Mamdouh Alwan linkedin.com/in/mamdouh-alwan-16a662281
Logan McCrory - linkedin.com/in/logan-mccrory-9487163ba/
Daisy Hainsworth - linkedin.com/in/daisy-hainsworth
Saba Jawaid- **http://linkedin.com/in/j-saba20**
https://youtu.be/8pT4CRpy6uQ?si=soxPtH5IV9F9lKGK
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In St. John’s, the arts and culture sector supports more jobs than oil and gas, manufacturing, or agriculture. Despite these economic returns, funding challenges threaten the sector’s continued growth: culture and heritage is declining as a share of total federal spending while Canadian private contributions lag at 0.8% of income — below global (1.04%) averages (Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 2025). Additionally, university fine arts departments are receiving less government funding, with preference given to engineering and business faculties.
We hypothesize that the problem is not in the lack of creative talent, but in the industrialization of such value in St. John’s. Hence, the structure of the creative market (such as the film industry) needs refining.
We aim to utilise the talent in the local community and Newfoundland graduates to create a highly-skilled creative hub to attract FDI and the utilisation of the location with outstanding natural beauty by large corporations.
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St John’s natural beauty and unique location have attracted large international film companies (Amazon) in recent history. Coupling the attraction with a strong creative labour force will have vast benefits. Financially, the crew in which an international company will have to employ will be substantially reduced. Socially, the job openings span across a range of responsibilities, giving non-university educated locals of St John’s an opportunity to work in the creative industry, strengthening the community. Leadership roles will be targeted to graduates who come from a leadership background such as hotel management, business management and the service industry. Environmentally, the community-based approach means film production labour and equipment will not have to be flown into Newfoundland, reducing air pollution in the local airspace
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This proposal is developed primarily through secondary research and does not incorporate direct input from industry professionals or individuals working within the creative sector. As a result, there may be limitations in fully capturing the lived experiences, current practices, and evolving dynamics of the industry. Our analysis draws on commonly cited structural challenges, such as income instability and precarious labour conditions, which may reflect a more traditional framing of the sector. While these factors remain relevant, they may not fully represent the diversity of roles, opportunities, and emerging business models within the creative economy today. Additionally, our assumptions may overlook informal networks, regional variations, and the impact of digital platforms on creative work. Therefore, elements of our proposal may oversimplify complex realities. Further engagement with stakeholders, including creatives, organisations, and industry bodies, would be essential to validate assumptions, strengthen practical relevance, and ensure the solution is inclusive, responsive, and implementable in real-world contexts.
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The arts and culture sector supports 13 jobs for every million in output, which is more than oil and gas, manufacturing, or agriculture. The economic impact is substantial, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and over $100 billion in GDP, generating an estimated $17 billion in federal and provincial tax revenue (Canadian chamber of commerce, 2025).
Alongside these exceptional economic returns, other promising opportunities include: