About

What is the 100 Most Creative Russians initiative?

100 Most Creative Russians is a selection of 100 outstanding creative individuals and teams representing the creative sector of the Russian economy today.

How were these people selected?

The list is based on hundreds of nominations from over 300 experts across all Russian creative industries. The selection criteria and stages are described in the Methodology section.

What are the creative industries and the creative economy?

The creative economy is a new concept on the global economic agenda, introduced by the UN General Assembly’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The ‘creative economy’ consists of ‘creative industries’ that are at the crossroads of arts, culture, business and technology. All these activities are intensive in creative skills and can generate income through trade and intellectual property rights.

According to the UNCTAD classification, the following areas are deemed creative industries:

  • Film, Video and Photography
  • Television and Radio
  • Music
  • Architecture
  • Advertising and Marketing
  • Design
  • Publishing
  • Software and video games
  • Arts
  • Performing Arts
  • Museums, galleries and creative clusters
  • Crafts

Why are creative industries important?

As it stands today, creative industries are one of the fastest growing sectors in the world’s largest economies. For example, in Germany, creative industries ranked third in gross added value in 2018, overtaken only by automotive and mechanical engineering.

In the UK, the creative sector is growing nearly twice the rate of the economy as a whole.

Contribution of German cultural and creative industries to gross value added compared to other sectors of economy 2018 (in € billion)

Why are creative industries important for the economy?

Creative industries play an important socio-economic role, contributing to the sustainability of economic and social development. Creative industries act as an environment that feeds the economy with new ideas and products, and also creates new high-margin jobs. In general, the creative sector is helping to shift from a commodity economy to a knowledge economy.

How are creative industries affecting economic performance in Russia?

Russia does not have a detailed economic accounting of creative industries yet. Today, the creative economy of Russia creates, according to various estimates, about 1 to 3% of GDP.

What are the goals of the 100 Most Creative Russians project?

We strive to consolidate Russian creative industries and to form an idea of ​​this new sector of the economy among investors and government bodies. The 100 Most Creative Russians project shows that Russia is home to world-class creators and creative products. We want to pass this message locally and globally.

Is this a one-time activity?

100 Most Creative Russians is the first project of the Creative Russia Network Association. It is the first step of a deeper study of Russian creative industries’ potential on domestic and global markets. You can follow the development of our activities on Facebook and Telegram.