Creative destruction
SBA says small biz, not large, will be Central Mass. growth engine
Massachusetts should move quickly to define, develop and promote its $6-billion-plus creative economy and brand itself as "THE Creative Economy State," according to a newly released plan for action by creative and business leaders.
The report, the result of a statewide gathering of art, business and government leaders in Salem for the Innovation Agenda Conference last March (WBJ Aug. 21, 2006) , calls for the state to create and fund a non-profit Commonwealth Creative Economy Council with members from the public and private sector statewide to bolster the creative economy. That segment, which can include any organization or person that uses creativity and innovation - from artists to software engineers – is an important path to the state’s future economic growth and its ability to attract and keep skilled workers in an increasingly mobile society, creative economy supporters contend.The CCEC should first focus on laying the foundation to grow the state’s creative economy by conducting a statewide research program to identify companies and agencies that are part of it. The report calls for the development of a database from the results. The state needs to understand the size and scope of goods and services within the creative economy, the report notes, as well as their potential contribution to the state’s overall economy.
The action plan also calls for the council to launch an on-line resource directory highlighting the state’s creative economy to establish what it calls a "virtual creative economy community that will attract others to move to or invest in our state."
The report also recommends that the new council:
- Develop a communication program to link create economy companies, organizations, stakeholders and interested parties via e-mail, blogging, electronic newsletters and more.
- Assist in establishing regional associations to promote creative enterprise
- Design a network to connect creative economy businesses with the state’s largest companies as a catalyst for joint business opportunities
- Establish as Creative Economy Best Practices Program showcasing other local and national programs that have succeeded in promoting the creative economy.
- Develop a marketing campaign to brand Massachusetts as a top creative economy state
- Create economic programs to encourage startups and expand the creative economy using loan programs, angel and venture capital funding and technical assistance.
Lastly, the report calls for the CCEC to work with the educational community to ensure that students get the skills they need to enter creative industries and make sure student are aware of creative job opportunities. "One way to help ensure growth in the Creative Economy of Massachusetts is to educate and retain workers who can solve problems, think imaginatively, demonstrate strong analytical skills and learn new procedures, technologies and ideas quickly," the report stresses.
Gregory Liakos, spokesman for the state Mass. Cultural Council, a conference cosponsor, which promotes arts and culture through grants and services, says the report lays the groundwork for a conversation on how the state can work with the private sector to promote the creative economy.
He says the proposed CCEC would be a more comprehensive organization than the Mass. Cultural Council, which is more focused on the non-profit sector. Liakos also hails the call for fostering creativity in education as an important goal.
Attempts to reach State Rep. Eric Turkingon, D-Falmouth, or state Sen. John Hart, D-Boston, co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, regarding the proposed council were unsuccessful at press time.
Micky Baca can be reached at mbaca@wbjournal.com
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