5 Things You Didn’t Know About CreativeTT
If you’re not familiar with the work that CreativeTT does, then this article is for you. Step into our world as we share with you some insight into our daily operations. Our mandate is ‘to stimulate and facilitate the business development and export activities of the Creative Industries in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth’ so with this in mind, our core activities centre on five main pillars.
1. Capacity Development Dr. Keith Nurse, co-author of The Global Economic Crisis and the Developing World: Implications and Prospects for Recovery and Growth, once said, “The rise of the creative industries presents significant opportunities for transforming youthful energy into new ideas, organization and a future vision for societies.” That’s why at CreativeTT we’re focused on capacity development; harnessing the talent and creativity of our citizens to build sustainable music, fashion and film industries. Examples of these initiatives in 2015 include MusicTT’s Songwriters’ Camp and Publishing Camp, FilmTT’s Secondary School’s Short Film Festival and Smartphone Film Festival and FashionTT’s Business Development Workshop.
2. Strategy Development The strategic plan for the Fashion Industry of Trinidad and Tobago was launched earlier this year and outlines a new strategic direction for the fashion industry for the period 2015-2020. This plan will position Trinidad and Tobago as a fashion hub, strengthen the capacity of fashion practitioners to participate in the international market and increase growth and revenue at the national and firm levels. Visit www.fashiontt.co.tt/strategy to download the complete plan. Similar plans for CreativeTT’s other two subsidiaries – MusicTT and FilmTT – are also underway with MusicTT already putting procedures in place to commission its own strategic plan and FilmTT will do the same soon after.
3. Research Research grounds the work we do and provides direction for moving forward in a legitimate and justifiable way. It informs policy and programme development and at CreativeTT this is crucial to determining the projects that are undertaken. Our ability as a country to map relevant and accurate data to underpin decisions for investment cannot be understated, CreativeTT focuses on academic insight on the current state of the industry to make informed trade decisions that would move our industries into higher degrees of growth and global market penetration.
4. Brand Loyalty Outside of the Carnival season, only a minority of Trinbagonians consume local music much less local fashion and film on a regular basis. Building loyalty for our own creative products is essential to ensure that these industries are sustainable and contribute significantly to GDP for years to come. At CreativeTT, we understand the competitive advantage that creativity brings to an economy and we’re seeking to leverage this advantage among global competitors. After all, our brand isn’t CreativeTT but rather Trinidad and Tobago.
5. Strategic Business Alliances CreativeTT is also focused on building a network of international creative industries practitioners and partners. Knowing who the major players are internationally, will allow us to leverage on business partnerships for investment opportunities, to continuously grow and develop our own creative industries and to promote the talents of our citizens on a global scale.