Liverpool’s creative ecosystem: thriving, bold, and built on collaboration

As part of Prolific North’s special Liverpool focus week in partnership with Growth Platform, Helen Cross, Creative Industries Lead at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, highlights how the region’s creative ecosystem is thriving through collaboration, innovative hubs, grassroots initiatives, and sector-wide programmes, and explores the opportunities these create for talent development, business growth, and future investment.

Ask Google’s AI to define a thriving creative business ecosystem and you’ll get something like this:

“A collaborative network of creative and supporting organisations that fosters innovation and growth through partnerships, diverse expertise, and a supportive environment. Key components include creative businesses, academia, government, funders, and keystone organisations that provide resources, facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration, and create a culture that embraces experimentation.”

Sounds great, right? But here’s the thing: Liverpool City Region isn’t just ticking those boxes — it is living them… every day.

Despite years of squeezed public spending, this community has stepped up. Organisations and individuals have filled the gaps, creating opportunities, building networks, and driving growth. The result? A creative ecosystem that’s alive with energy and ambition.

READ MORE: Liverpool City Region’s creative industries unite behind a shared ambition for growth

You just have to look at Baltic Creative’s Bloom Festival — an annual celebration that connects support organisations, businesses, and academia to spark new ideas and partnerships. Or Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Business Breakfast Network, where tech innovators and service providers meet monthly to share insights and collaborate. And let’s not forget Barclays Eagle Labs, hosting sector-specific workshops and opening doors for creative entrepreneurs.

Grassroots initiatives are thriving too. As a snapshot:

• Marek Smagala, frustrated by the lack of games industry networking, launched Liverpool Game Dev Network (LGDN). What started as casual meetups has grown into a powerhouse of events, including the inaugural Liv Game Summit that took place this year — a one-day conference and mixer that drew 250 attendees, 20% from higher education, to showcase the opportunities in the industry and local area to the next generation of games developers. Marek has gone on to grow LGDN into a key partner for games industry events. He responds to the needs of the network by hosting events across a range of topics such as a recent ‘Games Pitching Bootcamp’.
• Denise Harris of Sum Vivas turned her frustration into action with Mix Up, a bi-monthly music industry meetup. The first event packed out Arts Bar Baltic with 150 registrations and even featured the UK’s first digital human DJ. Next up? Workshops for startups and freelancers alongside networking.
• Becki Wilson, founder of The Loft, teamed up with copywriter Dave Harland to launch Liverpool’s Marketing Meetup, now run by Jennifer Szczepaniak Sloane and supported by Uniform. Becki also created The Keynote Club, helping marketers master public speaking- a brilliant peer-led initiative that complements the meetup.

Across Liverpool City Region, creative clusters are springing up, transforming overlooked spaces into vibrant hubs of innovation. In Birkenhead, Make Hamilton joins forces with Future Yard, Start Yard, and Make It Happen as part of the Argyle Independent Quarter- breathing new life into a forgotten corner and drawing freelancers and micro-businesses into dynamic, collaborative spaces.

READ MORE: £25m new funding for creative industries as Liverpool announces “bold and ambitious” £10bn 10-year plan

Along the road, Focal Studios is making its mark with Focal Point, a cutting-edge creative technology hub at the heart of New Brighton’s Victoria Road. Meanwhile, across the water in Southport, Sefton Council is leading the charge with Enterprise Arcade – a digital incubator and co-working space for creative and tech startups. Housed in the refurbished Crown Buildings and surrounding Eastbank Street units, it also opens doors for young talent through college partnerships.

All these projects show a clear ambition — to grow the economy and attract highly skilled young talent to the area.

And that’s just the start.

Other standout initiatives include:

• Slush’d, the UK warm-up for Helsinki’s legendary SLUSH event, brings founders and investors together with speakers like Sir Robin Saxby (ARM Holdings) and Fredrik Hjelm (Voi).
• Tech Climbers, showcasing scaling tech businesses since 2019 and connecting them with investors and support networks.
• Funded programmes like Gather LCR, Baltic Ventures, and LCR Seed Fund, all driving growth and collaboration.
• Skills and talent development? We’ve got that covered too. Innovators like Alex Keyter and Gavin Sherratt are demystifying AI for business leaders through KinShip, partnering with universities and associations to deliver workshops and talks.

From niche meetups to major conferences, Liverpool City Region’s creative ecosystem is thriving because of its people — the doers, the connectors, the visionaries. As we look ahead to future funding, the challenge isn’t starting from scratch but about scaling up what’s already working and building new solutions for tomorrow’s opportunities.

Coverage of Prolific North’s focus week on Liverpool concludes tomorrow with key takeaways and a deeper look at the region’s new Strategy and Action Plan, highlighting how creative leaders can get involved and help shape the region’s future.