RRI.CO.ID, Surabaya - Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya emphasized media’s strategic role strengthening Indonesia’s creative economy ecosystem during Jatim Media Summit 2026 in Surabaya on Thursday, 30 July. He said collaboration across sectors was essential for supporting sustainable creative industry growth and national economic development.

In his keynote speech, Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya highlighted the importance of cooperation among government institutions, academics, businesses, communities, financial institutions, and media organizations. The ministry applies a hexahelix approach to ensure all six elements contribute actively to building a sustainable creative ecosystem.

“We believe collaboration is the key to strengthening the creative economy ecosystem. Therefore, we use a hexahelix approach involving the government, academics, industry players, communities, financial institutions, and the media. Without media support, the various efforts we undertake would certainly struggle to reach the public optimally,” said the minister as quoted from a written statement.

The minister also outlined implementation of the Creative Economy Master Plan, which will be strengthened through institutional development at regional levels. The effort is supported by three flagship programs - Creative Village Activation, Creative Hub Activation, and Creative by Indonesia - designed to increase productivity, attract investment, and enhance the competitiveness of Indonesia’s creative industries.

Riefky expressed hope that Jatim Media Summit would become a strategic forum discussing technology adoption and more adaptive media business models. He said collaboration between the ministry and media organizations was crucial for expanding public knowledge, strengthening creative ecosystem capacity, and presenting inspirational stories contributing to national economic growth.

The minister also presented recent achievements of Indonesia’s creative economy, which continues showing positive growth trends according to the 2025 Creative Economy Statistics. The sector contributed Rp1,757.87 trillion to Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product, grew 6.86 percent, employed approximately 27.4 million workers, recorded exports worth US$31.94 billion, and recorded investment totaling Rp183.01 trillion.

Meanwhile, East Java Provincial Secretary Adhy Karyono described Jatim Media Summit 2026 as an important opportunity for strengthening strategic collaboration between government, media industries, and other stakeholders. He said the forum should not only provide space for exchanging ideas, but also produce recommendations supporting development of media and creative economy ecosystems in East Java.

“This forum is not merely for collaboration, but rather for establishing strategic cooperation, building productive relationships, and producing recommendations that need to be submitted to the government,” said Adhy Karyono.

Under the theme “Creative Economy Ecosystem & Beyond Media Transformation in East Java,” the summit brought together cross-sector stakeholders through talk shows, best-practice sharing sessions, panel discussions, showcases, and conferences discussing strategies for sustainable media business development. The organizers expect the forum to strengthen a healthy, innovative, and adaptive media ecosystem that can support Indonesia’s democratic development while advancing the creative economy.