Everybody’s Talking About South Yorkshire’s Cultural and Creative Industries Network

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Showroom Workstation and Sheffield Theatres premiered its inaugural Cultural andCreative Industries Summit, bringing together an invited audience of South Yorkshire’s Cultural and Creative Industry practitioners at Showroom Cinema recently (Friday 17th September), and launched the South Yorkshire Cultural and Creative Industries Network.

As ‘Jamie’ fever hit the region, film makers, theatre directors, producers, creative industry practitioners and educators came together with funders and policy makers to explore the potential of a global box-office hit like ‘Everybody’s Talking AboutJamie,’ and the vital role that arts, culture and heritage sectors can play in the region’s post-pandemic bounce-back.

Launching across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield, the South Yorkshire Cultural and Creative Industries Network will provide the perfect opportunity to unlock and regularly engage with the region’s creative talent, operate as an entry point for creative newcomers, and be a way to assist young talent to build a network. Over the next twelve months, the network will develop a programme of events intended to open a dialogue with all creative talent and businesses within the region. Through regular meetings held in different locations around the area, the network will also aim to galvanize opinion and a collective voice across the sector, discuss new ideas and initiatives, and will be open to all South Yorkshire’s creatives.

The network launch also coincides with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s Dan Jarvis’ million-pound investment announcement for South Yorkshire’s arts, culture, and heritage sector. The funding, which is part of South Yorkshire’s ARG (Additional Restrictions Grant), has so far provided businesses in the region with over £45m of support during the pandemic.

Mayor Jarvis also announced a new partnership with Creative England to deliver bespoke support for creative industries, offering mentoring and advice. He said: “It’s steeped in every part of our region, and the creative industries will be a crucial part of the story that we tell the world. It’s time for us to tell it with passion and with confidence and to step out the shadows of others. So, with the spotlight shining on Sheffield and South Yorkshire – thanks to the huge success of Everyone’s Talking about Jamie - let’s seize this opportunity to forge a renewed, collaborative, and successful creative sector in our region. I’ll be doing all I can to support.”

At the South Yorkshire Cultural and Creative Industries Summit, CEO of Creative England and Creative Industries Federation, Caroline Norbury MBE, outlined the importance of making creative and cultural industries a strategic priority for the UK to bounce back better after Covid. Alongside Arts Council England Chief Executive, Dr Darren Henley OBE, Caroline also discussed the levelling up opportunities for South Yorkshire’s cultural and creative industries.

She said: “Creativity is sewn into the fabric of our country and should be flourishing in every corner of the UK. Not just in London or metropolitan centres, but on every village green and town square, binding our communities together.

“If the UK truly wants to ‘level up’ – to regenerate towns and city centres in every region – then being true to who you are is key to that success. Backing local people to make the best creative and economic decisions and helping them to own their future by investing in it. The creative industries can no longer be viewed as a ‘nice to have’ – we’re a ‘must have’. For our society. For our economy. And for the future of the UK.”

South Yorkshire’s Cultural and Creative Industries Network coincided with the premier of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, produced by Sheffield-based Warp Films. Thanks to public funding, ‘Jamie’ was filmed in and around Sheffield, using local suppliers for construction, locations, hospitality, and catering to name a few, helping to reinvest into the region. At the summit, joint CEO of Warp Films, Mark Herbert, discussed the importance of shooting across Sheffield and helping to inspire future filmmakers.

The network announcement follows the first Cultural and Creative Industries Summit at Showroom Cinema last Friday 17th September, which included panellists from some of South Yorkshire’s creative industries, including Emma Holling of Pure Records, Emma Cooper of Cooperative Innovations and Olivia Jones of Doncopolitan. Also present were Deborah Bullivant of Grimm & Co, Nathan Geering of Theatre Deli and Sue Thiedeman, Head of Culture and Visitor Economy at Barnsley Council.

As the region celebrates the release of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a story which celebrates talent, differences and inclusion, the next Cultural and Creative Industries networking event is an open invite to all of South Yorkshire’s creatives, to start a dialogue with all of the creative talent in the region and anyone interested in joining the conversation.

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