Listen to this article
Rana Florida is CEO of The Creative Class Group, founded by her husband world renowned urbanist Richard Florida. It is a global advisory firm composed of expert researchers, academics, and business strategists. Their proprietary data and research, gives companies and regions leading insights to achieve growth and prosperity.
Below is our recent interview with Rana Florida:
Q: What type of work do you do?
A: We view our clients as experts in their field and partner with them to add value, whether by helping them identify the world’s most creative places for investment or to help them identify their target customers. We’ve been fortunate to work with some of the world’s most remarkable companies, from Microsoft to Zappos. We helped BMW launch their Ideas Class ad campaign and helped Starwood Hotels on location and regional creativity measures for more than 15 global locations. We helped identify the world’s most creative neighborhoods for Cirque du Soleil to pitch their tents. We served as Le Méridien 100, an advisory group of cultural innovators who are striving to enhance the overall guest experience at Le Méridien Hotels worldwide alongside Chef Jean Georges and other creatives. We advised the property developer Edens on their Union Market project in Washington DC, and helped Air Canada with their Growth of Cities campaign. We helped Art Basel launch Art Basel Cities and advised We Work on their Cities Global Initiative. We worked with Converse to help position their Jack Purcell brand to the entrepreneurial Creative Class. From Japan to Dubai to Singapore, our clients span the globe.
The companies that approach us all have an ethos of creativity in their DNA.
Q: Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: The Creative Class group provides communities, economic developers and real estate developers with the research and tools needed to implement competitive strategies for sustainable economic prosperity. CCG specializes in a wide range of research and planning techniques that guide understanding of the creative economy.
Q: What can we expect from your company in next 12 months? What are your plans?
A: We look forward to releasing a study commissioned by Meta which will measure the economic impact of the Creator Economy.
The rise of Creators and of the broader Creator Economy is the digital manifestation of the rise of creativity as a key element in our economy, society, and everyday lives.
The Creator Economy is the broader economic and social infrastructure that enables the work of Creators. It comprises the technological and economic ecosystem in which Creators do their work and engage their audiences, including digital platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Substack, and Patreon; the digital tools that Creators use; startup companies; and the broader infrastructure of people and companies that support Creators’ efforts to do their work and generate revenue.
The scale and scope of Creators and the Creator Economy is large, and it is growing. We are currently working to quantify their impact in the US and globally.
Q: What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: That we can work with any organization small or large or city or region. We have a trove of proprietary data which can measure anything from centers of innovation and startup economies to venture capital investments and real estate trends to most creative neighborhoods. This data has equipped companies like Starwood Hotels, Converse, Audi, BMW with necessary information for competitive growth and investment.
