About CEEI
Where Creativity Becomes Opportunity
The Creative Economy Entrepreneurship Initiative (CEEI) exists to help artists, makers, and creative professionals build sustainable businesses around the work they already love to do.
Creatives are already entrepreneurs in many of the ways that matter most. They develop original ideas, take risks, solve problems, adapt constantly, tell compelling stories, and turn imagination into something tangible. What is often missing is not ambition or talent, but access to the business knowledge, mentorship, networks, and resources that can help turn creative work into a viable livelihood.
CEEI was built to help close that gap.
Through practical entrepreneurship education, peer-led training, mentorship, community events, and partnerships across the region, CEEI connects creative people with the tools they need to take the next step. That may mean landing a first paying client, learning how to price a product, creating a business plan, understanding funding opportunities, building a stronger brand, or growing an established creative practice into something more sustainable.
Our goal is simple: help creatives see themselves not only as artists, makers, or professionals, but as business owners and entrepreneurs capable of building something that lasts.
A Track Record of Turnout
Our Creative Economy Town Hall at Roseville Venture Lab brought together more than 70 city officials, elected leaders, creatives, and business owners for one conversation about what a Creative Economy workforce pipeline could look like here. That's the kind of room CEEI convenes — and keeps convening.
Our Holiday Movie Selfie Museum brought in over 1,100 people to the Roseville Venture Lab and stimulated over 265 shares on Instagram, generating a growth in use of the Roseville Venture Lab co-working space.
YEA (Youth Entrepreneurship Academy brought in 6 mentors from Rising Roseville and 20 upcoming entrepreneurs and future small business owners. Each student pitched to a Lab full of individuals.
CEEI has brought entrepreneurship training to over 560 creatives in 2025 and at the beginning of 2026, with over 13 programs, and contributing to over 42 creatives teaching over 24 entrepreneurship classes to comedians, poets, artists, Etsy shop owners, Hip Hop lovers, students/youth, seniors, veterans, women, and beyond. We have contributed to over four town halls, collecting viable information on the climate of the community, and have even brought innovation of a Holiday Movie Selfie Museum and the partnerships for our Placer County Arts Education Strategic Plan. What started at the Roseville Venture Lab has now sprouted roots at Aggie Square with the Connect Labs, and the Crocker Art Museum with an Arts in Everyday (Teachers Soiree)
Powered By Partnership
CEEI is produced by J. Ross Parrelli and made possible with support from Roseville Economic Development, Tri-Counties Bank, SBA, Auburn Teacher's Association, CLTRE, Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce, ChicoStart, GFN, 100 Black Men, Lego League, Roseville Venture Lab, Arts Council Placer County, the Placer County Film Office, the Rocklin Arts Commission, and more. Tuesday Night Market Place, Etsy, Placer County Office of Education, Aggie Square's Connect Lab, the Crocker Arts Museum, and more.
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