Gov. Patrick names director of Mass. creative economy

BOSTON – Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s administration last week announced the establishment of a creative economy industry director’s position.
Jason S. Schupbach began in the role in June, Patrick’s office said in a statement. He will coordinate the state’s economic development efforts in creative industries and ensure that companies and groups in the creative sector are able to take advantage of the full range of economic incentives and resources that the state has to offer.
The creative sector includes industries that center on creating and promoting intellectual property products, such as visual and performing arts, film, digital media, design, advertising, architecture and tourism.
Schupbach, who holds an M.A. in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has extensive experience working at the nexus of economic and cultural development, the governor’s office said in a statement.
According to a 2007 New England Foundation for the Arts report, Massachusetts has more than 14,600 arts and culture-related businesses, 7,600 cultural nonprofits, and 109,000 jobs in the cultural work force, representing 3.3 percent of the state’s overall work force. &#8226