Creative County Initiative Meet Up

Join us for our monthly meet-up where we engage with creative types from all over Essex County and discuss the amazing work, connections, and collaborations that are happening across the county. Every month we choose different topics and provide information on opportunities and tips, tools, and tricks that you can use to support yourself, your business, or your organization.
Register here

We are excited to welcome a special guest speaker this month! Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council, Michael J. Bobbitt. Michael is an award-winning theater director, choreographer, and playwright who has dedicated his professional career to arts leadership. He began his tenure as Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council in February 2021 and is the highest-ranking cultural official in Massachusetts. Bobbitt serves on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Board of Directors, the National Assembly of State Arts Agency’s (NASAA) Board of Directors, and was selected for artEquity’s BIPOC Leadership Circle. He is the former Artistic Director of the New Repertory Theater in Watertown, Massachusetts and the Adventure Theater in Maryland. Bobbitt gained extensive experience in nonprofit arts management by training at Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, The National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program, and Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program. As a director and choreographer he has worked nationally and internationally. As a writer his plays have been published by Concord Theatricals, Broadway Publishing, and Plays for Young Audiences. Bobbitt is the recipient of the Excel Leadership Award (Center for Nonprofit Advancement), the Emerging Leader Award (County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities), and Person of the Year Award (Maryland Theatre Guide), along with eight Helen Hayes Awards.

Full bio available here.

Hosted by Karen Ristuben, Program Director for the Creative County Initiative for @essexcountycommunityfoundation, and John Andrews, founder of Creative Collective @creativecollectivema