Over 100 artists, filmmakers, content creators and organisations from across Aberdeen’s creative industries gathered at North East Scotland College (NESCol) for a day of discussion, collaboration and learning focused on supporting the future of one of the region's most important sectors.
Held at Aberdeen City Campus on 21 October, the Aberdeen Cultural Summit is an annual event that aims to share ideas, build connections and promote opportunities across the local creative sector.
The summit was first launched in 2023 and is delivered in partnership between the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University (RGU) and NESCol.
This year’s theme focused on bringing creatives together. The event covered a range of topics affecting the creative industries, from new technologies and digital marketing to cross-sector collaboration and the future of the North-east's screen sector.
Delegates heard from keynote speaker David Officer who is leading Aberdeen City Council’s creative industries strategy for jobs in the North East. He highlighted new research commissioned by the Council which demonstrates the significant value of the sector and how it can support the region's economic future.
Robin McGregor, Vice Principal of Curriculum & Quality at NESCol, introduced the event and spoke about the College's contribution to the creative sector.
Robin said: “Culture and creativity are fundamental to what makes the North East a great place to live, learn and work. They enrich our lives and communities, while also contributing to the skills, innovation and ideas that will shape our region’s future.
"North East Scotland College has an important role to play in nurturing creativity, developing talent and working with partners to create opportunities for people across the region.
"We’re thrilled to host the Aberdeen Cultural Summit this year to bring people together to celebrate our cultural and creative community, strengthen partnerships and help it thrive.”
Sara Stroud, Television Lecturer at NESCol, was the lead organiser of this year’s summit. She also hosted a workshop that explored Aberdonian filmmakers such as Grampian TV and TokofTheDeen, and the importance of local storytelling.
Sara said: "There are great people and talent in Aberdeen. With so much happening in the city, I'd personally like to see more local documentary filmmaking being produced and celebrated.
"There is still a story to be told about Aberdeen. The city has changed so much in my lifetime.
"The universities and College are investing in these events to bring creatives together to encourage conversations. We want to support opportunities for locals to create culture in our city.
"This is why the annual summit is so important. I enjoy watching content online, but I firmly believe that if we want to create jobs and a thriving community, we must make spaces for connection and creativity in real life. We also must invest in local organisations and artists.
"There is a real culture and expectation in the city that local creatives or students should do these things for free. I'd like to see more investment in our local creative industries and a stronger ethos of curating culture with care.
"Every £1 invested in creative industries generates £5 for the UK economy, not to mention the health and wellbeing benefits that we get from having a rich and vibrant cultural sector."