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MIAMI, FL –September 7, 2022 – The Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the County’s official public-private economic development partnership, announces the launch of Created in Miami, an initiative designed to bring Miami-Dade County’s creative ecosystem together and celebrate their innovative accomplishments. The initiative will debut at the Marlins Maker Day presented by Maker Faire Miami on Saturday, September 10th at Loan Depot Park.
Created in Miami (CIM) is a branding initiative spearheaded by the Creative Industries Committee of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. Led by Committee Chair Alvaro Melendez, Co-Founder and CEO of Crant, and Co-Chair Yvonne Chen, Founder, Vecinos Market, the initiative is focused on building a strong creative ecosystem in Miami-Dade County and championing the community’s artistic achievements.
“When I first arrived in Miami, I immediately felt the creative vibrancy of the city. You can literally hear the cultures clashing and morphing into something new and exciting,” said Alvaro Melendez, Creative Industries Committee Chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and Co-Founder and CEO of Crant. “Having worked with brands all my life I noticed Miami was missing a creative brand with the power to bring the wide range of local creative companies together and write Miami’s new story for the world to rediscover. This is how “Created in Miami” was born, uniting creatives under a brand to be worn with pride.”
The initiative invites participation from the local creators and innovators across industries that share the same commitment to excellence, authenticity, and creativity. Qualifying brands, individuals, and creators will receive a CIM badge which represents quality, creativity, innovation, a commitment to ESG values, and their connection to the community that inspires them. Participation in CIM provides access to networking, educational, and promotional opportunities such as inclusion on the Created in Miami website and brand exposure at CIM events/showcases. The CIM website (CreatedInMiami.org) is still in beta but will allow interested parties to submit online applications and eventually host a roster of CIM partners.
“There is so much innovation and creativity that is born and raised in our community, and we felt it was important to encourage and support local creators and innovators with an initiative that celebrated their connection to Miami,” said Ilona Vega Jaramillo, Vice President, International Economic Development, Miami-Dade Beacon Council and Creative Industry liaison. “Our goal is to create awareness of the diverse creative talent Miami offers across a variety of sectors. Created in Miami provides a platform for us to showcase ideas and campaigns as well as items actually produced here. The goal is to create an online directory that makes it easier for people to identify, buy and/or hire local Miami products and service providers.”
Created in Miami will make its debut at Marlins Maker Day presented by Maker Faire Miami, on Saturday, September 10th. A family-friendly showcase of local inventions and creations open to engineers, artists and crafters, Maker Faire Miami will serve as the launch pad for Created in Miami’s grassroots efforts to develop broader awareness of innovations that happen within this community. Thom Pupo, Executive Director of Moonlighter Fablab.org and owner of the Maker Faire Miami has supported the CIM initiative by providing ten Miami-bred creative partners from sectors as diverse as the community itself to be showcased at the CIM tent including MAGIC (MDC), Miami Royal Ballet, World Happiness Fest, Panther Coffee, MUD Foundation, Blink Charging, Groov’n Graphx, Visal Robots, Accountable Impact, and Miami Ad School.
Created in Miami partners confirmed to-date include: Accountable Impact, American Airlines, City Furniture, Commonwell, Crant, De La Cruz Marketing, Florida International University, Fountainhead, Glide Capital, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Istituto Marangoni Miami, Miami Ad School of Ideas, Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MDC), Maker Faire Miami, Miami Beach Bandshell, Miami Book Fair, Miami Dade College, Miami Film Festival, Miami Heat, Miami Royal Ballet & Dance, Moonlighter Fablab, Plant the Future, Refresh Miami, Rhythm Foundation, Rubell Museum, Spectral, Sun Vessel, Tata, The U Creates, University of Miami, Vecinos Market, World Happiness Fest and Young Arts.
The inaugural Created in Miami Showcase at Marlins Maker Day runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 10th; tickets to the Faire include admission to the Miami Marlins vs. NY Mets game that follows at 6:00 pm. For tickets, visit https://miamidadewww.beaconcouncil.com/CIM-MakerFaireMiami. For more on Created in Miami, visit CreatedInMiami.org.
