In today’s fast-paced knowledge economy, it is people, their creativity, skills and talents that are a region’s biggest asset. The South West of England is home to some of the most innovative and successful media companies in the UK. The region has the second largest Creative Industries sector outside London and was named as a Creative Industries National Exemplar in the UK government’s Creative Britain plan, published in February 2008.

Centre of Excellence
The South West is a centre of excellence in animation, natural history production and digital media. Bristol has the strongest digital media supply chain outside London, with a diverse client base working alongside leading international brands. BBC Bristol is a centre of excellence in High-Definition production, both for TV and theatrical distribution. It is home to the acclaimed Natural History Unit, which has been making wildlife films for more than 50 years and produces a quarter of the entire global output. The unit is acknowledged as the world’s centre of excellence in wildlife programme-making.

Content development
Two of the largest names in content development for web and mobile have also chosen to locate in Bristol. Nokia is involved in developing technology for its short form content download strategy (for music and visual media content) here. Nearby is HP’s largest innovation lab outside the US. The Lab is focused on technical innovation in the media industries and collaborates with the Watershed, the University of the West of England and Pervasive Media Studios, all based within the region. Not only is Bristol a magnet for international business, it is also, according to Lonely Planet, the “coolest city in Britain.”

Conservation
ARKive, the global archive of endangered species, is another South West success story. The organisation, which has world class expertise in conservation, has now teamed up with Google to bring this information to a global audience in a format that is both entertaining and relevant.

Animation
Animation is a hugely successful sector in the region. Aardman Animations, creator of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films, is one of the world’s leading animation companies and the only one in Europe to be involved in full-time feature film production. It is based in the region alongside Bolex Brothers and A Productions. The University of Bournemouth is home to The National Centre for Computer Animation – the UK’s leading centre for computer animation research and study.

Festivals
The South West is also host to some of the world’s best-loved festivals. Glastonbury is now the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world and Wildscreen is the largest wildlife film festival. The International Screenwriters Festival takes place here and so, too, does Encounters, the UK’s leading short film festival.

Inspiring environment
The Creative Industries sector is broad with 13 different sub-sectors. Some 89,000 people work in it in the UK, with a further 55,000 working in related creative occupations. Nationally, the whole sector contributes 8% of the UK’s GVA and is growing faster than the rest of the economy. The South West’s amazing environment inspires creative minds to produce some truly inspirational work and we are proud to have one of the strongest and most exciting creative sectors in Europe.