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Capturing Creative

For the first time, the Northern Territory Government (NTG) is developing a five-year Creative Industries Strategy to measure the impact of the creative industries on the NT. 

Angela O’Donnell is the Executive Officer of the Creative Industries Steering Committee – a committee set up to provide sector representation and direction through its member base – and has developed a survey to capture currently unknown statistics from creative industry folk from around the NT. We had a chat with her to find out more!

Why is developing the Creative Industries Strategy important?
We need to gather the information! It’s important because the strategy is being co-developed with the sector, industry bodies and the NTG, and it will give us information for the first time on who the industry is – its needs, position and make up across the Territory.

It’s the first time the creative industries have been grouped together in this way in the NT, and the first time the NTG has invested in developing a strategy to help it grow.
It will help to make a clearer and better case to all why creative industries are so important, and to foster its support and development in the NT in the future.

Why has there not been a strategy before? 
It was identified as a potential growth industry through the NT economic development framework. NTG want to know more, so they can work out how to use their resources and gather partners to make it really sing!

What change do you think the strategy will bring?
For the first time, we’ll have the info on who the industry is, what its needs are across the NT, and all the varied bits that make up our creative industry. 
It’s difficult to say at this point what it will bring until we have all the info in front of us, but I hope it’ll help us know ourselves, for Government at all levels and the potential partners in private industry or philanthropy to strategically target investment. I think it will help us as an industry to prioritise our needs.

What kind of creative industries workers have you been talking to?
The creative industry is vaster than you might think! I’ve spoken to architects, actors, music producers, broadcasters, fashion designers, remote arts centres, librarians, graphic designers, print and publishing companies, weavers, furniture designers and filmmakers. 

I’ve spoken to individuals running the NT’s complex not-for-profit arts organisations, and the commercial operators working to keep their businesses afloat.

So far, I’ve talked to people in Darwin, Katherine, Beswick and Barunga, and have visits planned to Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Ntaria, Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala, Maningrida and I hope to get to Tiwi and Papunya as well!

Do you work in the creative industries?
Have your say! Fill out the survey here by Sun 4 Aug.
Discover NT creatives on Instagram. 

Header image (L-R):
Deborah Wurrkidj, Artist, Maningrida
Benjamin Erin, Radio Station Manager, Mparntwe/Alice Springs and Tennant Creek
Matilda Alegria, Fashion Designer, Darwin

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