Glasgow has always been a city where ideas take shape. From pioneering print and publishing to world-first television broadcasts, iconic architecture, and global music stages, creativity has long been woven into the fabric of the city. Today, that legacy underpins one of the UK’s most dynamic digital creative economies — spanning film and TV, design, games, immersive technologies, live events, and creative tech. 

What makes Glasgow distinctive is not just the scale of its creative output, but the continuity of innovation. Across centuries, the city has consistently found new ways to create, communicate and connect — turning cultural energy into economic strength. That strength was formally recognised in 2019, when the European Commission named Glasgow the UK’s top cultural and creative city, reflecting the depth of its venues, talent pipeline and participation in culture. 

Celebrating Innovation 

Building on the momentum of the Glasgow 850 celebrations, we continue to spotlight the city’s extraordinary innovation story — one that connects heritage industries with future-facing technologies. Launched in January 2025, Glasgow’s Innovation Journey campaign explores how Glasgow’s industrial and cultural past continues to shape its role as a global centre for innovation today. 

This phase of the campaign focuses on Digital Creative Industries, celebrating the people, places and ideas driving Glasgow’s creative economy — from historic institutions and cultural landmarks to cutting-edge studios, startups and research centres. It’s a story of craft, culture and creativity evolving into globally competitive industries. 

A Global Screen and Broadcasting Hub 

Glasgow’s screen sector builds on world-first achievements. In 1926, television pioneer John Logie Baird unveiled the world’s first working television, followed by the first long-distance broadcast from London to Glasgow. A century later, the city remains at the forefront of broadcasting.

At Pacific Quay, BBC Scotland and STV shape national storytelling, while Channel 4’s creative hub at The Garment Factory is supporting new Scottish voices. BBC Studioworks at Kelvin Hall provides world-class studio and post-production facilities for broadcasters and streamers including Sky and Netflix. 

The city’s growing reputation has also attracted international investment. Studios such as Halon Entertainment — known for work on Mission: Impossible, The Mandalorian and Fortnite — have chosen Glasgow for high-end digital production, reinforcing its status as a global centre for film, television, gaming and VFX. 

Design, Digital and Immersive Innovation 

At the heart of Glasgow’s creative economy is a powerful Digital Creative Industries cluster, spanning advertising, digital marketing, immersive technologies, 3D visualisation and interactive design. This ecosystem supports more than 20,000 creative jobs in the city, making Glasgow one of the largest creative employment centres in the UK outside London. 

Beyond the creative industries alone, Glasgow’s wider digital and creative tech economy generates over £1 billion in annual turnover, making it the largest such economy in Scotland and one of the fastest-growing in the UK. 

Institutions such as the University of Glasgow and The Glasgow School of Art are pushing boundaries in immersive experience. Projects like Museums in the Metaverse are reimagining how global audiences engage with cultural collections, while collaborations between science and design are transforming training, research and storytelling through VR, AR and mixed reality. 

Across the city, former industrial spaces have been reimagined as creative engines — from The Garment Factory and Skypark to SWG3 and WASPS Studios — fostering collaboration between artists, designers, technologists and entrepreneurs. 

Culture as Competitive Advantage 

Glasgow’s creative industries are underpinned by a rich cultural ecosystem. As the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music, the city is home to more than 100 cultural organisations and five of Scotland’s six national performing arts companies. This concentration of cultural activity gives Glasgow’s screen, digital and immersive sectors a unique environment in which to develop, test and scale creative ideas.  

From print and publishing to digital-first communications, Glasgow’s advertising and marketing sector continues to evolve, supported by agencies such as MadeBrave, Tangent and Frame.

From Heritage to the Future 

From textiles like the globally recognised Paisley Pattern to modern innovations in materials, immersive media and games, the city has repeatedly shown how heritage skills can be retooled for the future. 

Across every discipline, Glasgow’s creative story is one of continuity and reinvention — where ideas become industries, and culture becomes opportunity. 

As Glasgow’s Innovation Journey continues, we’ll keep exploring how the city’s creative past and digital future are connected — and how Glasgow remains a place where creativity doesn’t just thrive, but leads. 

Follow Glasgow’s Innovation Journey across our social media channels as we continue to share stories from across the city — highlighting the people, places and ideas shaping Glasgow’s creative future. From heritage to high-growth sectors, we’ll be showcasing how innovation continues to define the city today.