Otis College Report on the Creative Economy

The Otis College Report on the Creative Economy, commissioned annually by Otis College of Art and Design since 2007 focuses on the ways in which California’s creative industries form an essential part of its overall economy. The report highlights five creative industries and eight regional snapshots with a spotlight on Los Angeles. The Otis College Report is an invaluable tool to assess the tremendous impact and influence of the creative sector on the state and regional economy.

Now in its 16th year, the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy is an essential resource for nonprofits, educators, funders, and policymakers. For the first time since 2020, Otis College was proud to host an in-person launch event for the release of the 2023 Report at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, February 10, 2023.

The program included a welcome message from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, opening remarks from Otis College President Charles Hirschhorn and a presentation of 2023 Report findings by CVL Economics Founding Partner, Adam J. Fowler, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A on Gaming and the Digital Shift in Art and Design.

About the Report

California’s creative economy finds itself in a moment of profound change. The past three years have been a period of reflection and adaptation, which has yielded an important insight: the economic value of the creative sectors extends beyond just the manifest production of artistic and cultural goods or the employment of creative people. Its key function is to inspire, leverage, and amplify innovation (or creativity) across the state. As the creative sectors shifted activity from the physical world into the digital realm, the creative economy is both the driver and a beneficiary of technological advancement.

The focus of this year’s report is viewing the future of the creative economy through an increasingly important lens: gaming technology. The video game industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years, and it is having an impact far beyond the gaming community in transformational ways. Gaming technology is foundational to the development of nearly all sectors, not just the creative ones, prompting both structural and operational shifts throughout the entire economy.