“Before, I could just not figure out how to restructure this so that I’m not so stressed out that I can barely function. What AMP NYC did for me is to assist me in really zeroing in and now I’m in one lane that is particularly my own that I’m able to thrive there.”
– Alechia Reese, Founder 360 Gateway Brand Management
Purpose
New York City is positioned to thrive at the forefront of creative innovation. Now, more so than ever, it is essential that the City supports creative businesses to continue to contribute to its economic growth and maintain its position as an unrivaled cultural hub within an ever-changing M&E landscape. With a new mandate from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment to boost New York’s cultural capital, 3×3 worked with the NYC Department of Small Business Services and small media & entertainment businesses to design and pilot a program to help them grow, innovate, and thrive in a rapidly changing marketplace.
Context
3×3 led research to identify high growth industries and spoke with over 200 industry small businesses through focus groups, contextual inquiry interviews, and surveys to understand overarching needs and challenges of operating a small creative business in NYC, understand barriers to growth, and identify programmatic opportunities. A series of co-design workshops with project stakeholders, small businesses, and industry leaders were held to design a program tailored to marketing, media tech, and live events sub-sectors. The resulting three-month accelerator pilot program trained 25 businesses in brand positioning, growth and change, and marketing and sales, supported by ongoing mentorship and structured peer learning to encourage cross-pollination. The pilot was designed for testing for successful elements to inform a full-scale rollout and a long-term scaling strategy.
Community-centered approach
The research approach focused on developing a larger understanding of industry trends, growth barriers, and service gaps within New York City. Three research goals framed the ongoing research. 3×3 led market research to identify high-growth industries and spoke with over 200 industry small businesses to understand overarching needs and challenges of operating a small creative business in NYC, understand barriers to growth, and identify programmatic opportunities. Workshops with project stakeholders, small businesses, and industry leaders were held to design a program tailored to marketing, media tech, and live events.
Participation
– Qualitative interviews
– Industry-specific focus groups
– Needs assessment survey
– Market and segment analysis
– Stakeholder alignment workshops
– Co-design sessions
Impact
A resulting three-month accelerator program trained twenty-five (25) businesses in brand positioning, growth and change, and marketing and sales, supported by ongoing mentorship and structured peer learning to encourage cross-pollination. The pilot was designed for testing for successful elements to inform a long-term scaling strategy. The research, program design, and initial pilot, implemented in the summer of 2018, informed the development of a long-term citywide program that directly serves New York City M&E businesses to help drive economic growth by sparking job creation, investment in technology, and innovation within identified sub-sectors.
– Market research report
– Accelerator program design and curriculum
– Training manual and scaling strategy
– Service design blueprint and theory of change
Project team
TK
