Cultural Entrepreneurship Introduction

‘Cultural entrepreneurs’ have made significant contributions to not only the creative and cultural sector but in the main also to the current vitality and health of the
UK’s economic growth, thus gaining an increased amount of recognition in recent years (Wilson and Stokes 2002:37). Not only do ‘cultural entrepreneurs’  according to Leadbeater and Oakley assist in new job creation and the promotion of  social cohesion they provide a new model of creative production which has been made possible through advances in technology mainly concerning the internet and the use of I.T. (Wilson  and Stokes 2002:37). This sounds great but we need to grasp the concept of a cultural entrepreneur, therefore we must first understand the term entrepreneurship. 

What is Entrepreneurship and or Cultural Entrepreneurship?

Kao (2003:433) defines entrepreneurship as “the process of doing something new and something different for the purpose of creating wealth for the individual and adding value to society”. Jeffery Timmons of Babson College mentions that “Entrepreneurship is the ability to create and build something from nothing, it is the ability to build a founding team to complement your own skills and talents and it is also the ability to sense opportunity where others see chaos, contradiction and confusion”.The common characteristics and traits within entrepreneurship extend also to the cultural entrepreneur. The cultural entrepreneur encompasses entrepreneurship, the creative industries and also the cultural industries but how do we come to one set definition? Cultural entrepreneurs are also known as the independents as they work according to their own beliefs and at their own pace (Wilson and Stokes 2002:38). Their independence is significant in nurturing innovation and creativity as many work with new technology which appeals to mass youth markets and furthermore could influence the development of other industries in which self employment and small businesses are growing (Leadbeater and Oakley 1999). To make this more digestible, I will examine contemporary entrepreneurs and cultural entrepreneurs to assess commonalities’ and differences. 

 Examples of Entrepreneurship

Anita Roddick is the founder of Britain’s leading cosmetic company the Body Shop. Her mission for the Body Shop was in the pursuit of environmental change, using her business she communicates human rights and environmental issues. Anita is an entrepreneur, she took risks, she is self motivated and very determined to succeed in all that she does. What also stands out is that she has a strong sense of social responsibility in which is at the forefront of everything she does, she uses her company as a spring board for many of the campaigns she feels strongly about. According to Anita Roddick “An entrepreneur is very enthusiastic and dances to a different drum beat , but never considers successes as equating to personal wealth….Entrepreneurs have this real belief that that their lives about services and leadership”. For me, Anita is too a cultural entrepreneur some may argue she is both, the very nature of entrepreneurship is indeed subjective so is open to a variety of different interpretations and opinions. What is over and abundant through the literature on entrepreneurship is that they have similar characteristics and qualities, further entrepreneur characteristics include:·        

• Positive
• Confident    
• Opportunist
• Facilitator
• Capitalises on opportunity

I would consider myself to be a cultural Entrepreneur, as I am part of Laeadbeaters and Oakley’s (1999:20) “new generation emerging in the 1990’s in multimedia, design, computer games, internet services, fashion and music”. My sector is in TV and video production, I always knew I would work within the creative sector but never knew that would manifest it self to owning a production company at the tender age of 23. What I have found from my short but fruitful time working within the sector is that cultural entrepreneurs are collaborative people and much of the work is interconnected i.e. I may be asked to work on a job, the job may also require a graphic designer, I happen to know one so I recommend them to participate, we cultural entrepreneurs share and exchange ideas for mutual benefit which is most of the time not for profit but for recognition amongst sector peers.

As a cultural entrepreneur I care about social issues, for me this transcends into wanting to get more females and ethic minority women into the production sector of the media. I look here at black female entrepreneurs such as Oprah Winfrey and Kanya King who are both driven entrepreneurs whom own their own businesses but at the core of what they do again, which is socially driven.

Kanya King is an internationally recognised entrepreneur and innovator within the British music industry, she is the CEO and founder f the MOBO organisation which has elevated black music culture to mainstream status within the U.K. Kanya’s driving force behind the MOBO’s was to acknowledge black artists and black music and provide an event where black people are able to come together in celebration of black history and culture.

Oprah Winfrey is also an internationally recognised entrepreneur, she has many entrepreneur categories under her belt, she’s an entertainment entrepreneur, cultural entrepreneur, social entrepreneur and not to mention the richest Black African American woman, she is a billionaire. For me Oprah is a true ‘independent’ not content on working for herself she established her own production company Harpo Studios in 1998. Now Harpo studios is Harpo INC she has her own cable television network alongside her own magazine and publishing company, film production company and online media company. Oprah is affiliated and supports a great many good causes, she created the Oprah Winfrey Foundation which supports the education and empowerment of women, children and families not just in the USA but also worldwide.

Oprah Winfrey and Kanya King are my inspirations as they are both successful black female  entrepreneurs , these are the women I look too and try to emulate, what is overwhelming in their characteristics is that they use their business to address or highlight issues important to them within society. I have found that having an entrepreneurial approach to business helps with gaining self direction for me this having set objectives for the business to achieve and also having personal goals that I wish to achieve , its important to develop ones ‘self’ as well as the business. For me this has come about through the development of new skills and abilities by attending different production led training courses. I identified a weakness in my skills and put right the weakness by taking positive action. Now that weakness has given me competitive advantage as I can use the multinational brand Apple to endorse the services my business provides.

Conclusion
“Creative thought is at the heart of entrepreneurship” Dugald Cameron, Director Glasgow School of Art.

As a cultural entrepreneur I choose independence because it gives me the freedom to work in the way in which suits my needs and wants, my core discipline as a camera operator is a small fraction of what I contribute to the creative running of my business. Although I value my independence I understand the need for collaborative team working. What has aided my current state of entrepreneurship is the development of the creative curriculum which has focused my abilities and enabled me to act more entrepreneurial. This has shaped itself in me acquiring business skills which I didn’t have any of and attending various seminars and training schemes to support creative business which in turn will equate to success in the cultural and entrepreneurial economy (Leadbeater and Oakley 1990:43)