I amsterdam - Creative Industries

The city was built for commerce and has a deep-rooted sense of networking. For us this means an environment ripe with new ideas. Amsterdam attracts a vast amount of talented creative minds from all disciplines. There is a sense of experimentation, a willingness to take risks. - Lee Feldman, Chief Creative Officer, Blast Radius.

Creating History
Creative talent has been drawn to Amsterdam for centuries, from the first, canny inhabitants, to the adventurous merchants of the Golden Age, to the prolific writers and thinkers such as Spinoza and Vondel, to the famous masters such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Karel Appel.

Thriving Industry
This creative spirit still thrives in Amsterdam today. The Amsterdam Area accounts for 25 per cent of the people working in the creative sector in the Netherlands, with more than 8,250 Dutch and international companies employing a total of 55,000 people. This huge pool of talent is active in an array of creative disciplines, including the fine and performing arts, media & entertainment, fashion, publishing, architecture and graphic design.

Stimulating Environment
Creatives are drawn to and stimulated by Amsterdam thanks to several factors:

• An open and culturally diverse environment.
• A manageable scale.
• A solid infrastructure with easy airport access.
• A flourishing club and restaurant scene.

These factors are key in luring – and keeping – creative talent and companies in the Amsterdam Area.

To Name a Few…
Here is just a small sample of Amsterdam Area companies in the creative sector:

• Fashion & Design: the Mexx Design Centre and Droog.
• Advertising: StrawberryFrog, Wieden+Kennedy, 180, Naked Communications, Ogilvy & Mather, and KesselsKramer.
• Gaming & New Media:  Blastradius, Guerilla Games, Playlogic International and Lost Boys.

Get in touch with the Amsterdam Foreign Investment Office at afio@ez.amsterdam.nl or see www.afio.amsterdam.nl for more information.