CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
A FUTURE IN
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
WHAT ARE CAREERS IN THE
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ABOUT?
Creativity is at the heart of what it means to be human.
Art, storytelling, music, drama, dance and a host of
other creative activities are found throughout history
across all cultures. These activities may be about
entertaining, informing, passing on genealogy, sharing
wisdom, creating artefacts, expressing oneself, or
bringing people together socially.
In the modern world, the creative industries are seen
as crucial to the economic and social development
of societies and nations. The knowledge economy
needs people skilled at delivering creative ideas and
driving creative endeavours from the drawing board
to the marketplace. A central component of this is
understanding how to lead creative individuals and
teams as well as manage creative projects.
If you are a creative type and also enjoy leading,
planning and organising people and projects, a career
in creative industries management could be for you.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
OUTLOOK AND TRENDS
Generation
of wealth and jobs - In New Zealand,
USEFUL
WEBSITES
there is growing government recognition that
Thethe
Bigcreative
Idea sectors can generate wealth and
www.thebigidea.co.nz
employment, either directly through the production
of creative works and events or indirectly through
Creative
New
Zealand
tourism
and
the raising of the country’s profile. For
www.creativenz.govt.nz
example, Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies employed
an estimated 3,000 people and influenced 14% of
WeCreate
visitor arrivals to New Zealand in 2014.
www.wecreate.org.nz
Source: www.stoppress.co.nz, Air NZ survey
Artists
Alliance of creatives - As creative industries
Management
www.artistsalliance.org.nz
continue to develop, there is a shift in emphasis
towards self-identity and understanding of creative
labour. There is a realisation that the management
of creative people requires a different approach
and that traditional management theory and
practices may need to be adapted to allow for
creative personalities and work styles.
Digital creativity - Opportunities in digital areas
of creative work are expected to continue to grow
dramatically as the tools and techniques used
to create works and manage projects become
increasingly digitalised. This covers the creation
and
the provision
For of
thecreative
most upworks
to date
information
on of
thedigital
services
such Industries
as ‘digital guides’
in museums and art
study
of Creative
or the Bachelor
galleries.
of Communication Studies, please visit our
website:
Changes with institutions - Museums and similar
www.aut.ac.nz/creative-industries
institutions have seen a shift away from being
of knowledge
and artefacts.
Yourepositories
can also contact
the AUT Student
CentreThere
is for
more
focus
revenue generation, customer
team
help
andon
advice:
experience and entertainment and this is driving
newAUT
employment
opportunities.
0800
UNI (0800
288 864)
email: [email protected]
CITY CAMPUS
55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland Central
NORTH CAMPUS
90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote, Auckland
SOUTH CAMPUS
640 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland
AUT MILLENNIUM
17 Antares Place, Mairangi Bay, Auckland
Connect with us now:
www.aut.ac.nz/social
The information contained in this career sheet was
correct at time of print, Sept 2015
WORK SETTINGS
Those working in the creative industries typically develop
portfolio careers, involving work from multiple sources
that are often project-based. Progression is made by
moving from one project to the next, building experience
and reputation over a variety of projects. This can result
in a ‘feast or famine’ environment, with intensive activity
during the current project followed by relative inactivity in
the gap before the next. You need to be prepared to cope
with this both psychologically and financially.
Graduate opportunities are often at entry level, involving
basic office, administration or general support. You are
then likely to advance to more interesting and appropriate
roles if your employer is in an appropriate industry. For
example, you may start as a general production assistant
in the television industry, progress to production manager
and then to a producer role.
Employment can be within various industries, including
publishing, advertising, public relations, music
management, cinema, television, theatre and cultural
tourism. It is also possible to start your own business or
become a creative entrepreneur, though most people
would build up their reputation by working for an existing
organisation before embarking on self-employment.
CAREER ROLE EXAMPLES
Arts administrator/gallery shop co-ordinator - Provides
first point of contact for customers. Co-ordinates course
registrations and liaises with staff. Manages the shop,
trains new staff, prepares reports and sales records.
Attends to stock orders, bookings, customer sales,
stocktaking, finances and promotions. Knowledge of the
arts.
Curator (art gallery) - Researches and writes information
about items in a collection or exhibition. Helps decide
which items to display in exhibitions and which items to
add to the collection. Liaises with artists, art dealers, and
other galleries to source and acquire items for exhibitions
and collections. Gives talks and seminars to the public/
customers. Knowledge of the arts.
Project manager – museum exhibitions - Responsible for
the co-ordination of the development, design, production,
installation and de-installation of museum projects. Plans,
executes, monitor and reports on projects. Manages a
diverse team to deliver high quality visitor experiences.
Liaises with external stakeholders and fosters community
relationships. Manages resources, risk and finances.
Production manager: television - Prepares schedules,
scripts and call sheets. Manages relationships with
sponsors and other key stakeholders. Co-ordinates
crew bookings, travel logistics, and manages set and
production equipment. Manages a team of production
assistants. Manages budgets, finances and various office/
administrative functions.
