New study to put creative industries in spotlight

Talking about the study, Margaret Craig, Economic Development Officer with Moyle Council, said: “The creative industries sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Northern Ireland economy with 2,500 creative businesses currently employ some 34,600 people. The sector is a quite a broad one, ranging from visual media to crafts, advertising to architecture, music to fashion and software design. The common thread is that the activities they pursue have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent.”

The study aims to gauge the overall size and nature of the creative industry sector locally and see how it contributes economically to the North Coast area. The study is the first phase in the project which will see the development of a joint strategy to develop and grow the sector in the respective Council areas.

The councils are at present conducting a survey of businesses, organizations and individuals that make up and contribute to the sector and so are keen to hear from anyone who works in the sector either in a free-lance, part-time or full-time capacity.

Margaret Craig continued: “It’s important that we get a broad range of views and opinions on how people feel about their involvement in the sector, so we will be contacting those firms and individuals whose information we currently have. However, we would be delighted to hear from as many people as possible, so we have set up a facility on our council website to allow people to fill out the survey in directly on-line.”

Anyone wishing to complete the survey should go to the council website at

www.moyle-council.org and under the latest news section click the link that will take you to the “Creative Industries Survey” or contact Margaret Craig on 2076 2225