Jakarta, June 19, 2025 — Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya welcomed a delegation from Mizan Media Utama to discuss the Out of the Box (OOTB) literacy initiative. Minister Riefky emphasized that the publishing industry is an essential part of the creative economy ecosystem and plays a significant role in driving national economic growth, particularly amid the current wave of digital transformation.
“We fully support the implementation of OOTB in various regions across the country. This initiative aligns with our vision of making the creative economy a new engine of national growth, starting from the grassroots. OOTB stands out as a community-oriented program that directly engages with the public,” said Minister Riefky during the meeting, which took place at the Ministry’s headquarters on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Minister Riefky also noted that the publishing industry must respond to digital challenges through collaborative strategies. Data presented by Mizan Media Utama revealed that digital book sales on their platform account for less than five percent of total sales, indicating a continued public preference for physical books as a learning medium. Additionally, children’s books remain a popular choice among modern parents, who tend to favor interactive and engaging parenting approaches.
“We are ready to support efforts in commercialization, intellectual property (IP) development, quality improvement, and market access—both at the national and international levels. We also welcome further collaboration with Mizan in strengthening reading interest across the country,” said Minister Riefky.
Minister Riefky emphasized the Ministry’s role as an accelerator in revitalizing the potential of intellectual property (IP) within the publishing sector, ensuring its long-term growth. He also reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to positioning publishing as a priority subsector in Indonesia’s creative economy strategy through collaborative and innovative approaches.
Mizan Media Utama is part of the Mizan Group, specializing in the distribution and sale of books published both by Mizan and other publishing houses. Since its launch in 2018, the Out of the Box (OOTB) program has been a mobile book fair initiative that has reached over 200 locations across Indonesia. OOTB also creates reading spaces at each location to promote a culture of literacy in the community.
“OOTB was started from our desire to truly do something out of the box. We want books to be a personal, enjoyable experience for everyone—giving people the chance to sit down, read on-site, and feel connected to a book before making it their own,” said Mochamad Firdaus, Event Manager of PT Mizan Media Utama.
Also present at the meeting were Assistant Manager, Mizan Media Utama, Abdul Ajid; General Manager of New Media & Digital Initiatives, M. Irfan Bagir, and General Manager of Business Development, Mizan Group, Syahrir. Minister Riefky was accompanied by the Deputy for Media Creativity, Agustini Rahayu, and Director for Publishing and Photography Iman Santosa.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Acting Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency
