As a capital city, Cardiff is relatively small. Yet it hosts one of the most vibrant creative scenes in the UK: 15 percent of all businesses in the Welsh capital are creative, compared to the national average of 11 percent. 

What are the largest creative industries in the city, and what events and investments are promoting their growth? We take a look.

The Role of the Creative Industries in Wales’ Economic Revival

During the latter part of the 20th century, Cardiff’s heavy industry, much of it centred around the production of iron and steel, went into decline. Cardiff Bay was once the world’s most important coal port, but by the 1980s large areas of docks were derelict. However, in the 1990s the importance of the creative industries for urban redevelopment began to be recognised, particularly in areas that had undergone industrial restructuring. 

This led local policy makers to recognise the significance of the creative industries for Wales, and they have played a key role in the country’s economic revival. The UK government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) defines the creative industries as those ‘which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property’. 

But which of the creative industries have been Cardiff’s biggest successes?

Film, Television and Broadcasting

The most notable success stories have been in the audio-visual sector. The Independent Review of the Creative Industries, which was commissioned by the government in 2017, found that Cardiff had become one of the UK’s largest media production centres outside of London, with BBC Wales, ITV Wales, S4C and over 600 independent TV production firms based there. 

The regeneration of Cardiff Bay has brought many production studios into the area, including BBC Roath Lock Studios, where Doctor Who, Casualty and Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm are filmed, and ITV Wales’ news production facilities. Also based in Cardiff Bay since 2017 is Wolf Studio Wales, one of the UK’s largest purpose-built studios, which is home to BBC/HBO co-productions His Dark Materials and Industry, and Sky’s A Discovery of Witches. 

Bad Wolf, the company that produces His Dark Materials, receives funding from Creative Wales to provide trainee opportunities in the form of paid placements. These placements are tracked and monitored to help create future career pathways for trainees and create a permanent pool of TV talent in Wales. 

“Being the home of productions of this cale enhances our reputation globally as being a region with the crews, skills, studio space and locations that can service a production of this large scale and, and clearly aligns with Creative Wales’ long-term strategy,” says Dawn Bowden, member of the Welsh Senedd and deputy minister for Arts and Sport.

IT and Tech

Cardiff has a thriving IT and Tech sector, which is one of the fastest growing in the UK in terms of job creation. According to research by job search engine Adzuna for Tech Nation and the UK’s Digital Economy Council, the city has experienced a 34% rise in available high-paid tech jobs between 2018 and 2020, which puts it second only to Preston, and ahead of larger cities such as London and Edinburgh. 

Tech jobs make up 26% of all available roles in Cardiff, up from 20% in 2018 and as more opportunities are opening up, employers are offering increasingly generous salaries to attract the best staff. The median digital tech salary in Cardiff is £37,500, up from £35,000 in 2018. By comparison, the median salary for all roles in the city is £30,000, which demonstrates how fierce the competition for skilled workers in the sector is.

“Cardiff has nurtured a fast-growing tech scene with a mixture of startups, scaleups and corporates offering exciting and well-paying jobs to talented staff. The high proportion of non-digital roles in the sector is part of a wider trend that we’re seeing across other cities in the UK that shows you don’t need to be a coder to succeed in this fast-paced and rewarding industry,” says Dr George Windsor, head of insights at Tech Nation.

Music, Performing and Visual Arts

Cardiff’s third largest sector is music, performing and the visual arts, which employs 19.7% of people working within creative industries in the city. In 2017, Cardiff was named as the UK’s first Music City by global music agency Sound Diplomacy, and the council unveiled plans to protect the city’s music scene and boost its international profile. 

Cardiff’s universities boast many music, performance and arts degrees and the city is home to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, which provides vocational training for 600 students each year across a wide range of artistic disciplines. Cardiff has many prestigious venues to employ talented graduates, including the Welsh National Opera, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and National Dance Company Wales. 

“The city can boast some incredible national and international successes but most important for us is the grassroots activity that goes on every day all over the city,” says Andrew Plain, co-owner of Musicbox Studios. “Our staff are all in bands and bring first-hand experience and expertise and this can be seen across all the music based businesses that are actively supporting each other.”

Cardiff’s creative industries are vital for the city’s economic growth and are playing an important part in reshaping the post-industrial future of the city. Continued investment and job creation will help Cardiff retain its talented students and attract new workers, ensuring that the Welsh capital continues to thrive and prosper. 

If you’re an artist, freelancer or small business based in Cardiff and are looking to move your operation into a creative office then look no further. We have a range of studios available so get in touch today and we can arrange to show you around.