John,
New York City is the artistic and creative epicenter of the country and, in many respects, of the world.
It’s where world-class art museums meet the ad firms of Madison Avenue, where high fashion struts among the sound stages of Astoria and the bright lights of Broadway (have you seen Suffs yet?), where news and culture and books and music are produced for the world, and where artists and creators come to make their name.
All these industries are more than just an agglomeration of cultural pursuits. They play an important role in our economy. In fact, our “Creative Economy” is a defining economic sector for New York City – on par with finance, real estate, or law.
That’s why my office conducted an Economic Spotlight report on our Creative Economy (following up on our in-depth 2019 study). Though hard-hit by the pandemic, New York City’s Creative Economy has seen a strong and dynamic recovery. The Creative sector remains a bellwether of not only the city’s economy, but also of its resilience, wellbeing, and thriving future.
To add more color to the numbers, our office convened a Creative Economy Roundtable this week to hear directly from stakeholders in the industry – writers, producers, designers, artists, and more. The creativity of the people who contribute to our Creative Economy are critical contributors to the character of NYC.
Our roundtable was a forum where we shared ideas both big and small to help our office better understand what is important in the Creative Economy, and what policy decisions should be prioritized moving forward.
