Nearly 100 people attended the Mixer on Dec 4, to celebrate industry professionals and community stakeholders who took part in the conversations about the local creative ecosystem this year.

Sharon Nyree Williams, Executive Director of CD Forum, welcomed guests to the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and shared a summary of key themes from this past year’s industry roundtables, identifying opportunities for city government to best support Seattle’s artists and creatives.

The community engagement conducted over the summer builds on research that the City supported in the last couple of years; looking at both statistical data and individuals’ stories to better understand Seattle’s creative economy and creative ecosystem. The main question posed during this process was: how can the City grow, support, and retain creatives while reducing disparities and inequities within the creative economy?

The research over the summer prioritized creatives of color for participation in focus groups. They represented various creative occupations, gigs, and other artistic endeavors. Over 150 individuals participated in 15 prioritized focus groups. In addition to focus groups, several OFM Mixers were hosted over the summer, as well as conversations with film community members, special events and festival producers, and arts journalism and media stakeholders. In total, 850 people provided feedback and input.

A series of themes emerged from these conversations. The most mentioned themes were:

• Lack of Opportunity, Resources, and Mentorship
• Structural Barriers
• Affordability and Wages
• A Desire to Deepen Collaboration with the Tech Sector
• The Need to Celebrate Arts & Cultural Media
• Strengthen Career Pathways

The themes provided a roadmap to 9 Proposed Actionable and Solution-Oriented Goals.

1. Improve Quality of Life for Artists and Creatives: Creatives felt that the City must take the lead in creating a culture of reverence and respect for the vast creative community.
2. Engage Harder to Reach Populations: Community engagement and mixer events reached over 850 individuals. This was a multi-ethnic, multi-generational and multi-arts genre group of creatives who want to use their skills and experiences to inform the work of our city government.
3. Enhancing Existing Initiatives and Create New Initiatives: Further explore the recommended actions for incorporation into existing, expanded, or new opportunities. Use specific opportunities and existing models for increased support to existing assets.
4. Access to Artistic and Creative Work Space: Actively develop and implement innovative approaches to improve housing affordability, venues, and workspaces for creatives.
5. Bridge Artists, Technology and Creativity: To develop and execute comprehensive and sustainable activities that retain and promote a creative economy within the city, there must be a good understanding of the diversity among artists and their relationship with technology and creativity.
6. Strategically Align the Work of the Commissions: The Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Music Commission and their members are key stakeholders in the upcoming work of the creative economy in the city. Although they are independent bodies working with the City, they should be activated to further develop policy actions together to benefit the entire creative ecosystem of Seattle.
7. Build More Strategic Collaborations Across City Departments: As the Office of Arts & Culture, Office of Film + Music, Office of Economic Development, Seattle Arts Commission and Seattle Music Commission continue to develop their collaborative and inclusive creative economy strategy, all of the independent bodies of work should be used to further develop final policy actions. Prioritize strategies to address the most frequently mentioned themes.
8. Stimulate Innovative Thinking: Following the research conducted by a group of University of Washington Evans School grad students, build upon the strength of grounding any action plan in relevant criteria that bolsters the analysis and stimulates innovative thinking.
9. Integrate Existing Research and Data into Decision-making: The sum of all relevant studies that happened this year should be interlaced with the findings outlined in the “road map” report (to be published in late Jan 2020) to create an overall strategy.

The program featured conversations with four artists who took part in the creative economy focus groups this year: Earnest Thomas, Zoser, Isabella L. Price and Nia-Amina Minor.

“I believe what [the ONYX Fine Arts Collective] are doing, is something really important in the community, by giving artists an outlet to show their artwork.” Earnest Thomas, president of ONYX, a collaborative of artists and supporters committed to celebrating and promoting the visual artwork of artists of African descent.

