Creative Victoria is a government body dedicated to supporting, championing and growing the state's creative industries, spanning arts, culture, screen and design.
We are part of the Victorian Government's Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) and report to the Minister for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson MP.
Danny Pearson was sworn in as Victoria's Minister for Creative Industries on 29 September 2020. He has served in the Victorian Parliament since 2014 and is the State Member for Essendon.
He is also the Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Government Services and Minister for Regulatory Reform.
Andrew Abbott
Chief Executive
Andrew Abbott has been the head of Creative Victoria since its formation in January 2015.
Andrew has held executive positions across the Victorian Public Sector, including roles in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development.
In August 2013 Andrew was appointed Director of Arts Victoria – the State Government's former arts and cultural body – and in 2014-15 led its transition to Creative Victoria, with a remit to strengthen and grow a broader array of creative industries in Victoria.
In addition to being Chief Executive of Creative Victoria, Andrew is Deputy Secretary, Creative, Sport and Visitor Economy in the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. He is responsible for the creative industries, sport, racing, tourism and major events portfolios.
Andrew is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria) and has an MBA from the Melbourne Business School.
Max Coffman
Executive Director, Governance and Infrastructure
Max Coffman leads a team that is responsible for overseeing Victoria's seven major arts organisations, as well as infrastructure projects across the arts portfolio. His team also has responsibility for Creative Victoria's corporate operations.
Since migrating to Australia from the United States in 2009, Max has held leadership roles in the planning and infrastructure portfolios in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and with the Office of the Coordinator-General, which delivers the Metro Tunnel and level crossing removal projects, among many others.
Max holds an undergraduate degree in international affairs from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and a Master’s Degree in urban and regional planning from Portland State University in Oregon.
Jane Crawley
Executive Director, Creative Industries
Jane Crawley leads a team of arts sector specialists with responsibility for the design and management of funding programs, strategic partnerships and special initiatives that support Victoria's arts and cultural sector.
Jane is an innovative and creative public sector leader with a track record in guiding large and complex arts departments and portfolios as an executive manager. Prior to joining Creative Victoria in September 2016, she was Manager of Arts Melbourne with Melbourne City Council (2010 - 2016) where she led a range of significant initiatives including Australia's first local government Arts Infrastructure Framework; strategic partnerships with key arts agencies; and the revitalisation of Arts House as Melbourne's centre for contemporary and experimental performance.
Michael Hudson
Director, Strategy, Screen and Design
Michael Hudson leads a team of industry specialists in design, fashion and screen to deliver programs and initiatives that drive innovation and economic growth, develop Victorian talent and extend Victoria's international reach and policy and program experts with responsibility for international engagement; sector-wide and corporate strategy; and sector research.
Before moving to Creative Victoria in 2014, Michael worked for 15 years at the forefront of innovation and information technology policy, and delivered programs to assist Victorian businesses, communities and government. He is a former academic and intellectual property lawyer.
Linda Fleet
Director, Strategic Marketing and Communications
Linda Fleet leads a team that promotes Creative Victoria's programs and initiatives and raises awareness and appreciation of the range, quality and value of Victoria's creative industries.
Prior to joining Creative Victoria, Linda worked in marketing and communications in both the private and public sectors. She spent a number of years in international advertising agencies, working on global brands in Sydney, Asia and Europe. including Garuda Airlines, American Express and Microsoft. She has also worked for the New Zealand Government's tourism board in Sydney and London. Linda holds an Masters in Communications and has a special interest in the application and power of brands within the digital environment.
Michael Parry
Director, Melbourne Arts Precinct
Michael leads the development of long term strategy and infrastructure projects as part of the Victorian State Government’s cultural infrastructure portfolio of State-owned cultural facilities, with a particular focus on the 1.4B redevelopment of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.
Previously Michael led the Museum Project Office for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, spearheading the planning and development activities for the Powerhouse Museum relocation to Parramatta, and led the setup and development of the cultural infrastructure team for Create NSW. Prior to his time in Sydney, Michael was Deputy Director at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). He has consulted for and led major projects for a wide variety of cultural and arts institutions across Australia, Canada and the US, with a focus on infrastructure development, technology, strategy and innovation.
