Creative and Media

Manchester is recognised as one of Europe’s largest creative, digital and technology clusters and is home to a fast-growing £5 billion digital ecosystem.

Home to Europe’s largest purpose-built digital hub, MediaCityUK, and with a heritage of broadcast and media production, marketing and advertising as well as specialist skills in service design, animation, gaming, augmented and virtual realities; Manchester is a place where creativity and technology are jointly driving the next wave of innovation in the creative and media industries.

Manchester’s thriving creative, digital and technology community of more than 10,000 businesses including the BBC, Brown Bag Films, Mediacom and Dentsu Aegis.

“You have got the most incredible talent pool bring in Manchester, whilst also having some of the most creative brands that you can work with”
— Katy Leeson, Media Expert

The ecosystem comprises companies at all stages, from start-ups and SMEs to global brands and homegrown unicorns that IPO above $1 billion; all of which converge and collaborate in the city’s creative, digital and media hubs.

Manchester is a city region rich in specialist talent and skills that creative and media businesses thrive off. The existing 86,000-strong industry workforce is supplemented by a sustainable flow of graduates from the city region’s five universities, where almost 25,000 students are enrolled in creative, digital and technology courses, as well as industry-led apprenticeships and training programmes; providing businesses with access to a wealth of specialist skills.

Kate Temperley

Kate Temperley Head of Inward Investment – Creative, Digital & Tech

Manchester is home to one of Europe’s largest creative, digital and tech clusters and has been leading the way in animation for more than 40 years.

CDT Factsheet

Manchester- The UK's Top Digital Tech City

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Beyond The Music

09, Oct 2024

Beyond The Music is a global music conference and festival taking place in Manchester, the beating heart of the UK’s cultural enterprise and a city historically known for social change. The festival will take place across venues and skylines in and around the city. Beyond The Music, is founded by producer, presenter, promoter and social enterprise founder, Oli Wilson, who aims to explore, define, and tackle the issues which the music industry faces. Building upon the foundations laid by his Father, Tony Wilson - a broadcaster, journalist and creator of Factory Records and Hacienda nightclub, to shape the future of the music industry and turn the challenges it faces into opportunities. The conference and festival is a place to gather artists, entrepreneurs, creatives and music industry professionals over the course of three days, with the funders, businesses and organisations, in order to maximise impact and take solutions to scale. As well as putting the spotlight on new music talent as well as world class artists. Festival artists 024Kas | 32 Tens | Adjustments | Aleighcia Scott | Ambiere | Arka | Baby Said | Better Joy | Blossom Caldarone | Britizen Kane | Bronagh | Cam Mannix | Chunky | Claire Welles | Conor & The GreensKeepers | Crysometimes | D3LTA | David Arlo | Death by Denim | DeeD0t | Ditz | Divinitas | DR DR | George Lawson | Half Happy | HANN | Heavy Salad | Ivey | J Chambers | JAXN | Jords | Junkyard Tornado | Just Banco | Karen Dió | Katie & The Bad Sign | Lazy Day | Lei Hope | Levi Love | Little Strange | Lotusbliss | Lucy Deakin | Lucy McWilliams | Marii Ella | Martial Arts | Mellt | Metrodome | MilkMaiden | MINAS | Modema | MOULD | Nyah Grace | OneDa | Ownlane Kay | Pizza Crunch | Plasticine | Private Joy | Queen Cult | Rosebud | SAINT | Shader | Shelf Lives | Slate | Slimzz | Spielmann | The Empty Page | The Mercians | The Outcharms | The Redroom | Third Kulture  | Troopz | Vulva Voce | WRKHOUSE Venues Ramona | Soup | Band On The Wall | Castle Hotel | Gullivers | Aatma | Peer Hat | Night & Day | Disorder | Aviva Studios | Matt & Phreds | Off The Square

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Manchester's breadth and depth of expertise enables cross-industry opportunities for collaboration and a world-class offer for the international investor.

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Manchester offers access to world-leading research facilities, state-of-the-art…