A new advert celebrating Manchester and the wider Northern creative scene launches today, shining a light on the people shaping culture across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Think North is a passion project from Jack Fox Productions x HEADS. It is a filmed poem performed line by line by Northern creatives, created as a love letter to the scene and a rallying call for the next generation to step into it.

The film opens with a young boy, Jack, trying to finish his homework and asking his grandma a simple question: “Grandma, what’s a creative?” That question becomes the thread of the story, as the pair travel across Greater Manchester meeting artists, makers, performers, founders and community voices.

In short, the city answers Jack’s question.

Built around real voices and real places, the advert blends grassroots talent with everyday Northern moments, from pub chats and family living rooms to the changing skyline, showing that creativity here is not a job title. It is a culture, a lifestyle, a community, and a significant part of our economy.

Featuring actors, musicians, poets, choreographers, tattoo artists, photographers, stylists, broadcasters, food creators and visual artists, Think North reflects the full shape of Manchester’s creative economy, and the people pushing it forward.

The script was shaped by the creative scene itself.
Jack Fox Productions asked Northern creatives on social media what being a Northern creative means to them, and those responses formed the final poem, keeping the project grounded, honest, and true to the people it represents.

Why this matters

The UK creative industries contributed £124.0 billion in GVA in 2023, according to DCMS.

But Manchester’s creative economy is not just culture. It is jobs, growth, and a serious industrial force. Greater Manchester’s creative industries are estimated to contribute around £1.4 billion in GVA and support over 48,000 jobs.

The city’s specialist clusters tell the same story. Research commissioned around the Greater Manchester music ecosystem estimates it generates around £470 million in GVA and supports about 11,000 jobs, spanning venues, artists, studios, promoters, tourism and the wider night-time economy.

And when major institutions back the North, the impact is visible. Analysis of the BBC’s move to Salford highlights strong growth in Salford’s creative and digital economy over the last decade, including over 140% growth in creative and digital employment between 2010 and 2019, and around 70% growth in the number of digital and creative businesses.

Yet the wider North of England is still under-backed. Creative PEC notes the North (North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber) represents about 15% of creative industries employment and around 9% of creative industries economic output (GVA), while being home to about 23% of the British population.

Think North exists to back the sector from within the sector. It is a statement of pride and a practical push for visibility, investment and opportunity, especially for young people who do not see a clear route into creative careers, or who feel they have to leave the North to make it.

How the project came together

Think North was born from a shared belief between Jack Fox Productions and HEADS that Manchester’s creative scene deserves a proper moment. The aim was to showcase the breadth of the city’s creative economy, and the people driving it forward.

HEADS has spent years building community across Manchester, creating spaces where creatives meet, collaborate and grow. Jack Fox Productions is rooted in storytelling, built on the idea that the most powerful work comes from real people and real places. Together, they set out to hand pick contributors who represent the full shape of Manchester creativity, from performance and music to fashion, food, tattoo art, photography, broadcasting and modern creator culture.

Every person in the film was chosen because they are pushing their corner of the creative economy forward. Some are building platforms and communities. Some are shaping how Manchester looks and sounds. Some are the new wave creating work in new ways.

All are beacons for the next generation, showing that creative life in the North is possible, visible, and worth backing.

Jack Donohoe, founder of Jack Fox Productions, said:
“Think North is my love letter to Manchester’s creative scene, which has had a huge impact on me, written and performed by the people living it. It is an advert for the sector, made by the sector. We hand picked people from all parts of Manchester’s creative economy because this is not one scene. It is a whole city of talent, graft and imagination. If a young person watches this and thinks, ‘I can do that. I belong in that world,’ then it’s done its job.”

Liam Heeley, founder of HEADS, said:
“Manchester is full of people with ideas, talent and ambition, but what makes this city special is how we show up for each other. Think North gives the scene a proper moment, and it reminds people that creativity here is not rare. It’s everywhere.”

A love letter, performed by the people driving the scene forward

Think North is built like a relay. The poem is passed from person to person, line by line, as a roll call of talent across Greater Manchester. The contributors were chosen for what they represent, not just their craft, but the way they pull others in, build spaces, and keep the city moving.

The Northern leaders include:

· Banskie represents fearless self-expression and performance as culture. Drag is craft, character, community and art, and Banskie’s presence honours the inclusive energy that keeps Manchester creative life alive and visible.

· Benjamin Rock represents the city as canvas. An urban landscape artist, he captures Manchester’s streets and skyline with care and detail, turning everyday views into memory.

· Brandina Chisambo represents the makers who do not stay in one lane. A multi-faceted creator and workshop facilitator, she embodies the hands-on, social, confidence-building side of the creative economy, creating spaces where people stop consuming and start making.

· Cameron Halstead, poet and musician, carries the North’s voice. Sharp, funny and honest, he represents a tradition of Northern truth-telling that has always made this region culturally important. His contribution reinforces what the film is at its core: a poem spoken by the city, not about it.

· Cathy Santos represents independent art as everyday storytelling. As a tattoo artist, her work sits where creativity meets identity and trust, built through craft, community and word of mouth.

· Ikenna, Loui, Devins and Tyla represent the next wave. Videography, music, personal development and creator culture sit side by side in the new creative economy, and this group reflects that reality.

· Jack and Jane, local Northern actors, represent the next wave of performance talent. They are rooted in Manchester, proud of regional voices, and committed to stories that feel real. They bring warmth, edge and relatability, showing young performers they do not need to relocate to be taken seriously.

· Jessie Harper represents the city’s lived culture. A food influencer who champions local places and local people, she shows how creativity fuels the hospitality economy and shapes what gets discovered, visited, shared and loved.

· Joey Miller represents modern documentary grit. A photographer and documentary maker, he is part of a new generation capturing real emotion, real ambition, and real community.

· Josh Wheeler, founder of Be Broadcast, an award-winning PR agency telling stories regionally, nationally and globally. Josh has built a Northern business around ideas that travel, helping brands earn attention through cultural insight and broadcast craft. He features as a reminder that creativity is also industry, leadership and momentum.

· Matty White represents the city’s mainstream voice. A TV presenter, broadcaster and food critic, he has helped shape how Manchester is seen, heard and talked about, on air and online.

· Sara Etasse represents the image, style and visual identity that makes Manchester feel like Manchester. As a stylist, photographer and studio founder, she speaks for the people behind the looks, the shoots, the confidence, and the spaces that help others step into themselves.

· Sufia Grace brings movement and confidence to the screen. As a choreographer, she represents the growing performance economy in the city, the studios, the classes, the crews, and the community energy that makes dance feel like belonging.

· Tabi Gazele represents Manchester as a magnet. A musician and songwriter with a global background and a local creative home, she reflects a city that does not only produce talent, it attracts it, grows it, and gives it room to become bolder.