On activities that would benefit youth in the creative economy: “First, it’s great that we have a lot of people here,” notes Zoser, a young singer/songwriter who blends pop, folk, and hip hop. “But it would be good to have a lot more young faces to learn about the industry. Second, Seattle needs to help young people get on big stages because that will help them push forward with going for their dream.”

Regarding collaboration with tech companies: “Trying to work together with people in the tech industry, there is so much emphasis on data, the math and sciences,” said Isabella L. Price, filmmaker, writer, podcaster, host, performer, and youtuber.  “And there is a weird separation between art and sciences, where there really doesn’t need to be… I think we really need to have more of those spaces that don’t really focus on art or tech, but both so that we can connect.”

On challenges of affordability and gig work in Seattle: “I am really kind of lucky, I have two positions with Spectrum [Dance Theater]; I am an artist and I dance with them full time, and I am their Community Engagement Artist Liaison. But that’s not always the case for a lot of artists,” said Nia-Amina Minor, movement artist and educator. “I dance, I teach, I accept a lot work, it becomes a lot of accepting work and your capacity to work is full. The theme that ‘you’re not making enough’ does have an effect. There’s a lot of exhaustion, there’s a lot of physical and mental toll… It becomes a thing, where the artist has to sacrifice to make this great work and you start to question that. What is a solution for that or will artists have to burn out?”

Thank you to all our featured artists, moderators, and everyone who was able to attend our December edition of the Mixer!

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Stay Involved!

Everyone is invited to continue your involvement in this process to build an inclusive local creative economy.

Resources, presentations, and reports on the Creative Economy/Industries can be found here.

Save the date for the next Mixer on Wednesday, Jan 29, from 5-7 pm at Seapine Brewing Company Taproom (youth and pet friendly!) in SODO.

Happy New Year! It’s that time for a bit of reflection on the work the filmmaking community accomplished in 2019. In compiling our data for the year, we noted 499 film permit applications processed in 2019, with Commercial projects making up over half of all permitted work. 2019 also saw an increase in local hires, as well as an increase in projects by Seattle-based companies. See below for the full run down, and the attached document that gets more into the nitty gritty of things, and comparisons to 2018. Feel free to reach out with any questions about our data!

Film Production in Seattle Impacts Look Ahead

The Third Chapter of the Seattle Squeeze

The third chapter of the Seattle Squeeze will last through 2024. Seattle’s downtown will continue to be in a state of transition to meet the needs of our growing city, and along with that comes some impacts to keep in mind!

Need Help with a Location?  Hire a Local Locations Professional!

Keeping your schedule is critical to the success of your production.  Navigating multi-location shoots requires intent and expertise.  When scouting and shooting, we always recommend hiring one of the region’s location professionals.  They are the experts and can help you navigate the landscape and permitting processes in Seattle and the region:

• NWScouts.com:  Seattle region location scouts and managers
• Reel Crew:  Washington Filmworks crew database
• NWFilm.com:  Northwest Production Index

As always, please contact the Office of Film + Music any time if you have questions or input.

Seattle Office of Film + Music
http://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic
700 5th Ave, Suite 5752 | PO Box 94708
Seattle, WA 98124-4708
filmoffice@seattle.gov

On Friday, November 22^nd, the City of Seattle’s Office of Film + Music (OFM) hosted a Film and Music Industry Public Meeting and Update. Over 100 industry professionals and stakeholders gathered at the Centilia Cultural Center in El Centro de la Raza to discuss concerns and answer questions about proposed changes to OFM.

Answering your questions:  What has happened, what is happening, and why

The Film and Music Industry Public Meeting and Update intended to provide clarity and answer questions to OFM’s future as the City is prioritizing creatives and creative industries through an inclusive creative economy program.

Prior to the development of the development of the inclusive creative economy program, OFM, the Office of Economic Development (OED), and the Office of Arts and Culture (ARTS) consulted the Seattle Art and Music Commissions, met with over 80 special events industry stakeholders, and met with over 70 film stakeholders representing unions, crews, producers, companies, educators, non-profits, and location managers, which resulted in rigorous reports on priorities and recommendations for the City’s support of the industry. The summary of film recommendations draft was reviewed by film stakeholders. including union representatives, before it was finalized and delivered to the City. These recommendations have and will continue to inform OFM vision and decisions for the future. 

