News

L.A. Arts month kicks off with Otis report on creative economy



01/19/10

from The Los Angeles Times "Culture Monster" blog 1/05:

"Los Angeles likes to call itself the "creative capital of the world" -- a boast that is certain to raise eyebrows in cities like New York, San Francisco, London or Paris. But could the claim actually be true? A recent study titled the 2009 Otis Report on the Creative Economy says one in every six people in the L.A. region is employed in a creative field. In addition, L.A. organizations in the creative field earned an estimated  $121 billion in revenues in 2008, while those in Orange County accounted for an estimated $18 billion....
Whether you believe L.A.'s claim to cultural supremacy, it's hard to deny how far the city has come in the fields of arts and culture. Today, the city officially kicks of L.A. Arts Month, an annual celebration of the area's visual and performing arts. Organized by more than 30 local arts groups and political organizations, the event is essentially a concerted marketing effort to raise awareness of the area's cultural offerings."