WALTER AMERIKA BLOGS : Amsterdam Creative Metropolis: Growing up in Public

WALTER AMERIKA MEDIA

Walter's Expertise

Walter is an independent brand and innovation consultant and expert on creativity and the creative industries. He shares his insights and ideas on ‘socio-economic creativity’ with private companies (new and existing) and public organizations to create added value. Design thinking, brand building, scenario sketching are his main working tools. Next to that he is Head of the Market Department of the renowned Design Academy Eindhoven, strategy advisor for the Executive Board of the University of the Arts Utrecht, co-founder of CI NeXt (the leading agenda for academic and applied research for business innovation within the Dutch Creative industries) and member of the advisory boards of Dutch Creative Residencies Network and startup company Layergloss He is the former chairman and chief creative officer of the FHV/BBDO Marketing Communication Group in Amsterdam and member of the BBDO European Board. He was also Chairman of the Dutch Art Directors Club and member of the Dutch EFFIE jury, chairman of the Dutch Design in Development Foundation, member of the advisory board of EU project Custom Fit and ambassador of the Dutch Design Awards and chairman of the creative board of CCAA (Creative Cities Amsterdam Area).

Took part in a session organized by the City of Amsterdam to review and preview policy on the Creative Industry. Good initiative, reasonable round table conversations. Although sometimes the discussions seemed to drift of to specific issues (for instance, on the position of a Cultural Mayor of the Night...) house moderator of CI hot spot Pakhuis De Zwijger Ruben Maes was in control of his quests. Including myself, positioned in the last group of speakers, along with Marleen Stikker of the Waag Society and Rob Huisman, director of BNO and chairman ai of the new Federation of Dutch Creative Industries).

I hope I was able to sketch a bigger picture in which the CI (including the Amsterdam area) is supposed to play an active role in an ambition to drive the Netherlands into a creative economy. Which means the CI has to become more society focused, better organized, entrepreneurial etc. In other words, the CI has to grow towards a more powerful position in order to deliver its added value. We have to shift focus from a cultural position on the side of the playing field, to a socio-economic role in the heart of society. Because in the end even a creative economy isn't the end goal, that's a creative society. In which creativity is not only just a creating phenomenon, or a healing one...but most of all a connecting one. Between different cultures, business sectors, geografical regions, etc, etc.