Long story short: Last fall, Crain’s Detroit Business was selected by Detroit Renaissance Inc. (a nonprofit comprised of CEOs and university presidents) to develop a user-centric news, information and networking hub for creatives.

Sure, Crain’s knows business, but are we creative?

Definitely.

We’re writers, editors, designers, developers and marketers. And we, like all of you, know that this region’s creative talent is hard to beat.

All it needs is a boost.

So for the last however many months, we’ve been collecting data, writing stories and planning features. A group of 34 creative leaders, from 11 industries, helped shape the site. A number of organizations helped us spread the word. A local designer developed our look.

The result is what you see here: Detroit Make it Here — a Web site, powered by Crain’s and, more importantly, you.

Metro Detroit has been surrounded by metal for far too long, while a seasoned, yet oddly underground, creative economy has been largely ignored. As a result, a large portion of our home-grown talent jets off to other cities without ever knowing the extent of our assets.

So we’re here to fill a void — to inform, to empower, to build and to unite the creative community through a central gathering place where strong journalism and respected data intersect with user-generated content.

The Web site is part of Detroit Renaissance’s ongoing plan to market metro Detroit’s creative scene and urge companies to hire locally for creative products and services.

Just about anybody working in advertising, architecture, arts, art/historic preservation, digital media, design, engineering, film/video production, marketing, media, music production, photography, public relations, urban planning and more.

• Read news


• Respond to stories


• Showcase your work


• Discover talent


• Find and map more than 1,900 creative companies


• Solicit bids on creative products and services


• Chat with industry experts


• Share business strategies


• Learn from the mistakes of others


• Rant, rave, connect with peers or even find a mentor.

Detroit is more than just cars. We’re a strong, talented and fiercely passionate community of multigenerational creatives.

That’s right, we’re remarkable. But does everyone know it? Unfortunately, they don’t, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell them.

This site is in its first phase. We hope that you’ll help us build the best possible tool for our community. Create a profile, meet your peers and spread the word. Meanwhile, we’ll build content, add features and market the site and its network of users.

Are you committed? Do you know the past, respect the legacy, but realize the future's potential? Do you want to be part of this region’s revival? Sure you do, Detroit. Go ahead, make it here.

Cheers,
Michelle Darwish, Editor
Detroit Make it Here

Love it? Loathe it? Tell me about it. (313) 446-1621
mdarwish@crain.com