Creative industries projects around the world
I have worked on creative industries and creative entrepreneurship projects in more than 60 countries, collaborating with governments, development agencies, NGOs, universities, creative industries organisations, cultural organisations and creative entrepreneurs.
Some projects have focused on business growth, startups, job creation and economic development. Others have helped arts and cultural organisations become more entrepreneurial, resilient and financially sustainable.
My role has varied from project design and consultancy to business advice, training workshops and keynote speaking — often combining several of these activities within a wider programme.
These experiences continue to inform my work today, particularly my international keynote speaking and creative entrepreneurship training.
Economic development, business growth and job creation
Creative industries programmes are often commissioned as part of a wider economic development strategy. The objectives may include creating new businesses and jobs, helping existing creative enterprises to grow, and strengthening the contribution of the creative industries to a local or regional economy.
I have designed and delivered major programmes with precisely these objectives.
Creative Growth Initiative — Liverpool, UK
I was lead consultant on the Creative Growth Initiative, a major business development programme for creative industries enterprises in Liverpool.
Businesses were selected for their potential to grow, create jobs, increase exports and contribute to the regional economy. The initiative supported more than 200 businesses and my work combined interactive workshops with individual strategic business advice, helping entrepreneurs identify opportunities and develop practical growth strategies.
The programme gave me extensive first-hand experience of working with ambitious creative entrepreneurs while also understanding the economic-development objectives of the organisations investing in their success.
“We are judged on results, so we use Dave as a business adviser because he delivers results.”
– Kevin McManus, Liverpool Vision / Merseyside ACME
Read about the Creative Growth Initiative
Generate — Donegal, Ireland
The Generate programme adapted approaches and methodologies developed through the Creative Growth Initiative for creative enterprises in County Donegal, Ireland.
The programme combined individual business advice with workshops and other support, helping creative businesses become stronger, more sustainable and more ambitious.
Generate had specific economic objectives, including the creation of new employment, and exceeded its targets for jobs created.
These projects gave me practical experience not simply of advising individual businesses, but also of understanding the wider objectives of organisations investing in creative entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development.
That perspective is particularly relevant when I speak at conferences or deliver training commissioned by governments, NGOs, creative hubs, universities and development organisations.
Arts, culture and creative enterprise
Not every creative organisation defines success in terms of growth, profits or job creation.
For arts and cultural organisations, success may instead involve greater financial independence, organisational resilience, creative freedom, audience development or finding sustainable ways to fulfil a cultural mission.
I am equally comfortable working in this environment.
Before working internationally as an adviser and trainer, I had first-hand experience of setting up and managing creative and cultural enterprises myself — balancing creative and cultural ambitions with the commercial realities of customers, income and financial sustainability.
That experience has helped me work comfortably across both commercial business-growth programmes and projects involving artists, cultural organisations and creative practitioners.
Fit for the Future — Liverpool, UK
I was lead consultant for Fit for the Future, commissioned by Culture Liverpool to help arts organisations and cultural enterprises respond to reductions in public funding.
The objective wasn’t to turn cultural organisations into conventional profit-maximising businesses. It was to help them become more entrepreneurial and financially sustainable while continuing to fulfil their artistic and cultural purposes.
More than 50 cultural institutions, arts organisations and individual creative entrepreneurs benefited from the programme.
“David’s ability to establish a rapport with creative and cultural entrepreneurs is second to none.”
– Sean Durney
EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme
My work with the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme took this experience into a very different international context.
I delivered interactive workshops and developed online courses on strategic planning and marketing for cultural managers and creative enterprises across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The programme helped cultural and creative professionals develop more entrepreneurial approaches to their organisations and projects, using practical tools including my Business Formula, PRIMEFACT and ICEDRIPS frameworks and Ideas in Action case studies.
Read about the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme
More recently, I designed and delivered a training workshop for culture professionals in Slovakia, as part of preparations for Trenčín European Capital of Culture 2026.
Experience behind my speaking and training
These projects are part of the practical experience I bring to my work as a keynote speaker and trainer.
I understand the ambitions and challenges of creative entrepreneurs themselves. I also understand the objectives of the organisations investing in creative entrepreneurship — whether their priorities are startups and job creation, business growth and economic development, or cultural resilience and financial sustainability.
That means I can adapt both the content and language of my work to very different contexts, while keeping the focus on practical outcomes for the people and organisations involved.
Selected clients and commissioners
Over the years I have worked with governments, international organisations, development agencies, universities, creative industries organisations, cultural institutions and businesses around the world.
My work has included engagements with major international institutions such as the United Nations and European Commission, alongside national, regional and local organisations including the Ministry of Economic Development in Curaçao; Bandung Creative City Forum in Indonesia; Instituto Serrano de Economia Criativa in Brazil; British Council in Zimbabwe; Industrias Creativas Valparaíso in Chile; Germany’s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries; Impact Hub Almaty in Kazakhstan; and the Center for Creativity in Slovenia.
These are just a few examples from projects in more than 60 countries, ranging from major international programmes to initiatives working directly with local creative entrepreneurs and cultural organisations.
Let’s discuss what you’re planning
If you are organising a conference, creative entrepreneurship programme or training initiative and think my experience could be useful, I’d be pleased to discuss what you are trying to achieve.