Following this industry and stakeholder outreach, some film and music industry professionals expressed concerns about the proposals for OFM’s future. Most particularly, the City heard concerns that OFM would be dissolved and replaced by the Inclusive Creative Industries Program, or that it would be absorbed into ARTS, or that the transition would eliminate OFM’s prioritization of economic development in its work.

Is the Office of Film + Music Going Away?

No.  OFM has always been part of OED, and will continue be part of OED. OFM will continue programs and initiatives supporting the growth of the film, music, nightlife, and special events industries. Under the Mayor’s charge, OFM will lead the OED’s new Inclusive Creative Industries Program.

The OFM Director role will be redefined as the Creative Industry Director, to call out the work the position has and will continue to oversee. This position will undergo a nationwide search and hiring process in collaboration with film and music labor and industry professionals involvement.

Staff capacity will increase. The Film + Special Events Manager, who oversees policy and permit coordination for both film and special events, will become two dedicated roles: Film Manager and Special Events Manager. A Creative Industries Policy Advisor will also be created to support the initiative and policy work supporting the film, music, events, and nightlife industries. Also, a dedicated Film Permitting support staff will be added during the peak filming season. OED communications staff will now be dedicated to support OFM, and 10% of the entire OED staff will support film and music by launching new efforts that will include OED’s Key Industries, Small Business, Business Districts, and Workforce teams.     

Thank you for your input and collaboration

Thank you everyone in the film, music, events, and nightlife industries.  Thank you everyone who were able to take the time to attend the November 22 meeting, participate in this summer’s roundtables and conversations, and to communicate with OFM as individuals or groups.  OFM’s work must support and be guided by you and your industry.  We will continue to work, and continue our work, with you collaboratively.  The next months will provide many exciting opportunities for direct and public collaboration.  We are looking forward to working with and for you as we explore all of these new opportunities.

Next Steps and How to Get Involved

OFM wants your input.  For those who are interested in shaping OFM and the Inclusive Creative Industry Program, there are some exciting opportunities to get involved:

• The Mixer, a free, all-ages, open to the public meet-up for leaders in the film, music, and interactive industries to share, learn, and make meaningful business connections.=
• Film Industry: Join the Film Task Force to help shape OFM’s work to support and grow Seattle’s film industry. A public application process to join the Film Task Force will be announced soon, and the Film Task Force is slated to start in January 2020.
• Stay in touch with OFM on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or shoot us an email at filmandmusicoffice@seattle.gov and we’ll give you updates in 2020 and beyond.

More Additional Information and Resources

Resources

Seattle Office of Film and Music – Creative Industries

2019 Office of Film + Music and Inclusive Creative Industry Program FAQ

Presentations

9/25/19 The Mixer Presentation: Film Industry Findings and Office of Film + Music Next Steps

11/22/10 Presentation: Office of Film + Music Public Meeting

Research

2019 Film Industry Roundtables: Summary of Findings and Recommendations

2019 Creative Economy Report

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Join Us Friday, November 22 for a Public Conversation!

The City of Seattle has gone and continues to go through massive changes due to shifts in technology, culture, and demographics. In its 28 years of service to the industry, the Office of Film + Music recognizes the urgent need for innovative and nimble solutions to adjust for these changes and prepare for the future. Many questions and concerns have come up in this process and we’re committed to answering them and continuing to listen.

