Business leaders to discuss Albany region creative economy

The Albany area has strength at the convergence of art and technology. The problem is that not enough people outside the region know that strength.

Beth Siegel, president of the consulting firm hired by two area non-profits to analyze the creative economy in the region, will outline the scope of the creative economy at a summit Thursday.

"One of the challenges the region has is the image that outsiders have does not reflect the reality of how rich and deep the resources are," says Siegel, president of Mt. Auburn Associates.

Community leaders will detail a plan to grow the creative economy at the event, which begins at 7:30 a.m. at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady.

The lineup includes speakers like Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York; Laban Coblentz, founder and chairman at Tech Valley Center of Gravity, a makerspace in downtown Troy; and Guha Bala, president of Vicarious Visions, a video game developer in Menands.

The creative economy covers a wide range of industries, from media and design to historic preservation and visual arts, among others. Any business that produces or distributes creative content falls under the creative economy umbrella. Siegel describes it as, "the writer, the person who produces the book and the libraries and bookstores that distributes the book to the consumer."

Recommendations to leverage the Albany area's creative sectors will be broken into two areas. Those two areas are the long-term infrastructure needed to sustain a creative landscape and specific steps to kick-start growth. One recommendation, Siegel says, is to create a signature regional event showcasing the convergence of art and technology.

Megan reports breaking news and covers education.