Creative Economy Organization Boosting North Shore Economy in a Big Way

SALEM, Mass., April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Creative Economy contributes more than $3 billion to the local economy, employs between 17,000 and 20,000 people on Boston's North Shore, and is growing, despite the current recession.

CEANS is a place for people seeking information about the creative economy on Boston's North Shore, but its most critical function is to support members and serve as a resource for all businesses seeking creative economy services. This is the place for creative economy businesses to find and post jobs, advertise events, and identify collaboration partners and opportunities. CEANS provides a free online directory (www.ceans.org) that helps all businesses find creative services from video production to website design, party performers to photographers, landscape architects to game designers.

Even in a down economy, CEANS is flourishing. Membership has grown from a few hundred to 1,200+ in the past year alone. The organization has sponsored a series of creative "bumps" or networking events in ten North Shore towns and cities, as well as events for industry clusters such as designers and consultants, with nearly 40% reporting that they have subsequently hired or collaborated with another creative organization.

CEANS has been instrumental in developing a statewide creative economy initiative and in making Massachusetts the first state in the nation to have a Creative Economy Director, Jason Schupbach. Two CEANS board members sit on the Commonwealth's Creative Economy Council.

None of this is surprising, given the results of the 2008 Economic Development Report commissioned by CEANS in conjunction with the Enterprise Center at Salem State College and the Salem Partnership. In addition to the revenue and employee numbers cited above, this study found that there are more than 2,200 creative economy enterprises on the North Shore.

The creative economy represents 10 percent to 12 percent of the North Shore's total private sector (non-government employment). This is a significant figure; by comparison, it's larger than the share of biotech and manufacturing industries within the Boston metro economy. In short, creative economy enterprises are an important contributor to economic development on Boston's North Shore.

To learn more, please visit www.ceans.org. or contact Jennifer Lincoln at 978-542-7576 or jlincoln@enterprisectr.org.

http://www.ceans.org/news97.html