“‘California’s Future Is Creative’ presents California’s first sector-specific strategy for sustaining and expanding the state’s creative economy. This is a vital, urgent blueprint to protect California’s global leadership in arts, culture, media, and innovation,” said Danielle Brazell, Executive Director of the California Arts Council.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today the California Arts Council, a state agency, released the first strategic plan for California’s creative economy. “California’s Future Is Creative: Strategies for Cultural Resilience, Economic Growth, and Global Leadership” presents a vision to bolster and grow the state’s $288 billion creative sectors and support its over 820,000 creative workers. (National Endowment for the Arts, State Fact Sheet, 2024)

Developed by Institute for the Future, the plan was informed over an 18-month planning process by the appointed members of the Creative Economy Workgroup of California, a 30-plus member subject matter advisory body that collectively reflects the diversity of California’s creative economy including arts leaders, culture bearers, elected officials, as well as state agency representatives for labor, business, education, and workforce development.

California leads the nation in creative output, from film and design to digital media, entertainment, and cultural production. Yet despite the sector’s outsized contribution to both the economy and social well-being, recent years have exposed vulnerabilities. In 2024, California’s creative workforce remained 7 percent below pre-pandemic levels, even as overall state employment grew. Between 2022 and 2023, the state lost 2.6 percent of its creative-sector jobs, while the nation gained 0.3 percent. (Otis College Update on the Creative Economy, 2025)