On-screen Jamie Hector is known for playing heartless bad guys—most notably the role of Marlo Stanfield on HBO’s The Wire—but in real-life, the Brooklyn-born actor is actually a good guy with a heart of gold. For the past two years Hector has been making a difference in his community through his nonprofit, Moving Mountains, Inc., which gives youngsters between the ages of 12-21 the opportunity to develop their talents in performing arts. Providing an alternative to the streets, the organization is Hector’s way of giving kids the same chance he had to achieve his dreams.

“I grew up in Brooklyn and there were a lot of obstacles and distractions in my way, the difference was I had a place to go in order to get over these obstacles, which was the theater,” explains Hector, who has roughly 85 to 150 rotating students enrolled in his program. “[That experience] inspired me and made me the man that I am right now. So Moving Mountains is basically focused on putting talented youth from our area into the entertainment industry.”

Hector, along with other established actors, performers and directors who donate their time, works hands-on with the students throughout the week to hone their skills in dance, vocals, instrumentation and theater. Then, once a month they hit the Brooklyn Museum to perform “A New Day,” a stage production that tackles weighty issues like cyber-bullying, peer-pressure, teen violence and abusive relationships. Through their performances the kids not only build confidence in their talents, but also learn how to apply what they experience on stage to their everyday lives.

Hector (R) along with some students during a Moving Mountains fund raiser

“The vision was to prepare the young folks to come in and be successful in whatever they’re going to do in the future—acting, editing, writing, whatever task that they want to tackle, they know they can come here and have a professional work with them,” says Hector, who plans to address more youth-specific issues in future productions. “We just basically try to put them in positions and let them go [into the world] but they know that they have to come back and serve [Moving Mountains] because they have to keep this going.”

While the performance element is a big part of the program, Hector and his team stress the importance of education, providing tutors for the SATs through a partnership with Brooklyn College and helping failing students reapply themselves to their studies. “We don’t just immediately judge them on the fact that they’re horrible in school and the consequences of their failure is going to mean that you can’t be involved in this organization,” says Hector. “The criteria that we have for this organization is if you have talent, come, if you don’t have talent, come, and we’ll help you develop what your talent really is. Hopefully they grow in that area, where they realize that when you go home and practice and come back, you can be a better person at what you do.”

For a monthly schedule of “A New Day” performances and ticket information go to MovingMountainsNYC.org

Performances at the National Black Theatre Festival helped generate more than $13 million for the local economy. (Source: Bruce Chapman)

Some 60,000 patrons of the theater arts descend upon Winston-Salem, North Carolina biennially to attend the National Black Theatre Festival. And while the throngs eagerly purchase tickets for the many performances on tap, they’re also helping a region redefine itself as one of the cultural meccas in the U.S.

While having a thriving arts community is desirable for making a city more attractive to potential residents, it’s also a viable contributor to the local economy. The NBTF for example has a direct impact on Winston-Salem and its Piedmont Triad Region in the neighborhood of $13.4 million. The Piedmont Triad Region is comprised of 12 counties in central North Carolina. Once the heart of tobacco country and one of the manufacturing hubs of the United States, the region realizes there’s money to be made here and shifted its focus to becoming a center for things creative — thereby tapping into the creative economy.

The creative economy is the impact of revenues generated intellectual property products such as music, books, film, games, theater, art and culture (and some definitions include aspects of tourism and sport). While there are no concrete estimates to its contribution to gross domestic product, its impact is significant. “It’s usually one of America’s leading exports, along with aircraft. So it’s considered economically important,” says Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University. “And Hollywood has a lobby with a lot of influence in Washington with regards to trade copyright law.”

While manufacturing jobs continue to migrate overseas, the Piedmont Triad Region is realizing that the arts are fitting in with its plan to diversify its economic base. Twenty years ago, 37% of the jobs in Winston-Salem were in the now beleaguered manufacturing space. Today, that number is closer to 18%. As a result, the unemployment rate for the city is roughly a percentage point below the national average.

Those jobs go beyond those in the spotlight. “I think people have a very limited idea of what a job in the arts looks like. They think an actor,” points out Suzanne Hilser-Wiles, Chief Advancement Officer at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. “We have students that do lighting design, we have trained electricians. Working in the arts is much broader than people think. You can be a finance person at a conservatory or a performing arts center or ballet company. These are life skills that are applicable.”

The nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year according to Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Included in that number are 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs, $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues, and $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues and $12.6 billion in federal income tax revenues.

In addition to creating jobs and generating tax revenue, tapping into the creative economy can also help build a diverse, young workforce – for any industry. “Young people can live any place as well so they’re looking for places that embrace diversity, has entertainment opportunities and are sensitive to the environment and things of that nature,” says Allen Joines, mayor of Winston-Salem. “By showing them that we have an active arts and culture climate, it helps us recruit young people and therefore be able to recruit the knowledge-based companies as well.”

That’s not to say that the creative economy is recession-proof. In fact, the National Black Theatre Festival, whose supporters include R. J. Reynolds, Sara Lee Corp., Wachovia Bank & Trust, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, American Express, have seen sponsorship slide about 10%, according to H. Geraldine (Gerry) Patton, who serves as the event’s executive director.

For Forsyth County (in which Winston-Salem is located), arts and cultural spending is a significant part of its income, totaling $103.8 million in 2005 (the most recent numbers available). “The festival is another embodiment of what the city of the arts is all about,” says Stephan Dragisic, director of marketing and communications at Visit Winston Salem, the visitors bureau. “It’s a community where the arts are part of our business model.”