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City of Music Career Day Returns Virtually on August 27

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Registration now is open for this free virtual event for teens and young adults ages 13-26 interested in turning their passion for music into a career.

City of Music Career Day connects teens and young adults ages 13-26 to music industry professionals through networking opportunities, experiential learning, engaging workshops, a special performance by local artist NËSTRÄ, and a virtual table fair with internship opportunities. This year, City of Music Career Day is returning virtually on Friday, August 27, from 3-5:30 p.m. 

Now in its ninth year, City of Music Career Day is created in partnership with the Seattle Music Commission, the Office of Economic Development, and the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) to support and grow the creative economy by promoting workforce development in the music industry. This event is also supported by Connors & Co., KEXP, the Museum of Pop Culture, and The Vera Project to foster opportunities in the creative community.  

Our goal is to encourage students and non-students who have demonstrated a passion for music to follow their dreams, expand their understanding of career paths in the music industry, and network with industry leaders and peers to facilitate possible career opportunities.    

“Music is one of very few human endeavors that can be shared across generations. For me, being able to impart musical information and wisdom to younger musicians is a constant source of inspiration, furthering my own personal growth while helping others on the path to achieve their musical goals.” 

Jovino Santos Neto, three-time Latin Grammy nominated artist and City of Music Career Day mentor

Participants will be exposed to a wide range of music-related careers, including performance, management, production, licensing, broadcasting, composition, concert production, and more. Alongside engaging panels, attendees will be able to network with industry mentors in small groups. The virtual table fair will also feature a wide variety of internship and volunteer opportunities with organizations including the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and Climate Pledge Arena.  

City of Music Career Day Featured Panels:

  • Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Hear from Seattle-area rapper Travis Thompson and members of his team — Shelton Harris (manager), Elan Wright and Nima Skeemz (producers, Ruby Room) — on how collaboration can take talent to new heights. 
  • Finding Community While Developing Your Craft: Alumni from local music programs — Joshua Limanjaya Lim (More Music @ The Moore), Frankie Barker (The Vera Project) and Sharmaine Tillmon (The Residency) — discuss key lessons learned, connections made and other ways these programs have helped them launch their careers in music. Moderated by Daniel Pak (Totem Star). 
  • Music on Screen: Find out who is behind the music that is composed and curated for film, TV, video games and other media. Featuring composer Andrew Joslyn and music licensing pro Sarah Hunt (Audiosocket). 
  • Putting on the Show: Go behind the scenes of venues, festivals and event production. Learn about the various roles, how talent gets booked and what has changed due to COVID-19. Led by Jazmyn Scott (LANGSTON), in conversation with Evan Johnson (Neumos, Capitol Hill Block Party), JJ Johnson (The Vera Project) and Janice Jimenez (Climate Pledge Arena). 

The virtual table fair will feature a wide variety of internship and volunteer opportunities that offer participants direct access to the music industry.

Register now for City of Music Career Day, taking place virtually on Friday, August 27, from 3-5:30 p.m. Early registration is encouraged.

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Seattle’s Creative Industries Are Our Future. That’s Why The City Is Expanding Our Creative Work

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Seattle has a rich history of cultural innovation and creative risk taking. Our arts and culture are recognized around the world, and a robust creative workforce nourishes our entrepreneurial spirit. Seattle’s creative industries are one vital source of fuel that will drive our economy into the future. To ensure that racial and economic disparities don’t continue to grow, we need to build a creative economy that is inclusive of everyone.

Since its inception in 1991, Seattle’s Office of Film + Music, which operates within the Office of Economic Development (OED), has supported the heart of our city’s creative industries. With new challenges and disparities facing Seattle’s creatives, it is time to reconfigure, realign and reimagine the Office’s work and the role of government in our city’s economic health.

That’s why Mayor Durkan’s 2020 Proposed Budget includes investments to expand the City’s creative industry work by dedicating three new full-time employees. Two of those positions, including one newly funded position, will be in the creative industry program in OED, and one will be in the Office of Arts & Culture. All three positions will support the City’s creative industry work, which encompasses film, music, and media/graphic design.

“Our City has seen incredible growth and change over the past decade, and with that growth came many big city challenges, including displacement,” says Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “We’ve seen many artists and creative industry workers, particularly artists and workers of color, pushed out because they simply cannot afford to live in Seattle. That has hurts their ability to create, and present their work. We must invest in and prioritize filmmaking, arts, music, and culture in Seattle. That is why I’m making the Inclusive Creative Industry Program an economic priority for the City.”

For Seattle to thrive, we need to deepen, align, and expand our department partnerships and programs to better prepare our workforce, businesses, and infrastructure. We ground this work in a commitment to race and social justice, economic data, and deep community and industry listening.

To achieve those goals, the Office of Film + Music and its current staff will lead the new “Inclusive Creative Industry Program” as the citywide economic development priority. As part of OED, this team will leverage the resources and investments of other OED programs to further its work supporting creative industries. This new prioritization of the creative industries is reflected in the Mayor’s proposed budget. As part of this strategy, here is what we are proposing:

  • The OFM director position will become the Inclusive Creative Industry Program Director and will report to OED’s Director. A national search will be conducted after budget approval.
  • We will add three new staff positions to increase support and advocacy for the film and creative industries.
  • Aligning with OED’s new Inclusive Creative Industry Program, the Creative Economy Advocate will become a full-time member of Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) in partnership with OED’s Workforce Development Team and Inclusive Creative Industry Team.
  • We will increase music industry advocacy and support through the combined efforts of the Music Commission’s work, the Inclusive Creative Industry Team, and OED and ARTS staff.
  • The Nightlife Advocate position will remain with OED in the Inclusive Creative Industry Program.
  • We will launch a new internship and career connected learning initiative in partnership between OED, ARTS, Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) and others

By building upon OED/OFM, DEEL, and ARTS’s connection between creative, art, technology, education, workforce, industry, and other related fields, we can prepare Seattle’s students and workforce to thrive now and in the future. We are deeply excited for this new body of work and look forward to collaborating with Washington Filmworks and King County to build an inclusive economy grounded in our creative communities and industries.

For more information about OED’s inclusive economy vision or reports from our community listening sessions, please sign up for our e-newsletter or email us at: oed@seattle.gov, arts.culture@seattle.gov.

By Bobby Lee, director Office of Economic Development and Randy Engstrom, director of the office of Arts & Culture