"Russian Creative Week-2025": experts focus on creative industries

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Creative production as a tool for transforming territories, industries and public institutions; modern music as a means of shaping a worldview; the peculiarities of the reassembly of the Russian art market; the mythological potential of blockbuster superheroes and fabulous films – these topics and many more are still not all the most interesting issues which were on the agenda of the third day of the Russian Creative Week-2025.

Creative producers used to be needed only in the media, but now they are in demand almost everywhere. This became clear after the discussion "Creative Producer 2.0: A New Role in the Economy of the Future."

During the discussion, Ivan Samokhvalov, Managing partner of the "Sreda" company, competently explained who creative producer 2.0 is, and what role this person plays in the economy of the new type.

"These are people who need to know, first of all, what their life is about, and secondly, what the project they are going to do is about. In the film industry, for example, sometimes we single the meaning out, form a core from it and layer some materials on it, stuff it with the visual features, and so on. The main thing is to think about the meanings, fix them, and start developing them. That's what a creative producer is about, at least in my industry," he pointed out.

Yekaterina Shkurina, producer at the Laboratory of Creative Industries of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, said that the competencies of creative producers can be viewed through the skills the producer possesses.

"The first skills that are relevant in the creative economy right now are managing producer's skills. It's about strategic management and thinking, risk analysis, and project scalability. Next, we always talk about the so-called producer-product. This function includes operational activities and their control, financial performance analysis, and feedback on project effectiveness. The third important thing is the producer-leader. Managing a creative team is a separate form of art. There is also a visionary producer, for whom visual erudition and visionary thinking are important. And there is a producer-creator, who is about generating ideas and content. We always say that a producer-creator should think about the collaborations which he wants and is going to create. Besides that, this person is also someone who gives the project its depth. Finally, the last important skill is the producer-integrator, who is going to connect all this," she said.

Roberto Panchvidze, president of the INVITE blogging agency, creator and co-owner of the MDK public page, founder of the network "Main", reminded the audience that we live in an era of quick content, so that it is important to be able to "make a hit" with your product at the right time: "There is an audience request. Visionary producers can, for example, find some interesting brands in India or Indonesia, bring them to our reality and adapt them. The main thing here is how fast your team will complete this task. After all, it's not just the quality of the product that's important — besides that, you also need to pick the right moment to show it."

The speeches were delivered by Sergei Novosad, Managing Director of "Tavros" Group; Eduard Gurinovich, producer; and Pierre-Christian Brochet, French collector, host at "Russia-Kultura" TV channel, publisher, film producer.

Modern music is heard everywhere today, but it often lacks depth and meaning. Listeners, especially young people, are tired of form without content and crave stories that resonate with them. This issue was addressed at the session "From Music Hits to Ideals. How Modern Music Shapes the Young People's Worldview." The discussants talked about how to ensure that musical pieces have both drama and meaning, as well as the important ability to reflect time, that is, in the truest sense of the word, to be in consonance with the era.

Petr Koryagin, Adviser to the Department of Presidential Directorate for Social Projects of the Russian Federation for Public Projects, spoke about government support for the industry. He noted that communication between creative people contributes to the creation of music hits, and that is why the state supports creative platforms that unite them. Thus, the project "Tavrida" has become a separate ecosystem, where creators are looking for their own team. The same can be said about both the "Art Masters", where the focus is made on arrangers, and the project "Partitura" for young composers, as well as many others.

"The compliance with spiritual and moral values was chosen as one of the basic criteria, and, of course, this theme permeates the Russian Creative Week," Koryagin emphasized.

Dmitry Konnov, Executive Director of "Zvonko digital" and the Music Industry Association, named the goal – to work out, within the industry, the common rules of interaction with the state, which then will set the direction of the further development. In particular, the law on prohibition of drug propaganda in musical compositions is now being implemented. "The main thing here is not to turn into a censorship organ and an organization which will monitor the moral and ethical image of this or that artist," the speaker noted.

