January 12, 2010

North Carolina: Creative Industry Study and Work Force Profiles

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council recently released “Creativity Means Business: Economic Contributions of North Carolina’s Creative Industry.” The report was prepared by the Policy, Research and Strategic Planning Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and showed that the Creative Industry in North Carolina accounts for nearly 300,000 jobs, more than 5.5% of the state’s work force. Creative individuals and businesses contribute $41.4 billion worth of products and services through more than 100 creative industries. This study follows “Creative Economy: The Arts Industry in North Carolina,” which was commissioned in 2007 by the North Carolina Arts Council and described the scale, scope and geographic distributions of the segment of the state’s economy that is driven by aesthetic content. The North Carolina Arts Council is featuring profiles of North Carolina’s creative work force on its Web site. The profiles, both written and in video form, demonstrate how artistry, design, thinking across boundaries and contextual thinking provide an economic edge and competitive advantage to position North Carolina in the global economy. For more information about either the creative industry report or the cultural work force profiles, contact Arts Council Executive Director Mary B. Regan.