The results of the 2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California (Otis Report) were unveiled Wednesday in a state Capitol hearing before the Legislative Joint Committee on the Arts in Sacramento, chaired by Senator Ben Allen. The Otis Report has become a powerful advocacy tool and catalyst for change by clearly articulating the economic benefits of the creative industries and quantifying their financial impact in the economy.

Otis College of Art and Design has commissioned the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) to generate the Annual Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region (Otis Report) since 2007. Now in its third year, the Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California features an expansion highlighting local creative industries via eight regional snapshots, developed with support from the California Arts Council. The regions include: Bay Area, Capital Region, Central Coast, Inland Empire, Central Valley, San Diego- Imperial Valley, Los Angeles-Orange County, and Upstate California.

“The statewide Otis Report has been a game-changer for California’s arts field over the past three years,” said Craig Watson, Director of the California Arts Council. “California’s competitive edge nationally, and globally, is made possible as a result of innovative and creative leaders investing in our towns and cities. Now, with the new regional snapshots made available in this year’s report, local communities can pinpoint the direct role they play in advancing the success of their region, and of our entire state.”

Significant findings in the 2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California include:

• California had the largest number of creative industry workers in the nation in 2014 with 722,600 direct workers, followed by New York (464,400), Texas (225,200) and Florida (168,300).
•  The creative economy’s net economic contribution was equivalent to 9.4 percent of California’s gross state product in 2014.
• With total (direct, indirect and induced) employment of 1.6 million workers, the creative industries of California accounted directly or indirectly for nearly 12 percent (or over one in ten) of all wage and salary employment in 2014.
• Entertainment, publishing and printing, and fashion were the largest industries in California’s creative economy by employment.
• Creative occupations often require high levels of education or skills training. Of the 80 creative occupations identified for this report 38 required a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The 2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California is available at http://www.otis.edu/otisreport.

Please contact Otis Communications for media inquiries 310-665-6857 communications@otis.edu

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ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL
The Mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services. Learn more at http://www.arts.ca.gov

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
As the Southern California region’s premier economic development organization, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) provides collaborative, innovative and strategic economic development leadership to promote a globally competitive, prosperous and growing L.A. County economy to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents and communities and enable those residents to meet their basic human need for a job. We achieve this through objective economic research and analysis, strategic assistance to government and business, and targeted public policy. Our efforts are guided and supported by the expertise and counsel of our business, government and education members and partners. For more information, visit http://www.laedc.org

ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design is a national leader in art and design education. The College mission is to prepare diverse students of art and design to enrich our world through their creativity, skill, and vision. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar awardees, legendary costume designers, leaders of contemporary art movements, and design stars at Apple, Anthropologie, Patagonia, Adobe, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Disney.

Otis enrolls approximately 1,100 full-time students, and offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Architecture/Landscape/Interiors, Digital Media (Game and Entertainment Design, Animation, and Motion Design), Fashion Design, Communication Arts (Graphic Design, Illustration, and Advertising Design), Fine Arts (Painting, Photography, and Sculpture/New Genres), Product Design, and Toy Design. Additional information is available at www.otis.edu