Please join us 6:00pm-8:00pm next Friday, November 22^nd, at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16^th Ave S, just north of the Beacon Hill Light Rail Station) for a conversation about the Office of Film + Music!  This public meeting is to offer a friendly setting to discuss some concerns and answer questions we’re hearing about proposed changes for the office.  You can bring your question to the event, or send your question in advance by clicking here.  The event is free and open to the public – hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Chris Swenson, Film + Special Events Program Manager

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September and October 2019 Seattle Film Permits

Fall days bring low cloud cover, a fine mist of constant rain, and the Patina of Seattle!  The Summer slam is done, but we’re seeing plenty of productions continue their work outside, led by 42 commercial productions and 22 still photography shoots.

Here’s the breakdown of local crew hired by production category, and most popular Seattle neighborhoods in the months of September and October.

Production Type (104 permits in September and October, hiring a total of 1,444 local cast and crew)

• 42 Commercial / Advertising
• 7 Corporate / Industrial
• 4 Documentary
• 5 Feature Films
• 3 Music Videos
• 1 PSA
• 7 Short Films
• 22 Still Photography
• 1 Student Film
• 1 TV/Other
• 5 TV / Reality
• 2 TV / Series
• 1 VR / AR
• 3 Web Series

Neighborhood Council Districts (showing productions with multiple shoots in September and October 2019)

• District 1 – 9 productions
• District 2 – 7 productions
• District 3 – 11 productions
• District 4 – 11 productions
• District 5 – 1 productions
• District 6 – 8 productions
• District 7 – 38 productions

Top 5 Filming Neighborhoods (September and October 2019)

1. Queen Anne – 14 Productions
2. Downtown – 8 Productions
3. Pioneer Square – 7 Productions
4. Cascade / Eastlake / South Lake Union – 7 Productions
5. Beacon Hill – 6 Productions

Film Production in Seattle Impacts Look Ahead

The Third Chapter of the Seattle Squeeze

The third chapter of the Seattle Squeeze will last through 2024. Seattle’s downtown will continue to be in a state of transition to meet the needs of our growing city, and along with that comes some impacts to keep in mind!

Chapter Three of the Seattle Squeeze includes:

• The start of tolling in the SR 99 tunnel on November 9. 
• Connect 2020: Weekend LINK closures in downtown Seattle on October 12-13, October 26-27 and November 9-10 to prepare for a 10-week period of major light rail service impacts beginning in January 2020.
• Ongoing impacts related to Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition. 
• The start of construction of the new Alaskan Way on the Waterfront begins this fall.
• More bus service was added on September 21 to help commuters get into downtown
• The Fairview Avenue Bridge closure, which started September 23 and will last for up to 18 months while crews rebuild the aging, wooden structure

New 24/7 Red Bus Lanes on Olive Way

Brand new red bus lanes have been placed on Olive Way between 4th Ave and 8th Ave. Previously, these lanes only prioritized buses at certain times of the day, but they will now be solely devoted to keeping buses moving reliably 24/7. This is part of SDOTs overall goal to have 90 new blocks of red bus lanes by the end of 2020.

Expansion of Weight Restrictions in Pioneer Square

Vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds are no longer allowed to park or drive in the lane closest to the sidewalks on First Ave in Pioneer Square due to concerns about the underground road support structures. In addition to this, the same restrictions are now applicable to additional side streets in Pioneer Square as outlined on this map. For full details about the project, please see SDOTs blog post, which will be updated with new information to reflect the additional restrictions shortly.

SR99 Tunnel Tolling Begins November 9

The exact timeline has not been shared, but we should expect a start date sometime in late summer.  Once tolling begins, the general pattern for drivers is to return to surface streets to avoid the tolls.  Stay tuned for more information as it’s shared by WSDOT.  More information on SR99 Tunnel tolling here.

Need Help with a Location?  Hire a Local Locations Professional!

Keeping your schedule is critical to the success of your production.  Navigating multi-location shoots requires intent and expertise.  When scouting and shooting, we always recommend hiring one of the region’s location professionals.  They are the experts and can help you navigate the landscape and permitting processes in Seattle and the region:

• NWScouts.com:  Seattle region location scouts and managers
• Reel Crew:  Washington Filmworks crew database
• NWFilm.com:  Northwest Production Index

As always, please contact the Office of Film + Music any time if you have questions or input.

