There are many creative industry practitioners living and working in the Clarence Valley. In 2006, a Northern Rivers study, Imagining the Future was updated by Cathy Henkel on the visibility of screen and creative industries in the region; the nature of work; the needs of creative practitioners and the extent to which significant levels of activity are following a migration of talent to the region.

The study concluded that:

• Creative industries are growing and flourishing in the region and that there is now a critical mass of creative talent.
• Significant high value activity has followed this influx of creative workers into the region, and local producers are generating projects and products worth millions of dollars and exporting to global markets.
• The industry however is still fragmented and there is a need to focus more on networking and infrastructure support for practitioners, mentoring and team building mechanisms.

Henkel also found that:

• The number of people actively engaged in the creative industries in the Northern Rivers had more than doubled since 2000.
• More than a third of these were sole traders and a significant number were also employed in micro businesses (many of which commenced as sole traders).

The rise of the 'creative class'

Henkel's report refers to the US author Richard Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class, Who's Your City, The Flight of the Creative Class) who says that creativity is the decisive source of competitive advantage, the driving force, in the new economy. He believes that `the creative class' will dominate in the new knowledge economy as the working class did during the Industrial Revolution. However, a key issue for creative industries is one of visibility and a major focus in contemporary research in this sector is on identifying creative industries and assessing their place in the global economy.

Creative entrepreneurs make their mark

Henkel also looked at work by Leadbeater & Oakley, (Surfing the Long Wave) which argued that the new entrepreneurs in the creative industry sector are increasingly more networked and collaborative and less the `lone mavericks' of the early days of the sector. `They also increasingly self-manage their careers rather than relying on employers to do it for them. They are curriculum vitae and portfolio driven and seldom stay with one company for long periods of time. A large percentage of the sector are self-employed individuals who operate as sole traders, often even without a registered business name, or in micro businesses of between one and five people.' (Henkel 2006)

A growing local presence

Communication technologies and modern transportation systems are making it increasingly possible for people to make their living in creative enterprises wherever they choose to be.

According to Henkel, they come to the region seeking choice, autonomy and lifestyle satisfaction, and are willing to trade these off for insecurity and risk. Their knowledge of digital technology and global networks are their major assets and their working tools are often no more than a lap-top computer, a phone line (preferably with broadband access) and plenty of hard-drive space. The major secrets to their success derive from their ability to nurture and exploit global networks, to collaborate successfully with peers and clients via email and the internet, and their effectiveness at building teams and sharing skills and resources. (Henkel 2006)

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