Any capable manager, any firm trying to break into or improve its position on a competitive market, would give simple advice: it is not enough simply to master what the competition is already doing; you’re already running behind. You need to be bold, to go further. That’s how you hit the spotlight. That’s how you become a leader. The situation is the same when it comes to positioning Serbia, whichmetaphorically speaking is a start-up brand in the field of the global creative industries. Competition isfierceandfast-moving,with technological advancesvisibleandmeasurableona daily basis. Even the UnitedNations has proclaimed 2021 the year of the creative economy. In Serbia, unfortunately, the creative industries are still unfairly regarded as something of an elitist pursuit–despitethemcontributingasmuchas4.5% to Serbia’s GDP and employing more than 115,000 people –more than 70 per cent of whomare highly educated, andmany of whomarewomen. Over the last four years, the exports of Serbia’s creative industries have increased by as much as 46.7%! These inspirational statisticsare the reasonwhy PrimeMinisterAnaBrnabić founded theCreative IndustriesCouncilandthenationalplatformSerbiaCreates. The goal of Serbia Creates is twofold: first tosupportandenhancetheworkof institutions and individuals involved in the creative industries inSerbia, inorder toboost theirglobal competitiveness. This includes promoting the best and most talented people we have. The foremost among them are the Creative Ambassadorsof theSerbiaCreatesplatform,whoinclude world-famous andwidely respectedartists, scientists, innovators etc. The second goal of Serbia Creates is to promote the notion that innovation, creativity and inventiveness are rooted deep within Serbia’s DNA. During the first year of work, our Serbia Creates projects have included the retrospective exhibition of Marina Abramović in Belgrade, which made Serbia the topic of an international media buzz and a cultural debate that was precisely the intention of our platform. Our team also oversaw the re-opening of the National Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the Vranje Theatre, which burned down seven years ago. We brought togethermorethan400of themost talentedpeoplefromourdiaspora,withwhomwe haveestablishedcontinuouscooperation,attwo annual conferences inBelgrade.Wehavestarted remodellingabeautiful building inLondon into a hub for Serbian creatives and entrepreneurs, andwewill renovate theoldLozionica (Turning Yard) inBelgrade intoamulti-purpose centreof creativityandculture.WehaveactivelypromotedSerbiaasafilmshootingdestinationandnow entire seasons of American TV series are being fully produced in the country. And last autumn saw the BBC declare Belgrade one of the five most creative cities in the world! Erich Fromm said that creativity arises when a person abandons their comfort zone, and that’s exactly what we do. This year we are launching new, ambitious and audacious creative projects that nobody has previously had the courage to attempt. We’ve stepped out of our comfort zone. And Serbia is already creating. Why not join us?
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