Miami City Spotlight: What Creatives Need to Know

Miami is a vibrant city, with Art Deco buildings, a colorful arts and music scene, Michelin-starred restaurants and one of the most diverse populations of any major metropolitan area. With Brandweek taking over Miami for the week, Adweek is giving those who visit, do business and may eventually see themselves as part of the agency scene in the city a tour of Miami. This story is a guide to the city, with advice for travelers and would-be Miamians (yes, that’s the term). Our corresponding piece digs into what makes Miami a creative city and a draw for artists, creators and agencies. Miami’s creative scene continues to grow, thanks to an influx of artists from all over the globe, especially Latin America, and creatives and other agency people who have migrated from elsewhere to experience the effervescence and energy of the city as part of agencies including Gut, Alma, David and The Community. The City of Miami, after being incorporated in 1896, adopted the nickname "The Magic City" due to its rapid development and initial population boom, which the government said developed almost magically in a short period. Miami’s population estimate for July 2021 was roughly 440,000, while Miami-Dade County was 2.7 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is home to many museums and art festivals, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Art and Design, the Perez Art Museum, the Graffiti Museum and the international Art Basel Miami Beach fair, which takes over a chunk of the city in early December as part of Miami Art Week. The city also has the Wynwood Arts District, featuring various works by groundbreaking artists that can be seen throughout the neighborhood and at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum dedicated to street art. Miami Is Emerging as a Creative Powerhouse Miami also has a deep and diverse music culture. Artists like Bad Bunny, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Flo Rida, DJ Khaled and Raul Malo have put their audio stamps on the pop and multicultural music scene, with styles ranging from Afro-Cuban to Reggaeton to Latin, pop and jazz. The city is the headquarters of several major league sports teams, including MLB’s Florida Marlins, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the NBA’s Miami Heat. The Heat’s marketing division, part of the Heat Group, won the 2022 NBA Sales & Marketing Team of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in business performance across areas such as people and culture and community impact. To make it attractive for doing business, taxes are generally lower than in other states. At the state level, businesses and individuals pay no personal income taxes. Florida also has a comparatively low corporate income tax rate of 5.5% with no inventory tax, no unitary tax and several sales tax exemptions. Compared to other major metropolitan areas in the United States and throughout the world, Miami-Dade County offers businesses of all sizes and industries a very favorable tax structure. The cost of living is becoming somewhat higher, due to the amount of people moving there, which is driving up prices. According to Realtor.com, the median home price is $460,000 for the greater Miami-Dade County area. A mix of cultures Miami is a mash of cultures, many from Latin America, but also from other parts of the Caribbean, the U.S. and the world. “It's a very creative city because you have a lot of cultures here. And it's a very unique city in the U.S.—it's the link between North America and Latin America,” said Anselmo Ramos, founder and creative chairman at Gut, an independent agency. “I think it's a clash of cultures,” said Juan Javier Peña Plaza, North America ecd and global partner at Gut. He explained the clash comes from the merging of people from separate Latin American countries, like Brazilians, Argentinians, Mexicans, Ecuadorians and others, but the individual nuances come together to make everything a “little bit chaotic, but I think that's what makes it magical.” Rafa Donato, chief creative officer at David Miami, said that there is a warmth that’s innate for people who live in Miami, more than one might see in New York or Chicago. “I suspect it does have something to do with the Latino influence in the city. In general, we are just warmed and more attuned to each other and each other’s families…There’s an instant rapport that you get from talking to somebody—whether it’s the cashier at the shop, someone you’re getting coffee with or the people that you work with. There is a warm connection here,” said Donato. Weather Of course, there's also the weather. The beaches, the palm trees, the fact that you can wear short sleeves and sandals year-round because of the warm weather is appealing, and something that draws everyone from students to retirees. “When everything is hot, there's excitement,” said Ortiz. “When everything is hot, there's fantastic vibe—the mind is totally open, you want to experiment and try new things…Right now it's a hotspot for everything and is becoming one of the most global cities of the country.” Average temperatures in Miami range from lows in the mid-60s in January up to highs in the high-80s during the summer months. There are possibilities of hurricanes and rising tides, but the white sand beaches are alluring all year long. “It’s a big city but a city where you can enjoy life outdoors and give your routine a more chilled pace. It’s not like New York—there’s a cool balance where you can work hard but also enjoy the city, the ocean and the parks and mingle with people from everywhere. For me, that’s what makes it so incredible,” said Lucas Silva, Miami Ad School Teacher and associate creative director, David Miami. Miami Beach offers colorful sea, sand and architecture. Advice for creatives Moving to Miami is a decision not to be made lightly, but those who go are rewarded with a heaping of culture, sunny and warm weather and a creative industry that keeps growing. As Ramos lays it out: “You have the arts, you have nature, you can do great ads and live by the beach. What else do you need in life?” Ramos also says that Miami is a city that has diversity at its core, being a mashup of many different cultures, which helps generate creative ideas. Juan Carlos Ortiz, president and CEO of DDB Latina, added that those who want to be a part of the Miami creative industry are also helping to write the story of the city as it rises as a creative power. Miami is essentially a lifestyle choice for creatives, but to really thrive, they need to know where they want to work. They have to find a place where they like the work of the particular agency. “Don’t choose a city, choose an agency,” said Ramos. “Try to find an agency that you admire, that's doing great work and try to go there. If they happen to be Miami, great.” Adweek Puts a Spotlight on Chicago, the Brand Hub That’s Become a Capital of Culture