Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2008

BY JILL D’AMICO

The room was teeming with freelancers, no small feat for an early-morning program.

On March 5, the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and the Center for an Urban Future (CUF) joined to host a panel discussion, titled “Harnessing Brooklyn’s Creative Capital: The Impact of the Self-Employed Creative Professionals on the Borough’s Economy.” The dialogue was aimed at examining the scope and impact of this group – estimated to be roughly half a billion dollars on the economy, according to a BEDC study. Kristine Reed, director of the BEDC’s Initiative for a Competitive Brooklyn, said one could safely assume it was nearly twice that when taking into account the under-reported fields artists usually work in.

Brooklyn’s creative economy is driving the borough’s renaissance. With artists and industry popping up around creative clusters, namely in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Park Slope – dubbed the “Creative Crescent” by researchers – it helps to support the borough’s growth and cement its reputation as a destination for the young and creative.

The panel was made up of playwright and co-founder of Brooklyn Writer’s Space Scott Adkins, Pauline Barfield of Pauline Barfield Public Relations, Sara Horowitz, founder of Working Today – the Freelancer’s Union and Michael Kelly, principal of Michael Kelly Designs.

According to the data released at the forum, Brooklyn is quickly becoming the cradle of New York City’s creative sector. The creative sector represents the fastest growing area of self-employed individuals in the borough, and Brooklyn experienced a 33.2% increase in recent years in the number of self-employed interior, industrial and graphic designers; writers, artists, architects and producers.

That is compared to Manhattan's 6.5% growth during the same period.

Brooklyn’s Draw
Brooklyn didn’t become a hotbed of talent overnight. It took creative types setting up camp in the borough for over a generation to give it the reputation it now enjoys. Some artists and designers simply had the foresight to land here. What didn’t hurt was the lower cost of living, compared to Manhattan.

“Going to school, everyone in my program basically came to either L.A. or New York,” said Gavin Thomas of Gavin Thomas Photo, which is based in Greenpoint. “Since I grew up in upstate New York, I didn’t want to go to the other side of the country, but I wanted to be close to the work.”

“I couldn’t afford Manhattan and I liked Brooklyn,” he continued. “The lower rent is a nice aspect and I think it has some really nice neighborhoods.”

For Mona Kanin, president of MonaInk Films, the choice to pursue her film and video business in Brooklyn was simple.

“My husband (an actor) and I are both in the arts,” she said. “We frankly chose Brooklyn when we first came here 10 years ago because it was less costly to live here. That’s not true anymore, but now we’re devoted to Park Slope and even if we had vastly more resources we wouldn’t want to move, and that’s partly because of the artists and writers that are here.”

Vince Lisi, principal of Two Dogs Design, a design and branding firm based in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, agrees there is a lot of creative talent in Brooklyn.

“In the end, Brooklyn is still cheaper than Manhattan,” said Mr. Lisi.

Hard Times for Creative Types
In a classic twist of irony, that very affordable charm is poised to be the downfall of Brooklyn’s creative economy as well.

As more people move to the area seeking affordable accommodation and studio space, prices are rising. The rising cost of living was among the top concerns of consumers in Brooklyn, according to an end-of-year survey by Sovereign Bank, the results of which were announced in January.

For artists and other creative entrepreneurs, this issue is compounded by their predilection for large spaces in which to live and work, public transportation access, and nearby access to materials – all things that are growing scarce with Brooklyn’s growing popularity.

At the CUF/BEDC panel, Mr. Adkins was the first out of the gate to call attention to Brooklyn’s rising cost of living, and how it is pushing people out of the borough.

“Yes, we have seen more people come into Brooklyn, but we’ve also seen a lot of people going to Philadelphia, Jersey, and Vancouver. People go to L.A. all the time,” he said. “Some move to upstate New York.”

Ms. Horowitz was quick to point out that people are still moving here to take exiles' place, however, and the movement of artistic types to new neighborhoods, uncovering the next affordable hotspot. But is Brooklyn big enough for everyone?

“I think definitely everyone is going to find their own little place,” said Mr. Thomas. “I’m still new to Brooklyn and I understand Williamsburg wasn’t always the nicest area. As the prices go up, people will flock to a different area. They say Red Hook is up and coming.”

As it stands today, Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Downtown/Brooklyn Heights top the borough, respectively, in residents who count themselves among creative professionals – between 2,500 and 3,500 people in each area. This is according to figures the BEDC mined from the 2002 and 2005 Business Census.

Ms. Kanin said Brooklyn’s charm should sustain it, but there are no guarantees.

“[Brooklyn] feels more like a village than most neighborhoods in Manhattan,” she said. “It’s more on a human scale, more appealing to people in creative endeavors because it gives you more space to be imaginative, which is something that artists need.”

“I don’t know that artists will always find their place in Brooklyn. I don’t think we can say always, especially as the arts get more corporate-tized.”