The City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have partnered with the SABÉR (Strategic Alliance for Business and Economic Research) Institute to release the San Antonio Creative Industry 2011 Economic Impact Assessment Study. This is the third report of its kind, following similar studies in 2003 and 2006.
According to the report, the “creative industry” accounted for $4.6 billion in economic activity in San Antonio last year. 29,852 workers earned $1.1 billion in wages, and the economic impact of the creative industry grew by 35.89% from 2006 to 2011. The leading creative occupations were photographers, graphic designers, and musicians/singers.
SABER’s local report claims vastly higher figures than national advocacy group Americans for the Arts, The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV report released in June, highlighting the extreme variability of attempts to quantify such a broad and fuzzy “industry”. The AFA report determined that the nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $134.7 million in total economic activity in San Antonio and supported 5,132 full-time equivalent jobs in 2010.
The sponsoring organizations will host the Creative Economy Luncheon on Wednesday, August 22 at the Pearl Brewery Stable in San Antonio (site of the AMA’s annual convention!) where Chief Economist Dr. Steve Nivin will present the 2011 report. The luncheon program will include special guest Mayor Julián Castro and SA2020 CEO Darryl Byrd. A panel representing various sectors of the local creative economy will discuss the recent growth and current challenges of the creative industry. The full report on the local creative economy will be available after the luncheon on the official site of the Office of Cultural Affairs, www.sahearts.com.
