Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
One of the most popular topics in the world today is the creative economy, from which some of the richest countries of the world, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, earn livelihood. The fact that this topic has found a significant place in regional arena is best illustrated by the first panel on the topic of creative economy in Serbia, held at this year’s Kopaonik Business Forum.
The importance of further investment in a creative economy and its fields such as IT, design, film, theatre, music, architecture, art, media, advertising, fashion, publishing … is also illustrated by the fact that the creative economy in Serbia has recorded annual growth of 37.4%, which makes it the fastest-growing sector in Serbia, according to data from the World Bank study, which was commissioned by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.
The panel was led by Branka Conić, Director of PR agency New Moment, and answers to questions about the creative economy, its potentials and challenges in Serbia, and whether creativity and new ideas can be the most valuable export product of Serbia in the future, were given by panel participants: Lazar Džamić, a professor and former director of planning in Google UK; prominent Serbian actor, director and producer Dragan Bjelogrlić, whose series “Shadows over the Balkans” are winning over audiences across the region; Branko Milutinovic, CEO of Nordeus, one of the most successful Serbian global digital companies and a global gaming industry leader; and Lazar Sakan, Creative Director at New Moment, which last year won five awards at the world’s largest creativity contest, Cannes Lions.
Professor Džamić defined creative economies as the only smart answer to the challenges of the present world in which automation and robotics will completely devour the current benefits of cheap labour. He added that we cannot work cheaper or better than many countries, but we can work smarter.
Lazar Sakan stressed that the strength of Serbia lies precisely in the fact that it did not have clear, predefined systems and rules through its history, leaving room for improvisation and development of creativity. Creativity is in our blood, and New Moment Agency is the best proof that creators of Serbia can stand side by side with creators from all over the world, and not just be equal to them, but to win in the game of creativity.
Dragan Bjelogrlic stressed the great export potential of the Serbian film. “In film expression, Serbia should position itself something like ‘South America of Europe’, and we should look for inspiration and topics in our mentality and everyday life. The future of film is on TV platforms that make it possible for people to watch certain content at any time, whenever they want and whatever they want.” Speaking about the future of Serbian cinematography, Bjelogrlic stressed that it can be a leader in our region and emphasized that he is pleased by the fact that the importance of specialized channels that promote the domestic feature program is recognized.
“I’m happy for the appearance of the Top Channel, which plays only movies and series. I don’t know how it will develop further, but it could really be revolutionary for us. The emergence of this channel that has recognized business, and the feature form as something that should be invested in, is important,” said Bjelogrlić.
Branko Milutinovic, founder of Nordeus, pointed to the unique chance of Serbia to catch up with the most developed countries in the world in the field of creative economy. “In this area, our chances are equal, and here we compete only with our talents and our perseverance,” Milutinovic said, and emphasized the importance of investing in education and youth who will be leaders for the future.
The panel at Kopaonik also announced the first conference on creative economy in Serbia, which will be held at the initiative of Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić, in Kinoteka on 13 March, from 11.30 to 20.00h.