Build your creative industries into a cluster Tuesday, May 20, 2003 Today's Providence Journal prompts me to provide a little background on creative industries as an economic development engine. In 1997, the UK government provided the first initiative to consider the "creative industries" as an important industry cluster for economic development. The UK initiative moved the creative industries -- including pop music, fashion, film, computer software and advertising -- from the fringes to the center of UK's economic development strategy. (For more background, follow this link.) In the U.S., the New England Council launched its Creative Economy Initiative three years ago. Their initial report issued in 2000 dramatically redefined the creative industries in New England. A year later, the Initiative issued a second report outlining a blueprint for investment in creative industries. (Both reports are available here.) These reports and the UK web site provide a good background for EDPros interested in working with their creative communities. A commentary in today's Providence Journal (free registration required) outlines the importance of the creative industries to New England. Today in our history of innovation... In 1892, George Sampson patented the clothes dryer. In 1927, at 7:40 a.m., Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis" monoplane on his historic first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He arrived in France thirty-three and one-half hours later. In 1940, inventor Igor Sikorsky demonstrated his helicopter invention to the public. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

The Web EDPro Weblog