Unitec celebrates first faculty to combine business and creative arts

Aidan Lang, Director of the NBR New Zealand Opera is presenting a public lecture on the need for business skills in the creative industries to mark Unitec becoming the first tertiary institution in the country to create a faculty combining the two areas.

Unitec’s new Faculty of Creative Industries and Business links business, management and marketing courses with creative courses including performing and screen arts, design and visual arts, architecture and landscape architecture, and communication studies.

It is celebrating this with a series of public lectures, the first “The Business of the Creative Industries – An Operatic Perspective” on June 25, by Impresario Lang.

As he us a true impresario or creative arts entrepreneur, British-born Lang, who has 23 years experience in both artistic and management roles of opera, was chosen to kick off the lecture series.

 In his lecture, Lang will explore the question of “what is the business of the creative industries exactly?” and will aim to help the audience understand how business skills are essential to the survival of the creative industries.

 He will also play some famous business arias from his repertoire.

 Impresario Lang will also explain what it takes to finance multi-million dollar opera productions. No longer can the arts rely on the largess of banks and foundations. Lang has found new ways of financing the NBR New Zealand Opera during the credit crunch.

 Associate Professor Leon de Wet Fourie, the Executive Dean of Unitec’s Faculty of Creative Industries and Business says, “Traditionally business studies have been kept separate from creative studies in tertiary institutions.”

 “Unitec’s two campuses in Mt Albert and Henderson are perfectly located to train people wanting to engage careers in businesses serving west Auckland’s booming film industry and other creative industries,” he says.

 “These include the many small businesses and self employed contractors servicing top international film studios including production companies, actors, film trucking companies, caterers, costume and set designers,” says Fourie.

 Aidan Lang, Director of the NBR New Zealand Opera presents a public lecture on ‘The Business of the Creative Industries – An Operatic Perspective’ at Unitec’s Red Lecture Theatre on Thursday, June 25 at 5.30pm.