Dr. Justin O’Connor is Professor in the Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Until September 2008 he was Professor of Cultural Industries at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds, where he led an MA in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. His main areas of interests are contemporary urban cultures, cultural and creative industries, cultural policy and urban regeneration.
Between 1995 and 2006 Prof. O’Connor was Director of Manchester Institute for Popular Culture at Manchester Metropolitan University. His research led to the establishment of Manchester’s Creative Industries Development Service (www.cids.co.uk)) the UK’s first dedicated local economic development agencies for the creative industries. Dr. O’Connor was also lead academic advisor to Manchester’s Urbis museum of the contemporary city (www.urbis.org.uk).
Prof. O’Connor also led a partnership project between Manchester, Helsinki and St Petersburg to develop a creative industries strategy for the Russian city. His interest in the developing agenda for the creative industries outside Europe has seen him speak in China, South Korea and Taiwan. He is currently preparing a co-edited book based on the conference Creative Economies, Creative Cities – Asian and European Perspectives held in Shanghai, October 2006. He has written a vision paper for Yorkshire Regional Development Agency on contemporary challenges for cities and culture; just completed a critical bibliography on creative industries for The Arts Council England; and will publish a book Cultural Industries and the City, with Sage next year.
