Pittsburgh has two to four times the national average of self-employed and freelance workers in the creative industries, according to a local study conducted last year. It looked specifically at creatives working in advertising, entertainment, fine arts, hardware, software, design and engineering, telecommunications and data science.
Working with the support of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Echo Strategies are conducting a follow-up study to the 2014 Creative Industries Study, to measure the scope of jobs in creative industries in the Pittsburgh region.
The group hopes to validate results from the previous study with a new survey and learn more about how the creative clusters of Pittsburgh live, work and play together.
The survey takes about 10 minutes and will expand insights on sector sizes, cross-sector collaboration and more.
“The creative technology network is supported by a lot of big companies in Pittsburgh and a lot of foundations who believe that by bringing arts and technology together, you can make one and one be three. You can support and stimulate innovation,” says Lou Musante of Echo Strategies.
In the previous study, results indicated that business sectors were segmented across the city. The new survey asks participants to map out where they work and live. With this information, the study can create a heat map of where people of different creative industries live and work around the city–identifying areas where creatives intersect.
The Pittsburgh Technology Council and Echo Strategies can use the results of the study to pinpoint areas where different creative industries are siloed. This information can provide a roadmap for improvement for the industries. Creating a more collaborative environment across different creative sectors can drive innovation and inspire new ideas, explains Musante.
“With the exception of the advertising sector, none of the other sectors cross-pollinate. The hardware and software people need to interface with the fine art people to help tell stories.
Anyone working in the Pittsburgh area is encouraged to take the survey within the next ten business days.
Echo Strategies will then share the results with the Pittsburgh community in a public report.