Theatre on the roof or alternative music festival? Catapulting Armenia’s creative and cultural industries

Music and performances, fashion and crafts, cultural tourism and visuals arts – Armenia’s creative and cultural industries (CCIs) are rich in talent and innovation. Yet creative professionals lack business and financial education, as well as access to funding, with banks rarely offering loans. To address these systemic issues, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), in partnership with the Creative Armenia Cultural Foundation, in 2022 launched the Katapult Creative Accelerator Programme, with the support of the EU. In just three years, it has empowered over 250 creative entrepreneurs to unlock the sector’s potential.

Individuals, organisations, businesses and institutions across cultural and creative sectors in Armenia are at the core of the Katapult Programme. “We support creative professionals at every step of the process – from idea generation to production, distribution and consumption,” says Anna Gargarian, the Team Leader. “Our Programme is open to everyone who wishes to enhance their business capacities and access funding.”

n the framework of Katapult, AGBU has expanded the scope of Creative Armenia Cultural Foundation’s ‘Artbox’ –а robust support scheme which offers capacity-building and seed funding to creative businesses, artists and cultural institutions. Its tailored courses target participants at various stages of their business development.

Incubating ideas to success

The Incubator course is perfect for early-stage creative businesses and start’ups. Structured training, mentorship, strategic consulting and financial support guide participants through the idea generation process, and assist in market research and business plan development to transform their initial concepts into viable businesses.

This is the case of ToneLab, an alternative music studio, school and concert venue in Yerevan, which springs from the Incubator. Its founder Armen Yedigaryan and his team took part in a three-month business development course to get essential knowledge in finance management, marketing, business strategy and planning. “ArtBox helped us to transform the initial, somewhat romantic idea of ToneLab into a more structured and practical project, guiding us step by step toward its realization,” says Armen. “We truly grasped the importance of the received knowledge in the months following our opening, as we had zero practical experience in business management.”

At the end of the course, Armen – as well as other Incubator alumni – received seed funding for his creative enterprise. It helped to cover part of premises renovation, rent, marketing and additional audio equipment. Now the studio is well equipped and continues working toward its overall goal –support to the full cycle of alternative music production in Armenia. At this stage, ToneLab successfully provides rehearsal space, recording services, concert organisation, instrument lessons and mentorship for young musicians. The production component –live concert filming and content creation for its YouTube channel –is still in development. To support this next step, the team has submitted a proposal to Katapult for additional assistance. Two years after opening, ToneLab’s success has been proved by over 150 concerts organised, featuring more than 20 international bands and artists.

Scaling to rooftop heights

For existing creative businesses ready to scale, the Accelerator course provides an eight-week training with expert mentorship, case studies and detailed business consulting in boosting profitability, market reach and refining financial and marketing strategies. Alumni of the Accelerator course are eligible for grants of up to €30,000 to expand into new markets. Among the beneficiaries is Theatre on the Roof – Armenia’s first alternative theatre. Since its opening in 2016, it has captivated audiences with a unique and immersive five-sense experience of an unforgettable theatrical atmosphere. Here, spectators take in the stunning rooftop views of Yerevan, watch captivating performances and hear live music, touch props and costumes, taste themed drinks and breathe in the aromatic ambiance of wine and scented candles. “Accelerator helped us to reintroduce our theatre to audiences in a new way, improving our brand identity and expanding our repertoire,” says Tatyana Rostomyan, the theatre founder. The support also allowed the theatre to launch an online store, paving the way for its full independence in the digital marketplace, as well as to reach out to new audiences through expert management of its social media pages. “Our vision is to redefine alternative theatre in Armenia, providing a platform for emerging artists and musicians to create, innovate and connect with audiences in meaningful ways. And EU support helps us in that,” Tatyana is convinced.

The Artbox support is not limited to businesses only. Its Entrepreneur course is tailored for individual artists and creators – including musicians, filmmakers, designers, writers, visual artists and performers – seeking to advance their careers. It offers individualised support aimed at developing personal brands and revenue-generating strategies, supporting them with €2,500 micro-grants.

Finally, there is the Hub course, a tailored version of the Incubator, specifically targeting cultural institutions – such as museums or galleries – that seek to launch a commercially viable product. The Hub’s distinct feature is that its participants are not private businesses but rather state institutions in need of an entrepreneurial mindset. Through the 8-12 week learning programme, alumni are guided by mentors, including representatives from world-renowned cultural institutions, and become eligible for grants of up to €50,000.

Bridging talent and technology

Beyond this, the Katapult programme offers Innovation grants to Armenian cultural institutions – both public and private – to modernise their outdated equipment and to train staff for adopting cutting-edge technology. Unlike Artbox, Innovation grant recipients do not have to follow capacity-building courses but simply justify the required technological upgrade to receive up to €50,000 investment.

The Fashion and Garment Chamber NGO (FGC), located in Yerevan, is one of the six Innovation beneficiaries. Thanks to the EU support, it has established and equipped a photo studio at CreLab – a creative centre in Dzoraghbyur (in Kotayk Province). CreLab supports entrepreneurship and social innovation in Armenia’s fashion and creative industries, providing a space for designers, photographers and emerging professionals to collaborate, learn and develop their work. The new professional photography space with high-quality equipment is accessible and affordable for local designers and brands, ideal for creating portfolios, shooting lookbooks and editorial campaigns, creating online shop content and other promotional materials. “Now small fashion brands and fashion students can produce high-quality marketing materials without incurring high costs,” says Elen Manukyan, the FGC co-founder. “In a country where access to professional creative spaces is limited, EU support provides much-needed resources and infrastructure to emerging talents, empowering individuals and strengthening Armenia’s position in the global fashion and creative industries.“

With EU support, AGBU is transforming Armenia’s creative economy. More than 250 creatives across Armenia have been supported, over 60 start-ups incubated, 30 businesses accelerated, and 65 solo artists empowered. Thanks to the Programme, many of them have successfully registered businesses, secured funding and scaled their creative projects, turning ideas into commercially viable ventures. “I hope that the Katapult legacy will bring the important cultural and mental shift to value culture not only for its embeddedness in our heritage and identity, but also for its ability to imagine new futures and seed a knowledge economy,” concludes Anna Gargarian.

Authors: Volha Prokharava, Kristine Hovhannisyan