Seattle Office of Film + Music
seattle.gov/filmandmusic
700 5th Ave, Suite 5752 | PO Box 94708
Seattle, WA 98124-4708
filmoffice@seattle.gov

You are receiving this email because you were included on previous group invitations or communication from the Office of Film + Music.  If you wish to be removed from future communication, please email filmoffice@seattle.gov. To stay up to date on local film industry news, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.

By ZAG Awwad

On October 10 at The Triple Door in Downtown Seattle, the sixth annual Music Safety Summit (MSS 6.0) took place. They had music scene and nightlife professionals ready to share their insight on research and work that they do regarding a myriad of topics, from venue security and cooperation with local emergency personnel to global drug trends relating to concert attendees.

It started with a short opening speech from Kate Becker, Creative Economy Strategist with King County, highlighting the progress that the city has made towards achieving the summit’s goals since it started 6 years ago. She then introduced King County Executive Dow Constantine to the stage. He gave a short speech about the Seattle area’s latest epidemic, fentanyl, and how the region is learning to respond to overdoses. He then passed the mic to Brad Finegood, a Strategic Advisor at Public Health – Seattle & King County. He mentioned many points regarding fentanyl usage and tips to harm reduction that is good to share with the public.

• One cannot smell or taste fentanyl
• Counterfeit pressed pills containing fentanyl may look like normal prescription pills.
• Call 911 if you witness an overdose, Good Samaritan law won’t persecute you or who you’re with.
• Avoid Mixing drugs with other drugs or Alcohol.
• Get ahold of Narcan if possible, as it can be administered on the spot and can save someone’s life if they overdose.
• Wearerecoveryhelpline.org (for treatment)

Next up was Dr. Adam Winstock who came all the way from London to talk about his research as founder and director of the Global Drug Survey, the world’s biggest annual survey of drug use trends. He had a slideshow of different drug and alcohol use trends around the world, with many parameters accounted for during his research, including age, sex, country, and whether first time consuming it was spontaneous or due to peer pressure. These are his most important and notable points.

• Alcohol is a drug and is supposed to be treated like one.
• Media is all about dehumanizing and judging people who are addicted to drugs.
• This stigma delays people from seeking help.
• Tough drug laws cause harm and don’t stop people from using drugs and it costs the economy billions.
• Lawmakers must make sure new drug laws put public health above profit.
• Poorer, marginalized people are more likely to consume synthetic drugs than affluent people due to them being cheaper. (Spice vs Cannabis)

Focusing more on the hearing consequences of attending music events, Allison Coffin, Ph.D. at WSU Vancouver came to talk about hearing-loss research that she’s been conducting on zebra fish. Zebra fish can regenerate their hearing when their hair cells get damaged from loud noises, and her research is looking into developing a medicine that can help protect people’s ears after being subjected to loud noises for an extended period.  Her research shows that the trials have been successful so far and she’s planning on starting mammalian trials soon.

Other segments in this summit included three panel discussions around safety at music events, from ingress, egress, and venue evacuation, to whether we should legislate EDM event safety. They talked about different measures that need to be taken to ensure that show goers are safe from any harm, and also what the future of venue security looks like.

Most notable ideas that were pitched during the conversations:

• Heat-sensor cameras that can detect if someone has abnormal body heat and needs immediate treatment at a concert.
• Resting areas at concerts for people who exhausted themselves and need a breather.
• Providing “Amnesty boxes” at every venue/festival so people have the option to get rid of their drugs if they’re concerned about their well-being.

All the speakers at this event, coming from all walks of life, both based in Seattle and outside, had a common vision in mind when curating MSS 6.0: public safety, health and wellness, and raising awareness on best practices in our music and entertainment scene.

The event was produced by King County and USC Events, with support from The Message, Conscious Crew, and the Office of Film + Music.

