SAA Bulletin – July 2012
Three Studies on the Creative Industries
July 2012
In this issue…
GOVERNMENT RELEASES THREE STUDIES ON THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
On May 4th, the Saskatchewan Government announced plans to engage the Creative Industries in the development of a Digital Strategy. As a first step, three studies were completed over the past few months and submitted to Enterprise Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport:
- The Creative Industry Growth and Sustainability (CIGS) Program: A Program Evaluation
- Evaluation: Culture on the Go – Touring and Market Access
- Requirements to Support Commercialization Objectives of Saskatchewan’s Creative Industries.
On June 28, select creative organizations (those who participated in all three studies) attended an information session held at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Auditorium where government consultants presented their reports.
The creative industry growth and sustainability (CIGS) program: a program evaluation
Submitted March 30, 2012 by Christopher Adams, PhD | Probe Research Inc | Winnipeg, MB
Outlining the goals and objectives of the CIGS program, the report listed success indicators and noted how it measured this success. According to the report, the CIGS Program has six options for moving forward:
- Renew the present CIGS Program with minor changes including the streamlining and simplifying of the reporting process
- Create a marketing entity to promote the Creative Industries to diverse audiences and markets
- Create a tiered Marketing and Commercialization system consisting of the Provincial Cultural Organizations (PCO), the CIGS Program, and a Marketing Agency
- Task a Creative Industry Sector Coalition with helping Creative Industry Sector Organizations (CISOs) achieve economic sustainability
- Remove the Saskatchewan Arts Board as program administrators and provide marketing funds directly to CISOs
- Remove Ministry program support and funding to make CISOs responsible for their own marketing/growth initiatives.
Recommendations were also given for the Flexible Loan Program, a component of the CIGS Program.
Evaluation: culture on the go – touring and market access
Submitted March 27, 2012 by Maureen Matthew, CHRP, CE | INNOVA Learning | Regina, SK
The report found that Culture on the Go was well-administered by the Saskatchewan Arts Board, but for delivering specialized funding that required specific knowledge on marketing approaches, questioned the Arts Board’s capabilities and expertise. It listed the program’s successes, ongoing challenges and presented five options to improve touring and market access:
- Continue Culture on the Go with modifications
- Establish a grant stream to aid venues and presenters
- SaskMusic should administer showcase funding (used almost exclusively by the music sector)
- Move targeted marketing initiatives to specific industry/sector organizations
- Develop a research strategy that includes distribution and integration of research results.
Requirements to support commercialization objectives of Saskatchewan’s creative industries
Submitted March 31, 2011 | HJ Linnen Associates Ltd. And Derek Murray and Associates Consulting |Regina, SK
The report examined the support structures and delivery mechanisms for the province’s Creative Industries and established five viable options to maximize their commercialization (crafts, literacy, music, theatre, and the visual arts):
- Establish SaskFilm and Music
- Expand the Saskatchewan Art’s Board’s commercialization role
- Adopt a Manitoba creative industries model: Creative Saskatchewan
- Establish a development agency focused on the province’s creative sector: Saskatchewan’s Creative Inc.
- Establish an interprovincial industry organization called Creative West Inc.
This report did not cover the Film and Television Industry as a separate review was recently released by the Film Industry Task Force. It appears that dance was not included in this study.
