Creative Industries IN HAMILTON

Did you know that Hamilton is home to over 30,000 creative workers, 2,500 creative industry businesses, and a city that recognizes creative industries as an important economic driver? In the past decade, Hamilton’s growth in creative industries businesses and workforce has helped raise the city’s profile as a vibrant place to live, visit, open and expand businesses across many sectors.

Hamilton has attracted a large number of talented creators, such as visual artists, writers, musicians, poets, fashion designers, actors, directors, playwrights, and photographers, who are young (50% are between the ages of 25 and 44) and highly educated. Hamilton has the talent that the industry and businesses need to grow and expand, as this sector recently experienced a 16% increase in employment. 

The City’s focus areas for business and industry growth are film, music and fashion. Hamilton is home to 9,140 film workers, 7,725 music industry workers, and 7,540 fashion workers. The city has a collaborative business community that strives and succeeds at creating innovative, long-lasting, and authentic products, experiences, and services. Hamilton’s creative industry community includes numerous live music venues and performance spaces, recording and film studios, long-standing arts organizations, a strong festival and events scene covering all disciplines, unique artist spaces, retailers who excel in customer service, award-winning architectural and graphic design firms, and fantastic businesses that make apparel, instruments, film and tv series, books, albums, and all forms of art.   

If you’ve seen, heard, or worn it — there’s a good chance it was made in Hamilton!

If you have a Creative Industries business or investment and are looking for help from Hamilton’s Economic Development Office to start a company, expand your operations, and/or find new markets in Hamilton, let us know!

From the census period 2011-2016, Hamilton had the 4th largest rate of employment growth in Canada’s fashion industry, and the number of occupations in Hamilton’s fashion sector grew by 25%.

Hamilton attracts tentpole and mid-tier productions all year round who want to work with local film companies and talent. Hamilton is an excellent film city because it is beautiful, adaptable, diverse, gritty, and offers various quality film locations. In addition to filming outside the GTA, production companies can access an additional tax credit in Hamilton.

Hamilton is 7th in the world for independent musicians per capita and has 100-plus live music venues and spaces.

For more, contact the City of Hamilton’s Creative Industries lead, Devon Hogue

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