From the spectacle of the Olympic Opening Ceremony to the shapes, colours and designs of London Fashion Week, it is clear that Britain’s creative output has never been zestier, and its creative media industry is at the very centre.
As a Senior Trade Adviser in UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), I can see the ingenuity of the creative media industry first hand. From my experiences in the sector it comes as little surprise to me that across the world there seems to be an unquenchable thirst for all things British.
With extensive experience in exporting myself, I know what it takes for British firms to quench this thirst. I ran my own software science firm for three years and, as they say in the industry, ‘bootstrapped it’, growing it from the ground up. Eventually I began exporting to South East Asian markets, particularly Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
I was a Director in a business which was involved with advanced engineering. The company made electrical components which were used in railways, defence and even in the wiring looms of aircraft. Demand for these products was particularly high in India and South Asia.
Going from start-up to exporter was an exciting journey, and it was a journey made possible by the advice and support I then received from UKTI’s team of trade advisers.
In a bid to ‘give something back’, I myself have now become a trade adviser for UKTI London and am fortunate enough to apply my own export experiences to all of the advice and support I give. I work alongside a raft of dedicated advisers who are as passionate as I am about the areas they specialise in.
My team advises on all elements of creative media, from advertising and publishing to music, TV and film. The industry is going from strength to strength as demand continues to soar. It now employs 1.5 million people which accounts for 5.14% of the UK employment. Demand for British creativity is particularly striking in the High Growth economies, as countries like China and India begin to grow their service sectors.
It is unsurprising that as the tertiary sectors of these markets expand, they are turning to British companies to generate creative mechanisms to deliver their core messages. It is, after all, British firms who are at the forefront of a general move across the sector away from static, brochure-based marketing to more interactive, innovative and content-driven modes of creative media. British firms deliver core messages in a way which is fit for the 21st century; the growth of Tech City is a prime example of this.
While events like the Olympics showcased Britain’s creative energies, it is the nuanced and intelligent approach of British firms which make them so appealing to the rest of the world.
I am hugely looking forward to helping companies meet their potential, energise their exports and help us reach our target, set by Trade Minister, Lord Green, of 100,000 new exporters in the next five years.