Our staff
Creative Victoria comprises approximately eighty staff and has four key branches:
- Governance and Infrastructure
- Creative Industries
- Strategy, Screen and Design
- Strategic Marketing and Communications.
Our staff work on targeted initiatives to deliver on individual branch priorities, but collaborate extensively, working together to deliver the best outcomes for creative professionals, creative organisations and the people of Victoria.
Staffed by urban planning specialists, finance experts and facilities managers, the Governance and Infrastructure branch oversees Victoria's State-owned creative organisations. The branch is also responsible for a portfolio of State-owned cultural facilities and the state collection, worth $7 billion.
The facilities and assets managed by the branch range from Arts Centre Melbourne with its iconic spire to the acoustically perfect Melbourne Recital Centre; the UNESCO World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building to the state of the art circus centre that is home to Circus Oz. The branch also has responsibility for public artworks including the much loved Keith Haring mural in Collingwood, and the interactive Federation Bells at Melbourne's Birrarung Marr.
Governance and Infrastructure supports the maintenance and redevelopment of these buildings and public artworks and is responsible for projects ranging from internal fit outs and facilities to major capital works projects.
Key projects currently include the State Library Victoria redevelopment, development of the Collingwood Arts Precinct and the Geelong Arts Centre and oversight of the arts incubation space Testing Grounds.
This branch is also responsible for issues concerning storage and long-term care of Victoria's vast collections, ranging from Phar Lap's hide to John Brack's iconic artworks; Ned Kelly's armour to Kylie's gold hotpants. It helps to showcase these collections through digitisation projects.
For the State-owned cultural organisations, Governance and Infrastructure provides strategic leadership and advice in relation to governance and reporting arrangements, business plans and budgeting, board statutory appointments and legislative reforms. Governance and Infrastructure also oversees Creative Victoria's finance and corporate development functions.
The Governance and Infrastructure branch is headed by Executive Director, Max Coffman.
Executive Director, Creative Industries - Jane Crawley
Director, Strategy, Screen and Design - Michael Hudson
The Creative Industries group is responsible for leading strategies for the state’s support and development of Victoria’s creative industries, along with the associated design and delivery of the state’s investment into Victoria’s non-government creative industries sector. Comprising experienced creative industries professionals, this is the largest team at Creative Victoria.
The group is responsible for the development and design of Victoria’s strategy for the creative industries in accordance with obligations under the Creative Victoria Act 2017. The state’s creative industries strategy is formally reviewed on a four-yearly basis and guides all state investment into government-owned, not-for-profit and private creative industries organisations, ensuring that state support remains relevant and well-targeted.
Creative Industries manages a suite of funding and investment programs and strategic initiatives that contribute to the development and sustainability of Victoria’s creative industries and oversees the online grants application portal.
This includes direct support for individual creative practitioners, independent creative industries businesses and organisations, collectives and micro businesses along with peak body and service organisations, and oversight of two of the state’s screen agencies, Film Victoria and Docklands Studios Melbourne. The group is responsible for maintaining and managing partnerships with the Australia Council and the Commonwealth Department of Communications and the Arts along with other state government departments and local government authorities.
In addition, the Creative Industries branch delivers a range of strategic initiatives designed in partnership with industry to drive increased industry and market stability and development and international outreach. These include the Australian Performing Arts Market and the Victorian Music Development Office.
The Strategic Marketing and Communications team works to promote Creative Victoria's programs and initiatives and to raise awareness and appreciation of the range, quality and value of Victoria's creative industries.
The team assists the sector to reach new audiences, and to create new markets for Victorian creative products, works and ideas through initiatives such as the Innovation in Marketing Fund. Through the Creative Exchange it helps creative professionals and organisations to strengthen their business capabilities and networks.
Key initiatives for Strategic Marketing and Communications team include Audience Research (Audience Atlas Victoria, COVID19 Audience Outlook Monitor), the DIY Audience Research Toolkit and the Respectful Workplaces program.
Strategic Marketing and Communications offers strategic advice and expertise relating to marketing, communications and digital to the Minister for Creative Industries and to artists and creative organisations.
The team also manages Creative Victoria's website and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Vimeo) and issues a monthly industry eNews.
The Strategic Marketing and Communications team is headed by Director, Linda Fleet.