"This is the new blockchain: nobody understands what it is, but everyone talks about it." This statement by Ekaterina Cherkess-Zade accurately describes the creative industries. She is one of the leading experts in the field and serves as the director of Universal University, the first university for creative industries in Russia.Universal University includes several schools and educational projects, such as the British Higher School of Design, Scream School for game development, Moscow Film School, MARSH architectural school, Moscow School of Music, School of Education for new education specialists, Moscow School of Contemporary Art, Moscow Food Academy, Uteens educational project for teenagers, and the Ubusiness faculty of business and marketing.Since 2022, Ekaterina has been a guest lecturer in the "Art Cluster Design" program at the MARSH architectural school. As of 2023, she also heads the Center for the Development of the Creative Economy at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.