West Yorkshire's Thriving Creative Sector
West Yorkshire's creative sector, home to around 9,000 businesses, employing over 48,000 people and a further 40,000 freelances and contributing almost £2 billion to the regional economy, is the fastest-growing creative sector outside London and Scotland. With support and investment from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the region offers a thriving environment for creatives.
The region's creative landscape has seen significant developments, including Channel 4's relocation to Leeds, Kirklees Year of Music 2023, Calderdale's 2024 Culturedale events, Wakefield's year-long Our Year 2024 festival, and Bradford's designation as UK City of Culture 2025. These initiatives create opportunities for local creatives to engage within the region and form connections nationally and internationally.
Tracy Brabin, the Mayor for West Yorkshire, has confirmed, "We are seizing the opportunity to build on our success and consolidate our position as a world-leading creative powerhouse." Those words have been backed by investment in West Yorkshire's creative industries, with a £1.7 million package announced in 2023 to help boost the sector. The 'You Can Make It Here' support package assists people entering the region's growing creative industries, upskilling them through a bespoke range of initiatives, including training accelerators and mentorships.1 The WYCreate programme of skills and business support for creative freelances and microbusinesses, which will launch in September 2024, forms the latest addition to this.
The digital revolution has created a platform for cutting-edge games production, marketing and advertising, and a thriving film and TV sector. In the performing arts, Leeds stands out as the only English city outside London with active producing companies in theatre, opera, ballet, and contemporary dance. Some of the skills needed to sustain and grow these jobs have been here for centuries: design, publishing, making, and performing. Other skills are newer: film and TV, gaming, and digital. All of them are on an upward trajectory.
A major player in the creative sector is Screen Yorkshire, founded in 2002. It has been a driving force in bringing national and international productions to the region to showcase its landscape, heritage, and architecture. West Yorkshire is also home to established independent production companies such as True North, which champions the showcasing of the region’s stunning landscapes and diverse communities.
The region's freelances and creative businesses have access to world-class production facilities. Tileyard North, situated next to the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, will provide a hub for the largest creative community outside London, featuring The Gallery event space and studios for over 200 artists, musicians, and creative innovators. Also in Wakefield, the innovative Production Park Studios has attracted names such as Cirque Du Soleil, Coldplay, and Hugh Jackman to use the first arena-sized full production rehearsal facility in Europe. Its degree-accredited specialist live event training facility, ALT, offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and other training for creatives of tomorrow.
Freelances and Creative Businesses
Freelances play a critical role in West Yorkshire’s creative economy by enabling businesses to manage and reduce entrepreneurial risk, de-risk market uncertainties, and reduce the amount of finance required for innovation and business start-ups, ultimately promoting innovation, enterprise, and growth. Our analysis indicates there is a community of around 40,000 creative freelancers across West Yorkshire.
Freelance and self-employed creative businesses may be expected to generate greater revenue than those in other occupational categories due to their higher levels of knowledge and skill. The total contribution of freelances to the UK economy in 2022 was estimated at £139 billion.2