by Randy Davidson, Founder & CEO of Georgia Entertainment & Georgia Insider
As we actively curate the 2027 edition of the Creative Economy Journal, the editorial season reminds me why we continue to invest so much time, energy and resources into something decidedly physical in an increasingly digital world.
Most of what we do today moves quickly. Social media posts disappear down a feed. Newsletters arrive and are replaced by the next email. Texts, alerts, videos and digital stories constantly compete for our attention.
The Creative Economy Journal is different.
It is something you can hold. Something that can sit on a desk or conference table. Something we can hand to a policymaker in Atlanta, a business executive considering an investment in Georgia or an industry leader we meet halfway around the world.
In many ways, the Journal has become one of the most tangible expressions of who we are and what we believe about Georgia.
This Year, We’re Exploring Innovation
The editorial theme for our upcoming edition is innovation, and as we begin developing the stories, people and ideas that will fill these pages, I am more sure than ever of this:
The innovation economy is an outgrowth of the creative economy.
For years, creativity was too often placed into a relatively narrow box. We associated it with artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers and other professions carrying the word “creative.”
That box has been broken open.
Look across Georgia’s economy today and creativity is everywhere. It is changing agriculture and banking. It is reshaping healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, tourism, education and real estate. Technology has accelerated that transformation, giving people extraordinary new tools to turn ideas into companies, products, experiences and entirely new ways of doing business.
Innovation happens when somebody looks at what already exists and imagines something different. That begins with creativity.
I believe one reason we’re seeing innovation emerge in virtually every corner of the economy is that we’ve increasingly given people permission to think creatively. A generation of workers and entrepreneurs has entered the economy with fewer of the old boundaries separating the “creative people” from everybody else.
That’s worth celebrating. It’s also worth understanding because these are the people who will build Georgia’s next economy.
Why We Still Print It
There is another reason the Journal is important to us: where it goes.
We have always been unusually intentional about its distribution. Copies aren’t simply printed and dropped into a mass mailing.
They reach executives leading many of Georgia’s largest companies and employers. They reach leaders of educational institutions, city and county managers and other decision makers across the state. They reach people making decisions about where projects will locate, where investments will be made and where opportunities will grow.
Perhaps my favorite tradition happens under the Gold Dome.
Each year, copies bearing the individually embossed names of Georgia’s elected leaders are hand-delivered to the Capitol during the legislative session. There’s something meaningful about physically putting this story of Georgia’s creative economy into the hands of the people shaping the policies that influence its future.
Then the Journal travels.
We carry it with us to major industry gatherings and markets around the world. It becomes a calling card for Georgia and a conversation starter about the extraordinary collection of people, companies, institutions and communities that make up our creative economy.
When someone asks what we’re building in Georgia, sometimes the easiest answer is simply to hand them the Journal.
Southern Hospitality on Paper
I’m also proud of how it feels.
If you’ve ever picked up a copy and spent some time with it, you’ll understand what I mean. There is a warmth and personality to the Journal that is difficult to replicate digitally. The photography, design, stories and people create something that feels distinctly Georgia.
There is a little Southern hospitality baked into the pages.
That experience is intentional, and this year we are preparing to once again bring together an extraordinary collection of creative talent to produce it. We’ll soon share more about our collaboration with SCADpro and the faculty and emerging student talent who will help us execute this edition.
There is something particularly appropriate about having the next generation of creative professionals help tell the story and showcase the economy they are preparing to enter.
A Publication With a Life Beyond the Page
Producing something like this is expensive.
Printing is expensive. Shipping is expensive. Storing physical copies is expensive. Carrying them around the country and the world certainly isn’t the easiest way to distribute information these days.
We don’t produce the Journal because print is a profit center. We produce it because we believe in what the finished product can accomplish. And we make sure that investment keeps working.
These stories become features across our platforms throughout the year. We introduce the people behind them to our audiences. We share their ideas through social media and newsletters. Conversations that begin on the printed page continue through our events, digital publications and community.
A single piece of thought leadership can have a life that extends months beyond the original publication.
That is also why our partners are such an important part of this project. Their support helps us create something none of us could accomplish at the same scale individually and allows the Journal to keep representing Georgia throughout the year.
How the Creative Economy Became Part of the Conversation
The name itself has some history.
We began using Creative Economy Journal during a particularly challenging period for Georgia’s creative industries. The state was emerging from political uncertainty surrounding support for the industry while film and entertainment were simultaneously navigating strikes and disruption.
At the time, I thought the phrase creative economy helped describe something larger than any single industry.
Today, that language is everywhere.
Economic development organizations, policymakers, universities, business leaders and governments around the world increasingly recognize creativity as an economic force. Here in Georgia, we’ve watched the terminology become part of legislative conversations, study committees and discussions about the state’s future.
We certainly don’t take credit for creating the idea. Far from it. But I’d like to believe that our partners, our platforms and many other people who have spent years advocating for Georgia’s creative industries have helped move the conversation forward.
The stigma that once separated creativity from “serious business” continues to disappear.
And now the conversation is expanding again.
Creative economy. Innovation economy. Intellectual property. Technology. Entrepreneurship. Talent.
It’s all increasingly one economic story.
The Next Journal
If you haven’t spent time with the Creative Economy Journal recently, we’ll make the digital edition available and I’m happy to send you a personal copy upon request.
And if your company or institution believes in this work and wants to be part of telling Georgia’s story, I’d love to share what we’re building for the 2027 edition. Some of our strongest partnerships have grown from organizations recognizing that supporting the Journal gives them a meaningful way to stand alongside the people shaping Georgia’s creative and innovative economy.
The Journal is a beautiful stage we share with our partners. Let me know if you are interested in learning more.
