Movie & TV Production Just One of Nine Major Industries Fueled by Creative Talent

LOS ANGELES --(May 3, 2000)-- Creativity is an "uber" industry for Los Angeles County, giving the area a competitive edge in nine leading industries, according to a report by Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC).

Creative industries account for 1,057,200 jobs and $121.78 billion in sales or revenues annually in Los Angeles County, according to the report.

"Creativity is L.A.'s No. 1 basic industry -- it drives jobs, sales, business creation and exports," said Kyser. "Nowhere else in the world can you find the creative talent pool housed in Los Angeles.

"The myth that we're a one-industry town based on motion picture and television production is completely destroyed by this study," noted Kyser. "It is clear that businesses whose lifeblood is a continuous flow of new ideas must be in L.A."

The economist compared creative industries in Los Angeles County with New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, and found Los Angeles first in six categories. These are: apparel & textiles, auto manufacturing (Detroit was not included), furniture, motion picture production, technology and toys. L.A. ranked second in food and third in architecture and health sciences/biomed, the other categories studied.

"Because the region's creative industries generate significant dollars and jobs giving us a competitive advantage, our goal is to influence businesses who rely on creativity to expand or come to L.A.," stated Lee Harrington, president and CEO of the LAEDC.

The most prominent recent announcement of a major company selecting Los Angeles because of its creative resources was General Motors re-opening its design studio in North Hollywood for access to movie industry talents.

LA by Design will serve as the catalyst to get all of the region's cities, industries and institutions to work together more effectively to harness the full potential of creative Los Angeles. LAEDC is developing a road map to creative L.A. -- a full-service network for people, businesses and institutions easily Internet-accessed (www.laedc.org).

 

 

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