BBC Director-General Tim Davie has been lined up as one of the key speakers at this year’s Creative Cities Convention, being held from May 7–8 in Bradford as part of its UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations.
Davie will be in conversation with Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin. They will discuss how to empower the creative industries outside of London to drive growth, opportunity and inclusivity.
The two-day Creative Cities Convention, which is focused on making film, TV or digital content outside London, takes place each year in a different major UK city.

From television to gaming and film, the conference explores how fostering collaboration across creative industries can spark new opportunities, champion cultural convergence, and bridge divides in an increasingly fragmented society.
Davie and Brabin’s session will cover issues such as: sustaining world-class media hubs; nurturing local talent in the face of evolving global challenges; the BBC’s role in levelling the playing field, and how regional partnerships and public investment can have an economic, social, and cultural impact across the UK.
Davie said: “Public service broadcasters play a key role in ensuring homegrown creativity continues to be a global success story, through unearthing talent, developing skills and reflecting communities across the UK.”
The Creative Cities Convention was founded in 2018 by director Ruth Pitt and John McVay, the Chief Executive of the UK’s Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT).
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