CREATIVE BUSINESS IN AUSTRALIA Learnings from the Creative Industries Innovation Centre 2009–2015 Edited by Lisa Andersen, Paul Ashton and Lisa Colley First published in 2015 by UTS ePRESS DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/978-0-9924518-2-0 The url for this publication is epress.lib.uts.edu.au/books/creative-business-australia This book is copyright. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License. Enquiries should be made to the publisher. © 2015 in the collection, Lisa Andersen, Paul Ashton and Lisa Colley © 2015 individual contributions, author/s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this book may contain images of people who are now deceased. The work as a whole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Individual chapters 1 through to chapter 13 only (excluding UpClose segments) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: ISBN: 978-0-9924518-2-0 Creative business in Australia : learnings from the creative industries innovation centre, 2009 to 2015 / edited by Lisa Andersen, Paul Ashton and Lisa Colley ISBN: 9780992451820 (ebook) Creative Industries Innovation Centre. Arts—Economic aspects—Australia. Cultural industries—Economic aspects—Australia. Cultural industries—Australia—Case studies. Andersen, Lisa, editor. Ashton, Paul, 1959- editor. Colley, Lisa, editor. 338.477 Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 have been peer reviewed Editorial managers: Margaret Malone and Lachlan McLaine Picture researcher: Tanya Dyhin Researchers: Paul Byron and Barbara Messer Design by Nicky Hardcastle This book was developed with the support of: Brian Riley, Entrepreneurs Infrastructure Program David Sharpe, Moneypenny Belinda Tiffen, Julie-Anne Marshall, Matthew Noble and Scott Abbott, UTS ePRESS Monique Potts, Miranda Jelbart and Sun Suksubwasin, Ruth Tredennick, UTS Innovation and Creative Intelligence Unit Mal Booth and Duncan Loxton, UTS Library Drew Sandford, UTS Printing Services Bernard Andersen, Alexa Dodd, Ellen Yang The work of the CIIC was supported by: Roy Green, Dean, UTS Business School Kees Dorst, UTS Design Integration Research Centre Anne Dwyer, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice-President, UTS Printing workshop at Signature Prints Stephen Arnott, Megan Brownlow, Christine Burton, (Sydney), who specialise in the design, Oliver Kratzer, Adam Simpson, Michael Tear, Chris Winter, print and manufacturing of textiles, CIIC Advisory Committee wallpaper, limited-edition art and luxury Sarah Barnes, Hael Kobayashi, Sue Rowley luggage. Photo: Signature Prints. Foreword Professor Peter Booth It is with great pleasure that I invite you to read Creative Business in Australia, both for its insights into the creative industries and successful business practices in Australia and as one of the many significant tangible outcomes from the Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC). This was a collaboration between the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), the Commonwealth Government Department of Industry and key players in the creative industries from 2009 to 2015. The creation of the CIIC was a significant innovation in its own right, being both the first dedicated focus for Australian government support to business activities in the creative industries and the first such front-line industry services unit located in and in partnership with a university. UTS was proud to be part of the development, scoping, shaping and implementation of this initiative. The CIIC made a significant contribution to both the understanding and the development of the creative economy in Australia and internationally. It is appropriate to acknowledge and congratulate Lisa Colley, Director of the CIIC, and her staff for their significant efforts in generating this success, particularly the direct support provided to over 1500 creative businesses over six years of operation. They led a process of reimagining what ‘creative industries’ meant and, for the first time, mapped out in some detail the sector in Australia. This provided a significant foundation for the effective delivery of the CIIC programs and for policy development. They also lead the development of new forms of business support, shaped to the specific needs and challenges of the creative industries. The stories in the chapters in this book seek to capture some of this richness of activity and provide a legacy for continued development of what will be a critical industry sector for Australia over the coming decades. It is also appropriate to acknowledge the partnership UTS had with the Commonwealth Department of Industry to make these achievements possible. Without the Department’s commitment to trying something different, and to working with UTS in doing so, not to mention the financial investment in the creative industries through this program, the success of the CIIC would not have been realised. I should also acknowledge all the UTS staff who contributed to the success of the CIIC. In particular, thanks to Sue Rowley for driving the proposal and then its establishment, to Roy Green, who championed the work of the CIIC at a policy level, to Hael Kobayashi and Ellen Yang for being the key coordination point with UTS and assisting with the management of the CIIC, and to Lisa Andersen for leading the development of this book and other projects to ensure the legacy of the CIIC was realised. 3D-printed jellyfish lamp shade by unellenu (Janelle Wilson). Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, 2013. Photo: unellenu (Janelle Wilson). Foreword Patricia Powell-Hughes This book partly captures the success of the CIIC mentioned above and provides My engagement with the Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC) was very a rich source of knowledge to support the further development of the creative important for my business, to say the least. It all started with the phone call I industries. Another important outcome is the CIIC archive, hosted by the UTS made in response to a marketing email sent out in 2009 to the creative industries Library (see hdl.handle.net/10453/34537). This is another first, representing a offering SMEs access to Business Advisers and government funding. I mean, rich, accessible digital archive of a wider range of data generated by the CIIC. really…who wasn’t going to call with an opportunity like that! Finally, another tangible outcome of the CIIC was that it drove UTS to formalise its engagement with innovation and the creative industries, now expressed in the What followed was a six year relationship with the CIIC, as a result of which my many leading initiatives under the Innovation and Creative Intelligence Strategy, business underwent substantial change and growth through cross examination and in taking a leadership role for the digital precinct surrounding UTS, where and interrogation, exploration and experimentation—and all of this with an a significant number of Australia’s creative firms are located. industry relevant Business Adviser by my side. Unlike other Australian industry sectors, before 2009, the creative industries had little opportunity to experience I have no doubt that the CIIC has left an incredible legacy and the expertise it government interest and expert guidance. However, the set-up of the CIIC forged will continue to support creative enterprise well into the future. changed this and delivered significant outcomes for creative businesses, both professionally and financially. Professor Peter Booth Provost and Senior Vice-President, University of Technology Sydney My company, EP Australia, accessed a number of services including a Business Review which led to the development of new products and services, and a strategy to monetise our intellectual property—which up until then we had given away for free. Then Tailored Advisory Service funding afforded me the luxury to engage previously unattainable experts and bring in new business thinking. Our first ever business plan was a product of CIIC-led Business Model Generation Sessions. This challenged and tested ideas about what we were delivering to our clients, versus what they actually wanted. Later we entered the Continuous Improvement Program which tackled business development strategies and set in train aggressive plans for growth. I also participated in the Leadership 21 business leadership program and, partly as a result of this, I took action to buy out my business partner. Throughout, I honed my skills in finance and operations and my team engaged in external learning to extend their experience and strengthen our team culture. What I got, money couldn’t buy. By the end, the little business I started in back in 1999 with $5000 and a fax machine had grown to become one of Australia’s leading recruitment and executive search specialists for the business side of the television, media and entertainment industries. With the 2015 closure of the CIIC there is now a gap in services to support, sustain, and grow Australia’s creative businesses; and at a time of industrial disruption and increasing global competition. As a worthy legacy of the work of the CIIC, this book provides sage advice to both creative business leaders looking for the right strategies for growth and for decision-makers on what is needed to develop our creative workforce—our best and brightest innovators. So, dear reader, pin back your ears and ‘listen’ carefully to the following pages. Patricia Powell-Hughes Managing