Cinema, handicrafts, and urban space design. The development of creative industries offers the opportunity not only to generate substantial income but also to make a significant contribution to the economy of both the region and the country. This was the topic of Creative Industry: Creating New Reality conference held as part of the 6th Zauralye-2024 All-Russia Investment Sabantuy in Sibay. Speakers at the conference brought creative industries (CI) projects into practice. They shared their experiences and offered suggestions.

For example, Oleg Dyachenko, Vice President of Business Union of Experts in Intellectual Support of Business, proposed creating an expert community to provide financial, legal, and other assistance to creative industries entrepreneurs.

“We had an extensive discussion during Future of the Region's Creative Industries strategic session, which led to the development of practical proposals. For instance, it is necessary to create a one-stop system for professionals in the CI field. The criteria for determining the value of intangible assets should encompass not only their minimum financial worth but also their aesthetic value,” noted the expert.

He highlighted the necessity for training programs at primary, secondary, and higher educational levels in order to meet the needs of those in the CI field.

Rim Bikmaev, an Ufa entrepreneur and founder of the famous Art KVADRAT urban space, recounted the inception of this unique platform exactly seven years ago. It offers a multitude of locations on one site, catering to various forms of creativity.

“The project was entirely created through private investment. Today we are celebrating the 7th anniversary since its launch. During this time, it has become iconic. It hosts numerous events for both children and adults, organizes clubs for schoolchildren, and offers business development facilities for aspiring entrepreneurs. We also engage in the restoration of cultural heritage sites here. Many projects are implemented by young individuals under the age of 35. A clothing factory of Russian manufacturers has been established here,” told Bikmaev.

He recalled presenting Art KVADRAT a year ago to Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Following that, a decree on the development of creative industries was issued, signaling heightened attention to this field at the highest levels. The entrepreneur expressed hope that today's discussion would pave the way for further decisions at the level of the republican bodies to support the development of creative projects.

Aleksandr Starkov, a co-founder of Chirkov creative space in Birsk, is creating something similar today. He described how they are establishing tourist attraction points in this ancient, former merchant town.

“Today, Chirkov stands as a creative space within an old mansion in the historical center of Birsk. It features a coffee house, a gallery of contemporary art, creative workshops, and a souvenir shop. Appearing only in 2021, our location has attracted the attention of over 30,000 tourists within a year. We have contributed to the growth and development of our partners providing travel services. We have calculated that the creative industries segment in Birsk has the potential to generate 1.5 billion rubles of income if we all work hard,” summarized the expert.

By the way, Starkov and the team invited Dmitry Oynas, a Historian and Landscape Architect, President of the Heritage and Economy Business Club, and Author of dozens of projects, to incorporate heritage sites and historical territories into modern socio-cultural and economic circulation. So, we can expect Chirkov to get a new development soon.

Eleonora Saunina, Chairperson of the Union of Craftsmen of the Republic of Bashkortostan, said that a significant economic benefit can be achieved today by blending the heritage of the past with contemporary trends.

“Young people seek creativity, dynamism, such as wearing items that embody style and fashion while also reflecting cultural or national codes and identity,” she emphasized. Therefore, framing crafts within the context of the creative industries will serve to fulfill these aims and objectives and facilitate the integration of crafts into modern life. This is the craftsmanship potential of the Republic,” shared the speaker.

She noted a significant interest in hand work, highlighting the abundance of creative people in Bashkortostan who know how to create something with their own hands. Therefore, they all require assistance in launching their businesses and products into the market.

Guzel Karimova, CEO of Agidel Bashkir Industrial Holding of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Member of the World Craftsmen Council, reminisced about her first participation in the Investment Sabantuy in Sibay in 2020, when she brought her yurt. But it was an unusual yurt, featuring elements of modern design.

“I was so scared to see people's reaction to a yurt with panoramic windows, but they liked it. All the guests were coming just to see us. This marked a new step towards development. And to this day we still build such yurts. They are in demand. Next came the decoration of the balcony in the Bashkir national style. And it has also proved to be in great demand. A new project, the ethno-village complex, is being presented today in the Toratau Geopark,” announced Guzel Karimova.

As a Member of the World Craftsmen Council, she suggested that Ufa be included in this council.
By the way, Agidel is a state enterprise that celebrated its 60th anniversary last year and continues to uphold the traditions of Bashkir folk crafts to this day.
Rustem Adnabaev, Director and Founder of the Teleshko children's media school, shared the success of his creation. The school has been working for 12 years. Its branches already exist outside the region, including CIS countries.

“It all started with Big Suitcase project about traveling on the BST TV channel. In 2015, twenty programs of the project were bought by Pyatnitsa (Friday) TV channel, and that's when it all began. We began creating great projects, became famous, and started receiving invitations to federal channels,” said the director.

Each speaker passionately talked about their favorite and creative projects. For instance, in celebration of the 450th anniversary of Ufa, Mikhail Kumpan, a renowned restaurateur, shared that he and his team created a drink called Ufachino.