Theatre manager - Responsible for the personnel,
financial and administrative aspects of the theatre. Plans
schedules of events/productions. Liaises with production
companies, board of directors, contractors and officials.
Manages budgets and financial viability. Leads marketing
and publicity activities. Recruits, trains and manages
staff from the box office to back stage. Ensures optimal
customer experience overall.
SALARY GUIDE
Salary (per year)
Arts administrator/art shop
co-ordinator
Curator for regional
museums or galleries
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Production assistant
• Apply evaluative and analytical skills, with a strong
research base to draw upon
• Develop and present management plans
• Design and implement campaigns, projects and events
from goals and strategies to budgets and logistics
• Display strong communication management skills
Knowledge
• Understanding of cultural policy and its place in
everyday life
• Understanding of behavioural aspects of management in
the creative sector
• Knowledge of funding sources, through public or private
sector
• Knowledge of creative industries and the intricate nature
of creative labour
PERSONAL QUALITIES
• Creative, driven by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations
• A people person and well organised
• Strength in self-promotion with a wide and diverse set of
contacts
• Able to cope with rejection and uncertain income
• Being able to balance requirements of the employer with
own core values
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
There are no set requirements for professional registration,
however membership of professional associations assists
with professional and career development. Suitable bodies
include:
• The Project Management Institute of New Zealand
• New Zealand Conservators of Cultural Materials
$45,000-$70,000
Senior/team leader role
with five or more years’
experience:
$60,000-$95,000
Source: Museums Aotearoa,
2014
Skills
• Lead, manage and organise creative people, teams and
projects
$35,000-$45,000
Freelance production
assistants:
$150-$275 per day.
Source: Careers NZ
Project/theatre manager
Starting
$35,000-$45,000
3 to 5 years’ experience
$45,000-$60,000
Senior managers
$50,000-$70,000 and
above.
Salary range is indicative of job markets at the time of
publication (2015) and should only be used as a guideline.
THE AUT ADVANTAGE
AUT’s approach to teaching creative industries
is unique within Australasia. It involves a critical,
theoretical understanding of creativity with a focus on
not just managing creative people and projects, but
also the effects of social policy on cultural production.
AUT graduates complete a substantial project with an
organisation in the industry, generally for about two
months.
FURTHER STUDY OPTIONS
Further study in creative industries is available
at postgraduate level, including the Bachelor of
Communication Studies (Honours), Postgraduate
Certificate in Communication Studies*, Postgraduate
Diploma in Communication Studies, Master of
Communication Studies*, Master of Philosophy and Doctor
of Philosophy.
* Programme changes were subject to approval at the time of
publication
HAYLEY MORRISON
Account Executive, FCB New Zealand, Auckland
Bachelor of Communication Studies in Creative
Industries
“My role as an account executive covers many tasks
from understanding a client brief and developing a
solution through to final sign off and implementation.
This involves progressing jobs through rounds of
client amendments and input from the creative team
(copywriting/art direction), studio, digital and production
teams to ensure clear communication is provided to all
team members, internally and externally.
Along with handling multiple jobs simultaneously and
managing relationships among an array of different
personality types, my role requires strong attention to
detail for tasks such as proofreading and checking that
the work is fulfilling the brief. I also produce project
timelines, cost estimates and monitor job costs and
timings to ensure they are on or under budget and
meeting the deadline.
I love the way my job blends a focus on human behaviour
with project work and you get a real sense of achievement
seeing a job evolve. I particularly like how I get to sit
between the creative and the business objectives and
make sure the best result is achieved by negotiating
between those two often opposing positions.”
EMPLOYER COMMENT
“A lot of what we look for comes down to personal
qualities and attitude. Being positive, enthusiastic and
willing to learn will take you a long way. You learn a lot
when you first start out, but because relationships are so
important you really need to be someone with initiative
who people enjoy dealing with.
In this industry you have to be curious and want to know
what makes people tick. You also need to be adaptable
because you have to move between diverse tasks, such as
writing creative briefs and managing financials.
Hayley is naturally very calm and friendly, a great people
person. She’s very quick at picking up the way different
people operate and understands that you need to deal
with people in different ways. Because of this she’s
been able to get through a number of different projects
smoothly and learnt a lot along the way.”
Nick Bell
Account Director, FCB Auckland
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
USEFUL WEBSITES
The Big Idea
www.thebigidea.co.nz
Creative New Zealand
www.creativenz.govt.nz
WeCreate
www.wecreate.org.nz
Artists Alliance
www.artistsalliance.org.nz
For the most up to date information on the
study of Creative Industries or the Bachelor
of Communication Studies, please visit our
website:
www.aut.ac.nz/creative-industries
You can also contact the AUT Student Centre
team for help and advice:
0800 AUT UNI (0800 288 864)
email: [email protected]
CITY CAMPUS
55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland Central
NORTH CAMPUS
90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote, Auckland
SOUTH CAMPUS
640 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland
AUT MILLENNIUM
17 Antares Place, Mairangi Bay, Auckland
Connect with us now:
www.aut.ac.nz/social
The information contained in this career sheet was
correct at time of print, Sept 2015