‘We put our money where our mouth is': how the arts are transforming the north-east of England
There has been no shortage of creative talent from the north-east. The region's writers have created work that has educated generations (Terry Deary's Horrible Histories) and been reimagined by Hollywood (Lee Hall's Billy Elliot). Even those not from the region have chosen to base their most famous creations there (Ann Cleeves' Vera).
Approximately 60,000 people are now working in the wider region's creative and cultural industries, and north-east mayor Kim McGuinness wants to see this increase. Her 10-year local growth plan aims to transform the north-east into a cultural powerhouse to rival current heavyweights, such as London and Glasgow.
'We want to treat our culture and creative industries the same way we treat green energy, advanced manufacturing or other traditional sectors that you would expect of the north-east,' McGuinness says. 'As mayor, I'm going to make sure we put our money where our mouth is.'
At the heart of this plan is Northumbria University, which has produced a host of distinguished creative alumni, including Apple's former chief design officer Sir Jony Ive, Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley (The Brutalist), and bestselling author Cally Taylor, better known as CL Taylor.
'Northumbria [University] plays a strong role in helping us build an ecosystem of culture and creativity,' explains McGuinness. 'They're a really important partner.'
One significant recent investment is £5m from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to create a new writing centre for the region. The campaign to establish the new centre, set to be based within Newcastle's historic cultural and creative zone, known as Creative Central NCL, was led by the charity New Writing North in partnership with the university.
Including audio studios and event spaces, the centre will have extensive collaborative working and teaching spaces dedicated to Northumbria University. Academics are collaborating with the likes of Hachette UK, Faber & Faber and Simon & Schuster to drive innovation within the publishing industry and provide students with sector-specific learning experiences. This is part of a broader, ambitious plan to integrate such opportunities across all undergraduate courses.
'We're keen to widen access to the publishing industry,' says Dr Neil Percival, co-director of cultural partnerships at the university. 'The real-world learning experiences students will gain from working with these partners will make them a key part of the future of the creative and cultural sector in the region.'
McGuinness agrees, adding that 'the national centre for writing will be a jewel in our crown'.
The university has other key partnerships, including Live Theatre, a theatre company specialising in new writing that provides students with access to rehearsals and delivers an industry-focused module; North East Museums, which includes teaching and research around heritage, curation and community wellbeing; and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, which offers bespoke postgraduate training designed especially for Northumbria students.
'With Live Theatre, our creative writing students have been able to see their scripts read on stage, with professional actors and a creative director,' says Percival.
'Our partnership with North East Museums provides placement opportunities and projects on their sites all over the region for students across many subject areas including education, health and law, not only within the arts, and our fine art students have their graduation show professionally curated at Baltic and other galleries in Newcastle.
'You can't replicate that kind of real-world experience. They are very powerful, transformational opportunities that would be difficult to come by without the cultural connections we provide,' he says.
And the university's involvement doesn't just benefit its students, with its research opening up opportunities for communities that don't traditionally have access to creative industries.
The university was an instrumental founder of A Writing Chance, working with actor and philanthropist Michael Sheen, New Writing North and other partners to open access to the writing industries for writers from working class, low income or minority backgrounds, and it is leading on a national £3.9m research programme that fosters creative communities and promotes the devolution of powers over culture and the creative industries.
'Our research with our partners helps to break down barriers to access within the creative industries,' says Percival. 'We're able to give our cultural partners solid, evidence-based understanding of the impact of what they do … That, in turn, helps them meet local needs and bid for funding for further development, as well as helping to shape policy decisions much further afield in Westminster.'
Known for its natural beauty (the region has two Unesco world heritage sites in Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall and more than 300 miles of coastline), the north-east also hopes to further cement its place as a prime film location. A major move in this direction is the plan for the new Crown Works Studio in Sunderland, which will grow to include 19 sound stages, a vendor village and backlot. Crown Works received a £25m investment from the north-east devolution deal and will help create more than 8,000 jobs.
Northumbria already has a partnership with the British Film Institute, and, through its work with all five regional universities to maximise opportunities for graduates and producers, can see enormous potential emerging from the development, making the region an even more attractive destination for students wanting to work in a vast range of roles connected with the film-making industry.
It's something Gabriel Brown is excited for. Graduating from the university's film and TV production course in 2021, Brown now combines work on productions such as ITV's Vera and BBC's Smoggie Queens, with running his own company, Terabithia Pictures.
'There is just so much opportunity and so much experience in this region,' he says. 'The north-east as a whole is very much on the rise. It's fully deserving of that chance and that funding.
'There's a mass of incredibly talented crew and cast [here],' he says. 'It's an incredibly beautiful place to film, and a very friendly place to film as well, and in general, the locations and studios go unsung in terms of praise, because the attention is focused on London, Manchester or Glasgow.'
Like the film industry, the music industry is now seeing the enormous potential in the north-east too.
The 2025 Mobo awards were held in February at Newcastle's Utilita Arena and the Mercury Prize will also be hosted there in October, the first time this event has been held outside London. Meanwhile, industry giant Warner Music UK has announced ambitious plans to open a major studio facility in the heart of Newcastle, working closely with Generator, an organisation dedicated to nurturing and growing musical talent in the region – all of which is contributing to the north-east's transformation into a region that meets cultural needs.
'Having access to things you enjoy, whether that be a choir in your local community centre, or going to the Stadium of Light to see Bruce Springsteen – that whole range of cultural opportunities should exist for you,' says McGuinness. 'It's about mass participation.'
Percival agrees. 'Go out and see things,' he says. 'Get your kids involved. Let your young people see the career routes available to them in the north-east, so that they have a fair crack at the whip.'
Find out more about how Northumbria University is shaping futures and driving change
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