“ It's a blend of coffee and tea, with a top layer consisting of milk and honey mousse. By adding tea to the coffee, we kind of made a hint that Bashkirs prefer this particular drink. By the way, all the ingredients for it are produced in the Republic,” boasted the entrepreneur.

He also noted that there is a lot of room for creativity in his field of expertise. The restaurateur was asked to create a kumisiano drink.

Yunir Aminev, Director of the Bashkortostan Film Studio, discussed the success of Silver Akbuzat film festival. He also noted that every year their film studio creates 2-3 films, which are released not only in the Republic. Additionally, the film studio has experience in creating turnkey films for other regions, as seen in Village Trial film produced for Karachay-Cherkessia.

He also reminded us that the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan allocates grants of 50 million rubles annually for the creation of films in the Republic.

“It is a unique phenomenon of our region. You can produce 4-5 films with this money,” said Aminev.

Rais Gabitov, Director of the Digital Kurultai Agency, Organizer of Media Conferences, Founder of the Large South Urals Trail, and a famous PR person and blogger in the Republic, reminded that today the audience of Bashkir bloggers numbers more than 40 million people. That is 10 times more than the residents of Bashkortostan.

“I am the founder of the PR community. Annually, we hold the PR Day in Ufa. We even have our own award,” said the blogger. “Through my personal example, I am demonstrating how economically successful the creative industry can be.”

Another famous Bashkir blogger Damir Vakhitov, shared his experience of creating cool content for enterprises.

“We came up with a unique content on safety by presenting it through absurd advice, taking it to the point of absurdity,” he explained. This has proven far more effective than just broadcasting about boring rules. Humorous content helped one enterprise to address a personnel issue. A video is considered successful if you share it with five relatives on messenger and within a few hours it circulates back to you from another country. That's our story,” revealed the blogger.

Andrey Starikov, CEO of the Fund for Implementation of Infrastructure and Social Projects of the Republic of Bashkortostan, highlighted in his speech that it is currently very challenging to find available architects and designers since they all are occupied, what indicates positive and successful development of the Republic's economy.

“I found a promising candidate for a vacancy with an impressive education, but a day later she changed her mind: she won a grant and went to Sterlitamak to implement the project,” he shared. This also indicates that our grant support functions well,” said Starikov.

Natalia Kuzmina and Sofia Sidorenkova, Heads of Creative Industries Schools in Ufa and Sterlitamak, told that their schools can teach children to get skills for in-demand jobs for free. For example, children can learn professional photo and video shooting, graphic design, work as a sound director, animator, and more.

“Besides, we teach children to monetize their knowledge - by the age of 12-17, a child can already earn good money,” added Sofia Sidorenkova.

Such schools are equipped with modern equipment, but they often encounter personnel problems.

Alla Efremova, Deputy Director of the Ufa College of Technology and Design, discussed plans to establish in Bashkortostan an educational cluster focused on creative industries.

“It will bring together 8 educational institutions and 15 enterprises,” she stated. As part of Professionalism federal project, we are establishing a modern educational environment. Already this year, we are anticipating an intake of 450 people. Training will be provided in six areas, including information systems and programming, design, graphic design, advertising, and garment craftsmanship. The result of Professionalism project will be targeted training tailored to meet the actual demand of employers,” emphasized the teacher.

During the conference, entrepreneurs implementing CI projects shared their achievements. For example, Anna Uvarova told about Fabrika department store located in Art KVADRAT. This space is already three years old, and it exclusively features Russian brands.

“We serve as an accelerator for young designers. More than 20 presented products of designers are from Bashkortostan, with over 10 having reached markets beyond the region, and three designers have initiated their own production lines. More than 30,000 people visit us monthly. The turnover of the site amounts to over 100 million rubles per year. Our goal is to foster the development of as many brands as possible and elevate them to the Russian level,” stated Uvarova.

Elvira Ismailova runs Lubimaya Semya Centre For The Revival, Preservation And Enhancement Of Family Traditions. They established ancestral estates in the Arkhangelsk district, where large families reside. This year, the Cetre reached a new level by producing a film.

“Thanks to the young talented director Anya Makeeva, we conceived the idea to adapt Two Brothers parable from the series of books The Ringing Cedars of Russia by Vladimir Megre,” she explained. During the preparation of the project, which took two months, we assembled a strong creative team. The Torsuev brothers agreed to play the twin brothers in the film,” shared Ismailova.

Ramil Imangulov and Elmira Imangulova began with the Bureau of Tax and Legal Assistance to Entrepreneurs before establishing a creative tailoring studio. Nikita Vishkin has developed an innovative digital technology for rapidly producing high-strength composite repair parts using 3D printing.

Today, over 34,000 people are employed in the creative industry in the Republic. In 2023, they implemented 57 new projects. The Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Bashkortostan is confident that the number of entrepreneurs and ideas in this field will continue to grow. Especially since all the proposals voiced during the strategic session and conference have been noted by the authorities.

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