Former broadcaster Prem Gill becomes new CEO of Creative B.C.

You don't have to be a student of Richard Florida to recognize that the creative economy is the linchpin of Vancouver's future.

It's obvious to anyone who sees the impact of the film industry, performing arts, design, digital media, and other creative endeavours on local employment and international perceptions about the city.

One of the driving forces has been the nonprofit organization Creative B.C. And today, it has a new president and CEO, Prem Gill, who's a familiar face to many in Vancouver.

"Creative B.C. is an important player in developing a growing creative economy that has already seen so much success and I am honoured to join and lead a team that continues to advocate for the advancement of this sector," Gill said in a news release announcing her appointment.

Gill is on the board of the Vancouver International Film Festival, an adviser to Women in View, and is probably best known as a former broadcaster with Citytv and CHUM.

In recent years, she's been director of production and original programming at Telus.

(For more on the potential of the creative economy in Vancouver, check out The Power of the Arts in Vancouver: Creating a Great City.)