In his opinion, if a musician behaves defiantly without violating the law and public order, then this is most likely "either a part of a well-thought-out image, or a lack of talent that hides behind the outer shell, but this process does not need to be regulated."

Viktoria Pudova, head of the A&R Department and Label Management at VK Records, in her turn, spoke about the influence of music on young people. In her opinion, labels and artists should be aware of what they convey in their works, but also, for instance, parents should be aware of their responsibility, and independently filter the content for their children.

"First of all, it's not music that should influence a person, but their family. It is important that parents pay attention to their kids, take them to music schools and sports clubs from a very young age. Then a person will have the right values, and will look at this world much more broadly," Victoria Pudova thinks.

Singer and author of the music hit "Mother Earth" Tatyana Kurtukova shared the story of this song with the audience. It came as a surprise to many that the song was written 12 years ago, but has become a hit only now.

"This is very important to me, because now, at my solo concerts I can share not only "Mother Earth" with the listeners, but also other authentic songs and folklore. This is an important indicator that nothing is actually lost, but there is interest in real art," the singer rejoiced. The artist called for more support for folk musicians, as it is more difficult for them to get through to the listener.

Singer Pelageya supported Tatyana Kurtukova, with whom she recently appeared on the stage of the Music Contest "Intervision" to perform a medley of folk songs. She said that she actually does not deal with folklore in its purest form, but sings folk-rock songs, arranging folk and author's compositions in a modern style. According to her, ethnicity was almost not perceived by the listeners before, but now is the moment when we turned to our roots. And now, the main thing is not to step off from this path, not to replace national ideas with commercial ones.

"Folklore has great meanings, and age-old images are hidden behind the refrains. But it's very easy to turn to a pseudo-story again for the sake of quick money," the artist noted. However, she admitted that she listens to music of different genres.

Vadim Tereshchuk, Director General of GPM Radio, spoke about the role of radio in a musician's career. According to the speaker, this is a means to find a mass audience for an already established track. As for the national idea, Tereshchuk is convinced that the identity of Russian music is reinforced by the lyrics: "Music catches the soul through a harmonic series, and the text makes the brain perceive the patterns that are embedded in it. This is the unity in which the narrative is embedded."

 Along with the rapid development of the music industry, a large-scale transformation of the Russian art market is taking place: players, rules, geography and economic models are changing.

Despite the turbulence, new trends are emerging against the background of the crisis, from strengthening local ties to entering the markets of Asia and the Middle East.

At the "Point of No Return: What Does the Russian Art Market Need for a Breakthrough?" discussion, experts shared their views on how the art market works today, and what it will look like tomorrow.

In particular, Sofya Trotsenko, founder of the "Vinzavod" Centre for Contemporary Art, noted that there have been almost no quiet periods in the history of the Russian art market. This market is relatively young, officially it has been existing since 1988 — when galleries began to appear, and respectively, the launch of the market took place.

"I believe that our task is to be able to foresee the future and even shape it, to some extent. Besides that, we need to do our job professionally and support each other," Sofya Trotsenko believes.

Polina Askeri, gallery owner and founder of ASKERI GALLERY, emphasized the importance of the topic and stated the need for significant state support for the art business.

"Sculptures should appear in some public spaces, initiated not only by businessmen and collectors, but also by developers, and the initiative should come from the city in the first place," the gallery owner is convinced.

Polina Askeri also spoke about the extreme desirability of easing the export controls in respect of cluster products — this, in her opinion, will also contribute to the popularization of modern Russian art.

Denis Kravchenko, a deputy of the State Duma, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, assigned the art business a place in the so-called core of the creative economy.  Being one of those legislators who worked on the federal law on creative industries, he sympathized with the words of the session panelists about the need for support measures.

"Of course, the state has to pay attention to this and, at least in cities with millions of inhabitants, in agglomerations, provide the same support measures as in Moscow. This increases, among other things, the tourism potential of cities and regions which attract visitors from neighboring regions and even from other countries," he believes.

Russia is actively joining the global race to create its own cinematic universes, where plots, characters, and values reflect our history and mentality. During the session "Russian Superheroes: Cultural Code and Potential for the Global Market," experts discussed the images of our supermen and how they affect culture and the economy.