Seattle’s Creative Industries Are Our Future. That’s Why The City Is Expanding Our Creative Work. 

Seattle has a rich history of cultural innovation and creative risk taking. Our arts and culture are recognized around the world, and a robust creative workforce nourishes our entrepreneurial spirit. Seattle’s creative industries are one vital source of fuel that will drive our economy into the future. To ensure that racial and economic disparities don’t continue to grow, we need to build a creative economy that is inclusive of everyone. 

Since its inception in 1991, Seattle’s Office of Film + Music, which operates within the Office of Economic Development (OED), has supported the heart of our city’s creative industries. With new challenges and disparities facing Seattle’s creatives, it is time to reconfigure, realign and reimagine the Office’s work and the role of government in our city’s economic health. 

That’s why Mayor Durkan’s 2020 Proposed Budget includes investments to expand the City’s creative industry work by dedicating three full-time employees. Two of those positions, including one newly funded position, will be in the creative industry program in OED, and one will be in the Office of Arts & Culture. All three positions will support the City’s creative industry work, which encompasses film, music, and media/graphic design. 

“Our City has seen incredible growth and change over the past decade, and with that growth came many big city challenges, including displacement,” says Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “We’ve seen many artists and creative industry workers, particularly artists and workers of color, pushed out because they simply cannot afford to live in Seattle. That has hurts their ability to create, and present their work. We must invest in and prioritize filmmaking, arts, music, and culture in Seattle. That is why I’m making the Inclusive Creative Industry Program an economic priority for the City.”

For Seattle to thrive, we need to deepen, align, and expand our department partnerships and programs to better prepare our workforce, businesses, and infrastructure. We ground this work in a commitment to race and social justice, economic data, and deep community and industry listening.  

To achieve those goals, the Office of Film + Music and its current staff will lead the new “Inclusive Creative Industry Program” as the citywide economic development priority. As part of OED, this team will leverage the resources and investments of other OED programs to further its work supporting creative industries. This new prioritization of the creative industries is reflected in the Mayor’s proposed budget. As part of this strategy, here is what we are proposing: 

• The OFM director position will become the Inclusive Creative Industry Program Director and will report to OED’s Director. A national search will be conducted after budget approval. 
• We will add three new staff positions to increase support and advocacy for the film and creative industries. 
• Aligning with OED’s new Inclusive Creative Industry Program, the Creative Economy Advocate will become a full-time member of Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with OED’s Workforce Development Team and Inclusive Creative Industry Team. 

• We will increase music industry advocacy and support through the combined efforts of the Music Commission’s work, the Inclusive Creative Industry Team, and OED and ARTS staff. 
• The Nightlife Advocate position will remain with OED in the Inclusive Creative Industry Program. 
• We will launch a new internship and career connected learning initiative in partnership between OED, ARTS, Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) and others 

By building upon OED/OFM, DEEL, and ARTS’s connection between creative, art, technology, education, workforce, industry, and other related fields, we can prepare Seattle’s students and workforce to thrive now and in the future. We are deeply excited for this new body of work and look forward to collaborating with Washington Filmworks and King County to build an inclusive economy grounded in our creative communities and industries.  

For more information about OED’s inclusive economy vision or reports from our community listening sessions, please sign up for our e-newsletter or email us at: oed@seattle.gov, arts.culture@seattle.gov. 

More than 80 people attended The Mixer on Aug 28, the final community conversation in a series of four in which artists and creative professionals were invited to help shape the City’s vision for the local creative economy.

Seattle Arts Commission Chair Priya Frank welcomed guests to the Northwest African American Museum to discuss advancing equity in the arts. She encouraged candid input (real talk) from everyone during the discussion portion of the evening to point the City toward solutions that will change the status quo, particularly for artists and creatives of color.

