is an initiative from the London Development Agency and Livingstone. It is being backed by creative luminaries such as film director Alan Parker and will work in partnership with organisations including the CBI, Visit London and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
According to Livingstone: "London is a magnet for the creative industries, which are the fastest growing sector in the capital and worth around 拢21bn. We want to ensure that creative industries are able to thrive in the capital by maximising opportunities for creative talent working or getting established here."
The scheme aims to help nurture creative industries in the capital, such as filmmaking, fashion, design, architecture and theatre. The programme will help to establish creative hubs across London to provide workspace, as well as exhibition and marketing facilities, a 拢10m seed fund to support business growth, and support for flagship events such as London Fashion Week and the Notting Hill Carnival.
Research has shown that London is failing to achieve international recognition for its creative industries, despite the fact they there is a combined turnover for the sector of 拢21bn annually, and that one in five of all new jobs created in London is in the creative industries.
The advertising industry alone employs 50,000 people and in 2000 was worth 拢2.2bn.
Michael Frye, chairman of Creative London, said: "London's creativity benefits from London's multicultural diversity, but often talent deep in these communities does not get the support and access it needs. It will now. London's future social economic and cultural health tomorrow will depend on how well we support creative industries today."
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