Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in San Benito County generate millions in annual revenue, attract visitors to the region and generate jobs, and that’s just part of the county’s creative workforce.
(Oct. 14, 2026 — Marina, CA) — On Oct. 22, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) and regional leaders will convene the Creative Economy Summit, a cross-sector gathering exploring the role creativity can play in the economic future of our region. Jennifer Laine, executive director of the San Benito County Arts Council, shares her perspective with Monterey Bay Economic Partnership on what the creative economy looks like, its potential, and why intentional investment is vital to our regional economy.
Q. What value can we assign to the creative economy in San Benito County? How do we quantify economic output and employment for a creative economy?
A. San Benito County’s creative economy is an important but currently undermeasured component of our regional economy. It includes nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, independent artists and culture bearers, performing arts, visual arts, arts education, cultural heritage and tourism, and creative businesses working in design, media, and related fields.
Employment: The county’s 2023–2027 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy reported approximately 125 jobs in arts, entertainment, and recreation in 2021. This provides a documented baseline, but it does not capture the full creative workforce, including freelance artists, self-employed creatives, designers, arts educators, and creative professionals employed outside traditional arts industries. A preliminary planning estimate of 400–700 creative jobs in 2025 has been identified, but additional occupational and industry-level data are needed to validate that range.
Economic output: The latest available tax filings for the five largest local nonprofit arts and cultural organizations indicate approximately $2 million in combined annual revenue. The San Benito County Arts Council, the largest arts organization and arts employer in the county, accounts for $1.2 million of this total, and over the last 10 years, has brought in more than $12 million to the region. These data points demonstrate the operating scale of part of the county’s cultural infrastructure but are not a measure of the entire creative economy or its total economic impact, especially when you factor in tourism and for-profit cultural activities, such as the annual Hollister Concerts series put on by Guerrero Winery, for example. A comprehensive assessment would also include creative-business revenue, artist and contractor earnings, payroll, cultural tourism and spending at local businesses associated with cultural events and activities.
Q. In the simplest terms, what are we talking about when we use the term “creative economy” — what does that encompass, and how broadly can we apply that definition?
Loosely, the creative economy is defined as the businesses and individuals involved in producing cultural, artistic, and design goods and services. In San Benito County, that includes nonprofit arts and culture organizations, creative businesses and cultural tourism, amongst other activities.
Q. What are we doing well as a region in terms of supporting our creative economy? What can we improve upon to cultivate a creative economy here?
A. A few strong examples of how we are supporting our creative economy in our region are through the emergence, growth and collaboration around local and regional film festivals, such as the Watsonville Film Festival, Popper Jasper Film Festival and others, through support and building cultural infrastructure around public art and the establishment of CA-designated Cultural Districts; and through grant-funded workforce development projects, like the Pathways for Arts Educators Project funded by California Jobs First, to identify and establish pathways for sustainable careers in arts education. To improve our creative economy here, we need more local government support in terms of funding, awareness and education and being included and embedded as a strategy in local and regional economic development planning.
About Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP): Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) is a regional member-supported nonprofit organization consisting of public, private, and civic entities located throughout the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz. Founded in 2015, our mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the region.
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