Sara Porkalob (award winning artist-activist and creator of the DRAGON CYCLE) moderated a conversation with speakers Dani Tirrell (Black, Queer choreographer, curator at Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, and 2019 Mayor’s Arts Awardee) and Reese Tanimura (Music Commission Chair, musician, and Managing Director of Northwest Folklife). Read more about the speakers here.

In order to have real talk, Porkalob established group agreements to create a safe and brave space for authentic conversation. She then shared an overview of the four levels of racism and other types of oppression – interpersonal, institutional, structural, and internalized – and how White Supremacy Culture, which upholds values like individualism, either/or thinking, and worship of the written word, is counteracted through Relational Culture, which rewards team work, embraces complexity, and values multiple ways of communicating.

The three speakers explained their perspectives as arts leaders and creatives of color working against White Supremacy Culture and outlined their strengths: maintaining a sense of humor (Porkalob), bringing people together and holding space for them (Tirrell), and being tenacious about recognizing and fostering the potential in others (Tanimura).

Porkalob then led attendees through a series of creative storytelling exercises, aimed at modeling relational culture and stimulating imagination, listening, and creative thinking. She concluded with a reminder that there is real power in storytelling, and imagination and connection are essential tools to mitigate racial disparities in the creative economy.

Breakout Sessions: What the City can do to advance equity in the arts

The storytelling exercises propelled individuals into a creative mindset, and resulted in the following themes and suggestions to advance equity in the arts and creative ecosystem.

Focus on building career pathways in underrepresented communities, including mentorship, apprenticeships, paid internships, more artist residencies, and professional development.

• Arts and creative can be perceived as not “valid” career paths, especially in immigrant families or by older generations
• The expectation to do unpaid work to break into a creative field often presents a greater barrier for people of color
• Create a job bank to centralize opportunities and allow employers to find more diverse talent
• Provide resources for gig workers, including healthcare solutions
• Utilize new technological platforms that have positively affected communities of color to build new audiences and garner attention (such a YouTube)
• Offer “workshops to learn how to market our unique skills and stories”
• Provide access points for immigrants and provide resources in languages besides English
• “I need a success model in my creative field” (POC participant on the need for representation)
• Educational opportunities are often out of reach, financially or geographically, for creatives of color

Change the status quo of white-dominant spaces; unwelcoming environments and insular networks are barriers for creatives of color.

• “I could not assimilate into the ‘white boys’ club’ so I quit doing film.”
• “Breaking into the creative industries as a person of color is one of Seattle’s biggest challenges.”
• Opportunities are built for people who “have white dads in the [film] industry.”
• “Privileged white dancers are getting paid more, and immediately.”
• Workplaces that uphold White Supremacy Culture don’t accommodate different communication styles.
• “When I bring my all self in a space, I don’t feel welcomed… [P]eople can honor my work but don’t respect or value me as a person.”
• There is a lot of POC talent but who controls the market sets the value and opportunities.

Tie funding and incentives to equity advancement.

• Reparations: “Additional funding should be given to communities of color to make up for a lifetime of inequity.”
• Educate and incentivize employers to increase diversity in creative workforce and diversify leadership (e.g. on boards of directors), but also beware of tokenism.
• Create opportunities for participatory budgeting.

Consider location.

• Meet communities of color on their terms – go to the community, rather than asking them to come to you (e.g. when holding meetings, offering educational opportunities, building career pathways).
• Due to Seattle’s high cost of living, many people have to commute from outside the city to access jobs in creative fields.

Change the narrative.

• Rather than focusing on deficits when talking about arts and culture, focus on assets.
• Tell a more inclusive story of the city (e.g. aside from grunge, highlight Seattle’s jazz, indigenous and POC punk music history).
• Talking about artists as an “endangered species” doesn’t serve them in the long run – focus instead on empowerment, skill development, and artists’ own agency.

If you attended any Mixer in this creative economy series (May through August), thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. Please be on the lookout for a survey with a few more questions, and stay tuned for news related to the City’s creative economy strategy.

Please join us for the next Mixer on Sept 25 at Northwest Film Forum.