OPINION: Paul Taylor on the creative sector's prospects for 2010

As the recession began to bite hard, so the fault lines also grew larger in the commercial models which supported the industry.
The pace of technological change and the unpredictability of consumer demand have led to some businesses falling victim to the threats and lagging behind the opportunities.
But opportunities are many. There is unprecedented and growing demand for creative content made easy to distribute by digital technology; the BBC is getting ready for the biggest structural shake up in its history with their move to the region; a significant amount of public and private investment is being made in some exciting projects; and MediaCityUK presents a huge and unique opportunity for the sector across the whole of the North West - Merseyside and Cheshire included.
But most importantly, there is an unparalleled wealth of creative talent right across the region which will take full advantage of all of these opportunities and take the creative economy in the North West from strength to strength during 2010 and beyond.
For Northwest Vision and Media, it's been a busy 12 months. In April, we were announced as the single organisation to lead, support and promote the creative and digital industries in the region.
This wider role has seen us grow our team and relocate to new offices at MediaCity.
Looking ahead, we'll be continuing to support the growth of businesses, develop skills and talent and deliver programmes tailored to meet specific industry issues, such as our Accidental Leaders scheme.
This programme helped company founders, CEOs and leaders to develop their leadership skills, with participants including Merseyside's Milky Tea and Mando Group.
We received such positive feedback that we're bringing the programme back for 2010 - just one example of what we have planned.

Paul Taylor is director of business delivery at Northwest Vision and Media