakers, guests and participants engaged in a lively discussion, creative industry leaders talked about their creative journeys in “stand-up” form and shortlisted participants presented joint creative performances.
A separate platform was dedicated to the WONDERUSSIA project, an online showcase of creative products invented and launched throughout various Russian cities. International experts discussed research results from the project’s exploration of the creative economies of Ulyanovsk and Khanty-Mansiysk. The WONDERUSSIA project identifies local creative products throughout Russia’s regions, giving impetus to the development of small and medium-sized businesses there and the introduction of local products to a wider consumer base throughout Russia. By the summer of 2023, the WONDERUSSIA project will also cover Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and Yakutsk.
The topic of leadership in the creative industries remained the main focus of discussions throughout other sessions of the forum as well. Experts and participants talked about the socio-economic conditions under which creative enterprises are now developing and operating, and the surge of interest in the creative economy and its prospects. In particular, a discussion on the Development Plan for Russia's Creative Industries was held in a theatrical reading format to examine possible directions of how to build cooperation between federal and regional authorities, the creative community and the business sector. CIF’s role in such a communication / cooperation network would be to act as an operator that accumulates current market demands and participates in legislative initiatives as a representative of the creative class.
"A creative economy is an economy of personal activity. Talent, qualifications, a guarantee of intellectual property rights, and the availability of funds are important here. At the center of the creative economy is the individual, and the government’s area of responsibility lays in investing into a socio-economic environment, which promotes the interests of the individual," Igor M. Namakonov, Director General of Creative Industries Industries, stressed at the forum.
The topic of the creative potential of small towns and the value of promoting regional products was also elaborated in the "Pskov Creative Way" research documentary. The premiere screening of the film was included in the programme of the forum. It presented to the audience the history, culture, environment and lifestyle of people from the Pskov region from the point of view of investment attractiveness of the region. CIF researchers were able to visit 7 settlements in the Pskov Oblast, each one of them home to no more than 10,000 people, yet each distinctly unique in their own local flavor. The film emphasized the importance of registering intellectual property, developing new tourist routes and other support measures for the local creative economy throughout Russia’s regions.
