By: David Sutherland
Senior Lecturer Emeritus, UGA
Place is more than geography, it is the foundation for identity, inspiration and interaction. In the context of the creative economy, placemaking is not a passive process but a deliberate act that draws people, talent and opportunity into proximity.
Understanding the creative economy
The creative economy encompasses industries that generate economic value through creativity and innovation. The creative economy in Georgia contributes $29 billion annually to the state’s economy, representing 4.3 percent of the state’s GDP and rivaling sectors such as agriculture and construction. The impact extends beyond financial metrics to include social well-being, cultural definition and quality of life, equally important outcomes of a robust creative economy.
For nine years, graduate student teams in the Creative Economy Seminar at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business have studied the interplay between the 12 creative industries identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. These industries include advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, culinary, design, gaming and esports, fashion, film and video, music, performing arts, publishing and TV and radio. Over time, students added “influencing” and “sports” to this global framework, ultimately aligning their research around a larger theme: lifestyle, entertainment and sports.
Trilith: A creative cluster in action
One standout example is the Town at Trilith in Fayette County, Georgia. What began as a film production campus has evolved into a full-fledged creative community. With the recent announcement that U.S. Soccer’s national training center will join Trilith, alongside Atlanta’s role as a 2026 World Cup host city, the fusion of sports and entertainment infrastructure is accelerating Trilith’s economic significance.
“We’re investing in a creative market ecosystem,” said Frank Patterson, Trilith Studio’s president and CEO. “That means gathering the people and businesses that, together in one place, provide everything storytellers need to imagine and create.”
Understanding creative clusters
A creative cluster, as demonstrated by Trilith and formalized through the Terry College research, represents a geographic concentration of creative professionals, organizations and businesses that collaborate and compete within interconnected creative industries. These clusters combine physical infrastructure with cultural assets, talent networks and support systems to create an ecosystem where creative work can flourish and generate economic impact.
This philosophy, place as platform, is what the Terry College student teams began to formalize into a scalable model called the Creative Cluster Methodology. Creative clusters treat the network of artists and services in a creative community as one unified entity, creating a blueprint for economic development. The methodology created by the students outlines five stages for establishing a creative cluster:
- Identify a qualified town or community
- Assess current creative infrastructure and conditions
- Engage core creative organizations and businesses
- Develop a “Creative Cluster Blueprint”
- Establish goals and measurable outcomes
The Winterville pilot project
The methodology was first piloted in Winterville, Georgia, a small city with outsized creative ambition. The partnership included the students, city officials and local arts and culture leaders who collectively mapped out a strategy to empower creative workers in the region.
On April 24, 2025, their efforts received a commendation from Governor Brian Kemp, recognizing the launch of Georgia’s first intentional creative cluster. It began: “The State of Georgia recognizes the importance of its many creative industries in the fiscal progress of the State.”
Sports as creative gateway
The Winterville initiative also examined how sports and lifestyle culture intersect with traditional creative industries. Student Aidan Downey, a Callahan Award winner in Ultimate Frisbee, noted that sports can act as a creative gateway, especially when blended with influencer marketing, esports and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) monetization. These intersections are part of a broader convergence reshaping the creative landscape.
Community impact and implementation
The Winterville Kickoff Summit drew more than 60 creators, from filmmakers and fashion designers to NIL-eligible athletes, all seeking sustainable income from their work. Mayor Dodd Ferrelle emphasized the city’s commitment: “By better understanding the needs of our creative community and focusing our support, we know we’ll see significant economic impact.”
Graduate students presented 25 concepts to promote long-term engagement and sustainability within the Winterville cluster.
“Too many programs come and go,” said Jake Hartsgrove, a master’s student in business analytics. “So, we focused on solutions with staying power.”
Building for the future
The initiative is housed in Winterville’s Cultural Center, which will offer networking events and workshops on business planning, intellectual property protection, and marketing and entrepreneurship. The entire methodology has now been documented and is being shared with other communities across the state of Georgia.
“What really stood out at the summit,” Ferrelle said, “was how many creators told us how good it felt to have someone care about their needs. Now, we intend to deliver on that promise.”
This model represents a new approach to economic development, one that recognizes creativity as both an economic driver and a quality-of-life enhancer. As Georgia continues to position itself as a leader in the creative economy, the lessons learned from Winterville’s intentional creative cluster offer a roadmap for other communities seeking to harness the power of place in fostering creative enterprise.
This article appeared in the 2026 edition of the Creative Economy Journal. See more from the Journal here.
Image: Winterville Mayor Dodd Ferrelle joins story author David Sutherland and University of Georgia graduate students and creators during the Winterville Kickoff Summit. Image by Matt Brewster/ Marigold Solutions
