Use the force…for the creative economy

The creative economy looms largely through the lens of big budget Hollywood. Our guest is Jason McGatlin, a Hollywood producer who worked on films such as The Adventures of TinTin, Volcano, and the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, and (not least of all), the seventh, eighth and ninth of the Star Wars series, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker .

Jason highlights the contribution Hollywood films make to local creative economies, from low-budget independent films shot in the wilderness to big budget Star Wars productions outside of London. In every case, money and jobs are generated, and those elected leaders with long-term plans and commitments reap the biggest rewards. 

Additionally, Jason shares anecdotes about the story-telling process employed in the Star Wars brand, his favorite elements of problem-solving involved in being a movie producer, and drops a lot of names of his colleagues from Lauren Shuler Donner, Kevin Feige and Scott Stuber to  Kathleen Kennedy and Stephen Spielberg.