Darya Pugachyova, Director of the Gazprom Media Holding's Research Department, described the archetypes of the modern Russian hero revealed during the research.

"Our superheroes are not just characters from movies or TV series, they are often the keepers of the cultural code of the nation. To combine important meanings with modern storytelling formats means to make a contribution to strengthening the bond between generations, and to create content that will inspire," she said.

According to her, "every Russian hero, from bogatyrs to Danila Bagrov, carries a very uniqueness that have been resonating with different generations for years."

"Our task, as the country's largest holding company, is not to copy foreign trends, but to create our own cinematic universes and fill them with values that are understandable to everyone: fortitude, kindness, justice, humanity. This is a way not only to strengthen our cultural identity, but also to present Russia as a significant player in the international media arena, forming a sustainable export potential of Russian content," she said.

Science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko defined a superhero: "This is a person with superpowers that cannot be obtained in real life, although it is scientifically justified."

In his opinion, it is unlikely that films with such characters will be in demand in our country, but we have our own heroic tradition that can be cultivated and raised to a level important for us.

Gavriil Gordeyev, General Producer of the "Okko" online cinema, supported Sergei Lukyanenko. According to him, a superhero is a purely American product, a kind of "instrument of hope" given by the state to people during the Great Depression. Our hero does not have superpowers, he is a simple, non-superpowered person, but at the same time he manages to defeat the enemy. He satisfies the Russian viewer's demand for justice.

"We don't have the task of fighting someone, looking for and promoting our superhero. We have to create our art in general, which will be in demand in the Western and Eastern markets," Gavriil Gordeyev said.

Producing, music, film production, animation — these pieces of creanomics are already becoming not just a source of growth, but also an instrument of cultural diplomacy within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Joint projects in the fields of animation, gaming and design are already forming new common visual codes and strengthening mutual understanding between countries. That's why, on the eve of 26 September, a session "Value-based Economy – A New Vector of Unification for the SCO Countries" was held. There, the panelists discussed how to bring cooperation to a new level.

SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev delivered a video message to the audience. He noted that the modern world is facing unprecedented challenges and rapid changes, and in this situation, creative ideas and advanced technologies play an important role in ensuring sustainable development.

"The SCO, with its enormous potential, diversity of cultures, historical traditions and intellectual resources, is a unique platform for the development of the creative economy," he said.

Nikita Gusakov, Senior Vice President of the Russian Export Centre, said that for the projects to be successful, they must be done with an eye to export. Here, the state can act as an accelerator.

"We conducted a study on which of the segments have the highest export potential. Our advisers highlighted the following areas to us: audiovisual products, video games and IT development, as well as fashion," he said.

Irina Mastusova, Executive Director of the Animation Film Association, shared her vision of the prospects for Russian animation.

"Animation has a unique, universal language, and is a source of power that promotes the image of Russia. We have common cultural forms and a common history with a large number of SCO countries since the times of the Soviet Union," Irina Mastusova emphasized.

According to her, Russia now has very close cultural and economic ties with China. A cooperation agreement has been signed with the Chinese Animation Association. And, as the speaker noted, it is worth having China as an example.

In addition, international experts demonstrated the most successful creative projects from the SCO countries, talked about how to improve cooperation in creative fields and how to improve the ways of cooperation between the countries.

It is worth noting that on the eve of the session "The Search for Local Identity — a Defining Trend in Modern Russian Fashion", fashion designer Alyona Akhmadullina touched upon the topic of international markets in regard to brands.

"If a brand is too global, it loses face, if it is local, it may be incomprehensible to the international market. Therefore, it is a great mastery to turn our heritage into a commercial project. We need to develop a brand language that makes it instantly recognizable on the shelf, we need to introduce it into everyday consumption rituals — we drink tea, give gifts, use cosmetics," she said.

The Russian Creative Week Forum-festival, which has ended in Moscow, resumes its work in St. Petersburg, where events are taking place on 28 and 29 September.