What does it take to succeed in the creative industry?

What does it take to succeed in the creative industry?

According to industry experts, passion alone might not guarantee a thriving career in creative industries.

Speaking at a recent RMIT event held to support high school students as they consider their future careers, School of Communication & Design lecturer Dr Nguyen Van Thang Long said: “When it comes to creative professions, many students might feel confused by their broad definition, while parents worry about the seemingly uncertain career paths that their children might face.

"However, creative jobs are more practical than we think and the demand for high quality creative professionals is always high.”

Creative industries encompass diverse areas of interest. Creative industries encompass diverse areas of interest.

Mr Tran Thanh Huy, director of the movie Rom, agreed that working in creative fields does not mean that one’s head is “always in the clouds”. He said that creative industries are about practicalities and require professionals to have a solid technical background.

Drawing on the making of Rom, Mr Huy revealed that he had had to recruit foreign specialists since the local talent pool had been inadequate.

“I went to Malaysia to look for an art director and Thailand for a film editor. When it came to sound engineering, I had to seek out some specialists in France. Vietnam does not lack people doing such jobs but leading experts are rare.”

According to Mr Huy, creativity in Industry 4.0 is associated with audio-visual products and the ability to tell stories through images and sounds.  

“Technical elements are very important, thus people skilled in applying cutting-edge technologies and software will be sought after,” he said.

“Passion is essential. Social awareness is essential. But in order to make a movie, you have to be familiar with software for images, sounds, script writing etc. Such things are not about creativity but technicality, and one needs to be well trained to master such technical aspects.”

Film director Tran Thanh Huy and ClickMedia Managing Director Nguyen Thi Hai Ha. Film director Tran Thanh Huy and ClickMedia Managing Director Nguyen Thi Hai Ha.

Also joining in RMIT's career talk as a guest speaker, co-founder and managing director of digital agency ClickMedia Ms Nguyen Thi Hai Ha described creativity as something that was “essentially about creating solutions for life, and every profession needs creativity”.

Throughout her 16-year career, including many years at the helm of ClickMedia (currently a member of the world's largest advertising and public relations company WPP), Ms Ha said she identified curiosity as an important quality for creative professionals.

“Curiosity keeps you wondering what’s out there to explore and if there’s something you can do better. Over the past 16 years, curiosity has pushed me to keep learning so that I can firmly stay in the industry,” Ms Ha said.

“Moreover, it takes perseverance and patience to not give up in the face of difficulties. Humility is also crucial since creative people usually possess a big ego and quite often, they have to overcome that ego. 

"I believe that creative professionals need to keep their feet on the ground while their minds are free to roam," said the managing director of ClickMedia.

Guest speakers at RMIT’s Online Experience Day gave career advice to high school students interested in pursuing a creative profession. Guest speakers at RMIT’s Online Experience Day gave career advice to high school students interested in pursuing a creative profession.

Story: Ngoc Hoang

10 December 2020

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