A new filmed advert-poem, Think North, launches today as a powerful love letter to Manchester’s creative scene – performed by the people who power it.
Following a young boy and his grandma across the city, the film brings together artists, makers and founders to answer one simple question: “What’s a creative?”
Built from real responses from Northern creatives, Think North is both a celebration and a call to action – highlighting the £1.4bn creative economy in Greater Manchester, while pushing for greater visibility and investment across the North.
The film opens with a young boy, Jack, trying to finish his homework and asking his grandma a simple question: “Grandma, what’s a creative?” That question becomes the thread of the story, as the pair travel across Greater Manchester meeting artists, makers, performers, founders and community voices.
In short, the city answers Jack’s question.
Built around real voices and real places, the advert blends grassroots talent with everyday Northern moments, from pub chats and family living rooms to the changing skyline, showing that creativity here is not a job title. It is a culture, a lifestyle, a community, and a significant part of our economy.
Featuring actors, musicians, poets, choreographers, tattoo artists, photographers, stylists, broadcasters, food creators and visual artists, Think North reflects the full shape of Manchester’s creative economy, and the people pushing it forward.
The script was shaped by the creative scene itself.
Jack Fox Productions asked Northern creatives on social media what being a Northern creative means to them, and those responses formed the final poem, keeping the project grounded, honest, and true to the people it represents.
The UK creative industries contributed £124.0 billion in GVA in 2023, according to DCMS.
But Manchester’s creative economy is not just culture. It is jobs, growth, and a serious industrial force. Greater Manchester’s creative industries are estimated to contribute around £1.4 billion in GVA and support over 48,000 jobs.
The city’s specialist clusters tell the same story. Research commissioned around the Greater Manchester music ecosystem estimates it generates around £470 million in GVA and supports about 11,000 jobs, spanning venues, artists, studios, promoters, tourism and the wider night-time economy.
And when major institutions back the North, the impact is visible. Analysis of the BBC’s move to Salford highlights strong growth in Salford’s creative and digital economy over the last decade, including over 140% growth in creative and digital employment between 2010 and 2019, and around 70% growth in the number of digital and creative businesses.
Yet the wider North of England is still under-backed. Creative PEC notes the North (North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber) represents about 15% of creative industries employment and around 9% of creative industries economic output (GVA), while being home to about 23% of the British population.
Think North exists to back the sector from within the sector. It is a statement of pride and a practical push for visibility, investment and opportunity, especially for young people who do not see a clear route into creative careers, or who feel they have to leave the North to make it.
How the project came together
Think North was born from a shared belief between Jack Fox Productions and HEADS that Manchester’s creative scene deserves a proper moment. The aim was to showcase the breadth of the city’s creative economy, and the people driving it forward.
HEADS has spent years building community across Manchester, creating spaces where creatives meet, collaborate and grow. Jack Fox Productions is rooted in storytelling, built on the idea that the most powerful work comes from real people and real places. Together, they set out to hand pick contributors who represent the full shape of Manchester creativity, from performance and music to fashion, food, tattoo art, photography, broadcasting and modern creator culture.
Every person in the film was chosen because they are pushing their corner of the creative economy forward. Some are building platforms and communities. Some are shaping how Manchester looks and sounds. Some are the new wave creating work in new ways.
All are beacons for the next generation, showing that creative life in the North is possible, visible, and worth backing.
Jack Donohoe, founder of Jack Fox Productions, said:
“Think North is my love letter to Manchester’s creative scene, which has had a huge impact on me, written and performed by the people living it. It is an advert for the sector, made by the sector. We hand picked people from all parts of Manchester’s creative economy because this is not one scene. It is a whole city of talent, graft and imagination. If a young person watches this and thinks, ‘I can do that. I belong in that world,’ then it’s done its job.”
Liam Heeley, founder of HEADS, said:
“Manchester is full of people with ideas, talent and ambition, but what makes this city special is how we show up for each other. Think North gives the scene a proper moment, and it reminds people that creativity here is not rare. It’s everywhere.”
