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Sprout to Growth: Potential Pathways for Growing Sacramento’s Creative Economy

What does inclusive economic development look like in Sacramento’s creative economy?

A new report from Creative Startups and the City of Sacramento’s Office of Arts and Culture aims to provide some answers, identifying potential pathways for growth of for-profit creative businesses with a determined focus on BIPOC creatives.

Titled Sprout to Growth: Potential Pathways for Growing Sacramento’s Creative Economy, the report is the culmination of an extensive analysis of market data to identify growth sector’s aligning with the region’s unique assets and social, human and financial capital. Through panel discussions, and one-on-one interviews, over 60 entrepreneurs, community leaders, investors and other creative economy stakeholders lent their voices to the effort, which identified growth sectors aligned with four creative entrepreneur profiles:

  • The polymathic media producer – Resourceful jacks-of-all-trades who string together technologies to solve problems. They produce traditional, digital and experiential media. 

                Examples: fathom, 3Lopez Media, Hidden Temple Media, Launchvox

  • The micro customizing designer – Multi-faceted artists who provide personalized creative goods and services in an ever-expanding frontier of design.

                Examples: World’s Worst Expo, WeidnerCA, Topstitch, Huston Textiles

  • The experience economy organizer – Creative entrepreneurs who not only build experiences, but refine, streamline and organize them whether it is an art installation or music festival. 

                Examples: CrowdUltra, ProxyAV, Sac Dance Lab, The Dreamland Cinema

  • The civic life innovator – Architects, journalists, historians, environmental scientists (especially anthropologists and archeologists), planners, and educators who are creative entrepreneurs innovating new ways to shape civic life. 

                Examples: JusCheckIt, TecoGuide, Department of Sound, Atrium 916

Why is the creative economy important to Sacramento’s future? In 2021, the US creative economy added $1.016 trillion to national GDP – more than construction and transportation respectively. By 2030, G20 Insights predicts the creative economy could account for 10% of global GDP. Deloitte believes that the world will see up to 40% growth in creative sectors by 2030.

For a city trying to diversify its economic base, the creative economy is a key part of the equation. But for a city also interested in growing that economic base in an equitable way, its creative economy may be its single biggest asset. In Sacramento, BIPOC populations have stronger diversity numbers than the national creative economy, with 52% of media production professionals identifying as BIPOC, 43% of design professionals, 60% of experience economy professionals, and 50% of civic life innovation professionals.

This report, which arose out of the recommendations of Creative Edge: Sacramento’s Arts, Culture & Creative Economy Plan, takes a deeper dive into Sacramento’s creative economy, elevates some of the true innovators within it, and lays out concrete recommendations for helping to capitalize on the opportunities within the City of Trees.

View the Sprout to Growth Slide Deck.

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