New appointment gives Blue Mountains Creative Industries a boost

Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) is pleased to announce the appointment of local creative professional, Nicole Law, to the newly created role of Creative Industries Project Officer.

With a background in graphic design, product design, education and visual arts, Nicole brings a breadth of experience to her role which will see her reinvigorate the highly successful MTNS MADE campaign as well as collaborate with the Blue Mountains Creative Industries to create opportunities for future development and growth within the sector.

Nicole’s appointment follows a decision made in 2020 to bring the activities of Blue Mountains Economic Enterprises (BMEE) under the management of Council. This decision was made to provide new opportunities for collaboration across Council, as well as to maximise resources as Council seeks to play a stronger role in facilitating economic and tourism development within the City, following the 2019/2020 bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic.

Nicole will work within Council’s Economic Development Team led by Economic Development Program Leader Tessa Hockly and alongside BMEE’s former Creative Industries Cluster Manager, Ann Niddrie, who is assisting with transitioning BMEE projects into a BMCC in-house program.

Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “This is an exciting time for Blue Mountains City Council and the City as a whole. As we emerge from the devastating effects of the 2020 bushfires and continue to be challenged by the pandemic, there is much work to be done to help rebuild our local economy. Council is committed to continuing the work of BMEE and the successful MTNS MADE brand. We will continue to assist creatives and position the Blue Mountains as a hub of creative and economic excellence.”

Last year, Council’s Economic Development Team helped develop the highly successful Love Local campaign which reached a target audience of over 3.2 million people. The team also created opportunities for local artisans to sell products in Council’s Visitor Information Centres following the loss of international tourism visitation, due to COVID-19.

The team’s regular eNewsletter Business News Snapshot also now provides over 4,000 Blue Mountains based businesses with regular updates regarding funding, business training and support during the pandemic.

Over the next few months the Economic Development team has also secured a program of business training for local small businesses across all sectors, with some specific training for tourism and creative industries. Topics will be relevant to the current climate in which businesses are now operating. Find out about free, upcoming training opportunities for small businesses here: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/training-opportunities-for-small-business

Planning is also well underway for the Australian Bushfire Building Conference 2021, to be held 25-27 August 2021.  Get updates here: https://bushfireconference.com.au/.

Sign up to the MTNS MADE newsletter here: https://mtnsmade.com.au.

Sign up to the BMCC Business News Snapshot newsletter here: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/business/business-news-snapshot

Enquiries related to BMEE, the Creative Industries Cluster (MTNS MADE), Local Food Industry Development Project and Blue Mountains Beverage Collective can be directed to [email protected].

Photo: BMCC Economic Development Project Officer Ann Niddrie, Economic Development Program Leader Tessa Hockly and new Creative Industries Project Officer Nicole Law.