The Creative Context is an ongoing series of research led insights on the creative industries and adjacent business sectors.
It examines how creative industries function, moving beyond myths of individual genius or purely market‑driven success. Drawing on strategy, business history and cultural analysis, I investigate the organisational structures, incentives, and power relations that shape decision‑making across film, fashion, publishing and related creative and business sectors.
The Creative Context brings history informed perspective to contemporary debates on leadership, creativity and value creation. By analysing how organisations evolve, how industries are structured and how cultural and economic forces interact, the series explains why some creative businesses thrive while others falter and how past practices continue to shape present day strategies.
At its core, The Creative Context asks critical questions: Who holds power in creative industries? How are risk and reward distributed? What roles do institutions, intermediaries and cultural norms play in shaping creative work? And how can leaders navigate the persistent tensions between creativity and commerce in complex organisational environments?
You’ll find insights on:
- the business and institutional structures underpinning film, music, publishing and other creative sectors
- how value, success and “importance” are constructed
- the organisational realities behind creative glamour
- individuals throughout history who have made – and continue to make – impact on the creative sectors
Here, I develop these ideas in greater depth, linking business history research to ongoing debates in the creative industries.
You can read and subscribe to The Creative Context here:
Dr Marrisa Joseph 