Job Creation and the District’s Creative Economy

Good morning, I am Michael Brown, at-large Councilmember and Chair of the Council’s
Committee on Housing and Workforce Development. It is Friday, December 17, 2010. The time
is ______am. We are in the Council Chamber, room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building. I am
calling to order this public oversight roundtable on the Job Creation and the District’s Creative
Economy.

This spring, I hosted the Creative Economy and Emerging Businesses Summit to highlight
their importance in the District of Columbia and to provide District entrepreneurs and other
participants with information and resources to excel in the local business market. The Summit,
which was the second in a series of business sessions hosted by my office, highlighted the
needs to explore job creation and workforce development in the creative industry.

The Creative Economy is defined as businesses and organizations in which creative

content is central to both the cultural and economic values of what they produce. These include
businesses, individuals, and organizations involved in all stages of the creative process,
including conception, production and initial presentation of the product. According to the
District of Columbia Office of Planning and the Washington DC Economic Partnership’s April
2009 Creative DC Action Agenda Report , employment in the creative sector, prior to the
current downturn, was higher than overall job growth in the District and above creative job
growth in the region and throughout the Unites States. It further states that creative
employment provides over $5 billion in earnings and accounts for 10% of the District’s jobs
base. Creative jobs in DC also account for 12% of private employment – higher than in the
metropolitan statistical area or United States as a whole.

This public oversight hearing is being held to hear from members of the creative
economy community about the challenges and opportunities they face and how the industry
contributes to the local economy and what can be done to create additional jobs in this
industry. As we look at ways to put District residents to work, this is an excellent opportunity to
expose the public to the benefits of a thriving creative economy here in the District.