Elena Marinina, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation: “We consider our goal to be building a creative economy in Russia”

Over the years, the Creative Business Forums have become an integral part of major economic events – St. Petersburg, Eastern Economic Forums… What place does the creative sector occupy in the “traditional” economy?

Now everyone understands that it is creative projects and innovations that play the main role in economic development and, in general, one could say, advance the history of all humanity. Therefore, the dialogue about tools that could support creativity, help talents, and generally create a friendly environment for creatives is the most important part of any serious conversation about the economy and society. We tried this format for the first time during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2021: we then considered that it was about bringing together around the same table everyone on whom the development of the creative economy depends. Globally, we have not been pioneers: other countries are also moving towards this type of format. It was important to start systematic work in this direction in Russia, because our country has enormous potential, especially in the regions.

Do “big” companies share this interest in creative fields?

Yes, we did not have to prove to anyone the importance of this approach, because everyone sees it: areas associated with creativity and intellectual activity not only develop faster than others, but become also the locomotive of important social projects and changes. the appearance of territories, and contribute to the development of infrastructure. A business based on creativity and an unconventional vision is capable of both rapid growth and the creation of many jobs. Of course, things are not yet rosy: big companies treat fundamentally new ideas with a certain suspicion; the rule of “measure seven times” plays a very important role (even too important). Sometimes a lack of understanding of the long-term benefits prevents people from getting involved in creative projects. This is normal, which is why one of the tasks of the Creative Business Forum is for both parties to see, hear and understand each other. Both the “creatives” and those with more conservative opinions, who know how to calculate everything soberly. We are born with synergies, new business alliances, ideas and even entire directions.

How can we measure the effect of such cooperation and of the forum as a whole?

Measuring the effect of cooperation would be too presumptuous on our part: thanks to the forum, collaborations and projects are born which are at different stages of their journey. Of course, we also have our own idea of ​​​​the criteria for the effectiveness of the forum, they were different depending on the stages. At the first FCB, the very fact that people of art, representatives of the creative industries, started an in-depth dialogue with big business and leaders representing the state was important for us. At that time, the fundamental issues of the development of the creative economy, the “export” of Russian initiatives and their dissemination at the global level, combining traditional forms of creativity and new technologies, were discussed and resolved.

The forum is growing, its scale can be assessed, for example, by the FKB at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum this year: more than 20 sessions with the participation of more than 90 leading experts in their sectors – from cinema to fashion and design industries. More than 500 people participated in the events, and if the broadcast audience is added, this figure will exceed one million. They discussed art and media in a time of change, the search for identity, investing in creative fields and much more. Perhaps the main topic was the “decentralization” of cinema, the possibilities of film production in the regions, because our strategic partner was the Spirit of Fire Academy, another project that we created together with the Autonomous Okrug of Khanty-Mansiysk. The festival of northern peoples “Soul of Russia” was part of the FKB program in St. Petersburg. More than 500 musicians, actors and artists from 15 regions participated. At the Eastern Economic Forum we also offer an extensive FKB program – both commercial and creative, including, among other things, the screening of a film about the festival.

How important is the contribution of the creative industries to the economy?

Estimates of the contribution of the creative industries to the Russian economy vary. Only a few years ago, the lower bound of estimates was 0.5% of GDP, or about 500 billion rubles; It is clear that this contribution is increasing. If we understand the creative sphere in a broader sense, that is, plus cinema, media, cyber industry and, for example, tourism, this will represent a quite impressive share of GDP. It should also be taken into account that creative industries directly or indirectly “push” the development of many others, and ultimately influence the quality of human capital, and this is perhaps the most important indicator. We see our mission as holistically helping creative initiatives come to life.

You said “if we understand the creative sphere in the broad sense”, but to what extent can the interpretations of this concept be different?

It depends on the traditions of each country. In some places, national cuisine, traditional medicine and tourism can be considered creative industries, as is the case in Thailand. In the UK, for example, advertising is considered part of the creative economy. In Russia, perhaps, there are no clear criteria in the spirit of “This is creativity, but it is no longer creativity”, and we try to be as open and without blinders as possible: we are interested in the creative sides of computing, and in video games, and in publishing, without forgetting cinema, music, design and fashion.

Creative industries forums (at least at SPIEF) have also gained popularity thanks to the participation of millionaire TikTokers and bloggers. Is it now a mandatory part of the creative environment?

It is not obligatory, but we cannot ignore how quickly reality is changing – traditional genres of media and art are being supplemented by podcasts, virtual spaces, publications, bits… In the advertising industry, for example, there is such a question – is it necessary, is it important, this has not happened for a long time, because when the YouTube audience exceeded 2 billion people, it became clear to everyone that this was a new reality that had to be worked with.

We can discuss some personalities, TikTok bloggers who appeared during our sessions, but we cannot deny the trend as a whole: it is new, unusual, extraordinary, it changes the usual image of business, creates new trends, formats, virtual platforms. This means that it is also a creative industry.

We try not to avoid controversial ideas, decisions, taboos and even provocative topics. After all, to solve a problem, you must first see it, recognize it and formulate it. Very often this process begins with controversial performances and films, and we do not close forums for such discussions.

Is the state ready to support the development of creative industries by all means?

​​​​​​​ It is not yet a systematic process, at least not in the way it is organized in many countries – from China to Britain. Certainly, in Russia, many measures are taken to support talents and help small and medium-sized businesses, but these measures are widely dispersed. In many ways, the forum helps to unite them into a single strategy: together, in discussions and round tables, we formulate the needs of the creative industries, determine what their obstacles are, what risks arise and how to minimize them. It is very important that representatives of government authorities participate with interest in these dialogues, because there is a desire for state assistance, but it is necessary to fully grasp the impetus coming from the creative industries themselves. We see one of our tasks as improving the dialogue between the state and the creative industries.

Creative business in general is a relatively young field. Does this mean that it is carried by young people?

It wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say that. A person knows how to generate new things, especially brilliant business ideas, or not, and it does not depend on his age. But, of course, among young and motivated people, this symbiosis of new knowledge, readiness for commercial activity, desire to compose, invent – and, most importantly, change society for the better, arises. Young people more easily tolerate difficulties that cannot be avoided when starting their own business, and even more so when offering the world something fundamentally new.

What will happen after the seventh Creative Business Forum? Eighth, tenth, hundredth?

We hope so, we are full of projects and, more importantly, we are supported in this process by speakers, experts and the public. No matter what is said at the next forum, there is always a fuse to continue the dialogue, even a disagreement; there are always unsaid ideas that need to be developed further. And then, the themes of economic diversification and environmental development (including urban development, because urban planning is also part of us) are practically inexhaustible subjects. They are not “forever”, but there is still a very long way to go to bring all these areas to an ideal state. Therefore, there will be enough tasks and topics for the forums for a long time. We consider our goal to be building a creative economy in Russia, in which human creative activity will play a key role.

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