FUNDING & RESOURCES INFO SESSION
FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRY BUSINESSES & ENTREPRENEURS

Thursday, March 24^th
10:00 am to 11:00 am
Charter Oak Federal Credit Union’s Community Room
1055 Hartford Turnpike, Waterford CT
FREE, but please RSVP

Small for-profit business owners and representatives from the creative sector are invited to attend this information session. This info session is ideal for creative industry businesses, including film, design, production, and manufacturing businesses. 58% of the Southeastern CT Cultural Coalition’s 400+ partners are for-profit. Most are small businesses. We offer this info session as an efficient forum to gain knowledge about five great resources for small, for-profit businesses in the creative economy.

Attendees will learn about available resources, tips and tools from:

Ellen Woolf, Production Incentives & Resources
CT Office of Film, Television & Digital Media
The Connecticut Office of Film, Television & Digital Media is the statewide contact for motion pictures, television and digital media production and serves as liaison between production companies, state agencies, municipalities, production facilities, local crew and vendors.

Sheila Hummel, Small Business Express Program
CT Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD EXP & MBI)

Small Business Express (EXP) and Minority Business Initiative (MBI). Small businesses with operations in Connecticut, registered to conduct business for not less than twelve months, in good standing with all state agencies and with the payment of all state taxes, and employing not more than 100 employees, are eligible to apply.  Priority for available funding will be given to those eligible applicants who (1) are creating new jobs and (2) are within Connecticut’s economic base industries. Sheila Hummel will provide information geared towards small creative industry businesses.

Matthew Nemeth, Crowdfunding for Small Businesses
CT Small Business Development Center (CTSBDC)

Have a great business idea? Keen to expand your existing company? Ready to go global? CTSBDC wants to help you create, grow and make your business thrive. Matt Nemeth will provide an overview of successful strategies and tips for using crowdfunding to raise capital and awareness.

Buck Harris, Micro-lending for Small Businesses
Community Investment Corporation (CIC)

CIC is a non-profit economic development lender contributing financial expertise and practical guidance to small business entrepreneurs in Connecticut and Rhode Island who have powerful ideas and need more power to grow them. Buck Harris will provide an overview of MicroLoans and Community Advantage Loans. MicroLoans also fill the gap for businesses looking for a loan that’s just too small to interest a traditional lender. Community Advantage, SBA lending program designed to meet the financing needs of existing small businesses in underserved communities as well as start-up businesses located anywhere in CT or RI.

Juliet Hodge or Stephen Mackenznie, PTAP, Site Selection and Technical Assistance
Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (seCTer)

The Procurement Technical Assistance Program provides marketing and technical assistance to Connecticut businesses selling, or interested in selling, their products and/or services to federal, state and local government agencies. Juliet Hodge will discuss PTAP and also technical assistance available for new and existing businesses in southeastern CT.

Format for information session will be 10 minute presentations by each speaker followed by a 20-minute breakout session for attendees to talk with each speaker one-on-one.