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Creative Industries Management

Module description

Creative Industries Management will introduce you to the contemporary world of arts policy, funding and development strategies. From this broad context, the module will then focus in on a series of practical skills and techniques, such as project management, elevator pitches, focus group creation and audience development, which will enable you to work towards developing your own creative industries project and business plan. This module aims to give you the socio-economic foundation, entrepreneurial and practical skills necessary to create your own performance brand on graduation. Come prepared to read, think, take part in dynamic live and web-based discussions, write funding applications, budgets, marketing strategies and challenge yourself.

Incoming international students and Exeter students from other disciplines welcome, subject to availability. This module will give you an insight into the UKs creative industries. In addition to students of drama, performance, dance, music and theatre, this module will engage the interest of students with a background in creative writing, visual arts and business studies.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

• Offer an insight into the practical management of the arts in addition to developing their research, professional and employment-related skills
• Explore the economic and political landscape that dynamically shapes the Creative Industries
• Introduce project and time management skills necessary for delivering an arts event, which you will hone and develop through research and practice to create their own performance brand

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Contextualise the current economic construction of the Creative Industries in their wider economic, political and historic landscape
• 2. Clearly communicate the unique aspects and appeals of a creative industries project to both stakeholders and audiences through written, digital and verbal means
• 3. Source, sort and synthesise a wide range of information from a variety of digital and non-digital sources, audience feedback and post-event evaluations in order to develop a performance brand

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Utilise research tools and to translate theory into practice
• 5. Apply a wide range of library and IT skills in detailed independent research
• 6. Engage critically and analytically from different theoretic perspectives. Explore theoretical concerns through practice, and vice versa, and synthesise findings in practical and written tasks. Interpret research into physical practice and vice versa

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Develop advanced personal research skills using personal initiative; set personal objectives that are linked to a sense of challenge and extending boundaries; identify and evaluate personal learning strategies that are self critical as much as self reflective
• 8. Develop advanced confidence in performance skills and public presentation, in a variety of situations and/or with a variety of audiences, both of dramatic practice and researched material
• 9. Think laterally and demonstrate originality in problem solving; express and communicate creative ideas and images; initiate and sustain creative work, both group and solo
• 10. Balance self-direction and collaborative work; to adapt and design working methods for each new situation, self-management, collaborative working skills, problem solving, critical analysis and valuing own and others' ideas and beliefs

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• An examination of the current state of the Arts in society, centred on a discussion of their socio-cultural uses and relative value as a force for good
• Overview of a history of the political and economic development of government policy and planning in relation to the Creative Industries
• Students will write an essay examining the value of the arts in economically stringent times
• Project and time management skills required in the delivery of an arts event, including finance and fundraising, administration and human resources, negotiation and presentation, brand development and a consideration of the new conditions of marketing the arts in a digital age
• Students develop their own business plan and brand identity that will communicate, through both a presentation and portfolio, how their economically viable, innovative arts project might be realised for an appropriate audience

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Carey, John (2006) What good are the arts?, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Chong, Derek (2002) Arts Management, London: Routledge.
• Kershaw, Baz (1999) The Radical in Performance, London: Routledge.
• Nicholls, Alex (2006) Social entrepreneurship: new models of sustainable social change, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Pick, John and Malcolm Anderton (1996) (2nd ed.) Arts Administration, London: Spon Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• The Arts Council (2010) Cultural Capital  A Manifesto for the Future: Investing in Culture will build Britain's Social and Economic Recovery http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/publications/Cultural_Capital_Manifesto.pdf
• The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2010) Money Map Advice on access to finance http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/dcms_moneymap.pdf
• The Charity Commission http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/About_us/OGs/pogindex.aspx 
• The Charities Aid Foundation http://www.cafonline.org/
• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3114 

Key words search

professional, creative industries, arts in society, economic, fund raising, business plan