Creative Industries
Creative Industries
The Creative Industries Strategy aims to benefit artists, creatives, residents, and visitors while boosting economic development. The plan focuses on film, music, and theatre and involves key partners such as the City of Kingston, Kingston Economic Development Corporation, and Tourism Kingston.
With more than 236 Creative Industries assets, including libraries, museums, and art galleries, Kingston is well-positioned to attract producers and consumers of a wide range of creative industries. In 2020, Kingston's culture GDP reached over $137 million, with the local workforce totaling 1,340 people, and film, music, and theatre-related activities contributing $20,675,455 to that total. The growth in the creative industries in Kingston over the last decade is a testament to the success of the Kingston Culture Plan and continued investment in the sector.
The level of activity in the creative industries in a mid-size city like Kingston reflects a dynamic and engaged community that supports arts and culture, equivalent to that of a larger city. With access to more than 14.5 million people within a 3.5-hour radius and a knowledgeable and creative workforce, Kingston is an ideal place for artists and creatives to thrive, resulting in accelerated growth and innovation in film, music, theatre, and other creative industries.
Emerging Areas of Focus
Three areas of focus – Film and Media, Music and Theatre – will emerge as key subsectors for Kingston during the next 5-10 years. The Strategy also recognizes the strength of literary arts and visual arts in Kingston, as well as heritage and Indigenous heritage and culture that provides a competitive advantage as well as a unique foundation upon which creative industries can grow.
Strategy Recommendations
The Strategy Framework for the Creative Industries includes two pillars, six themes, five enablers, and 15 recommended initiatives.
Theme 1: Build a Creative Industries Narrative
- Promote Kingston’s Creative Industries sector and reputation through existing and new promotion and marketing campaigns and platforms that align with the Kingston Integrated Economic Development Strategy.
- Create a local creative industries campaign that highlights the creative industries ecosystem in Kingston and celebrates and showcases the local creatives who live and work here.
- Engage in collaborative and participatory future creative industries storytelling campaigns and programs that align with City strategies that support the promotion of diverse cultures and histories.
Theme 2: Support Emerging Creative Industries
- Target sector-specific measures and develop strategies for emerging subsectors including film, music, and theatre, to enable economic development, support economic recovery due to the impact of the pandemic, maintain activity and enhance growth in high profile and high potential creative industry sectors.
- Establish greater alignment between the municipality, economic development and business agencies, community partners and organizations to reduce barriers across creative industries sector.
Theme 3: Offer Business Skills and Training
- Work in partnership with Kingston innovation ecosystem partners to leverage existing programming to support the growth and development of creative industry businesses and entrepreneurs. Add a creative industries “track” to the existing programming such as accelerator programs, incubators, workshops, and educational programming to provide entrepreneurship programming and services to creatives and artists to transform ideas into cultural business, products and services.
- Explore existing business support funding programs available at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels and through the economic development agencies. Identify programs that may assist businesses with seed funding.
- Examine best practices for digital platforms to sustain communication and the flow of knowledge within the creative industries sector itself and between the City, business and tourism partners, and community.
Theme 4: Facilitate Partnerships and Collaboration
- Establish a Creative Industries Working Group that will include representatives from the creative and cultural sector, and representatives from business, tourism, post-secondary institutions, and the municipality. This group will inform and advise on strategic direction to develop the Creative Industries sector in Kingston, while championing Kingston as a choice location for creative industries to locate.
- In partnership with Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College, identify new pure and applied research and development funding programs that may be available.
- Build collaborative partnerships with communities outside of Kingston to share best practices, cross-promote activities, and provide programs and support to Kingston creatives. Continue to nurture relationships with other municipalities through the Canadian Creative cities Network.
Theme 5: Identify, Develop and Make Available Sustainable Spaces and Places
- Leverage and create greater awareness for existing venues such as libraries, public parks, and other public spaces available throughout the City for creative industries, with a particular focus on the performing arts.
- Identify existing spaces that can be re-thought and re-animated through the creative industries, to help create greater accessibility for the sectors to interact and collaborate.
Theme 6: Support Diversity and Inclusion
- Undertake research to better understand issues of diversity in the sector and emerging subsectors.
- Establish diversity and inclusion commitments for the creative industries and develop measurements for reporting to help support continuous improvement.
Current City Opportunities for Artists and Creatives
- Kingston Music Strategy development
- YGK Music 2023 – call for submissions to local musicians for City playlists
- Local Arts Residency 2023 – call for submissions coming soon, for four residencies at the Kingston Grand Theatre
Partner Organizations
The City is proud to be working in partnership with Kingston Economic Development Corporation and Tourism Kingston, including its Film & Media Office and Music Commissioner, to drive support and opportunity within the creative industries. These partners are working on initiatives including skill building and training, investment and job and business attraction, and tourism, and for more information, visit:
- Kingston Economic Development Corporation, Invest Kingston – Creative Industries
- Kingston Film & Media Office
- Tourism Kingston, Music
Business Support Office
For any creative business or entrepreneur looking for support, the City can help you navigate through available municipal programs, services and resources to make your business more successful.
Reporting Back
Staff will report back to Council through the Arts, Recreation & Community Policies Committee on an annual basis regarding the status of the implementation plan and the work completed to date.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for the City’s Arts & Culture Newsletter to receive information on opportunities within the creative industries, including for local artists and creatives, and for important updates.