Jennifer Wilson from The Project Factory and Claudia Sagripanti asked me to be a mentor at the Fast Moves on Fast wires all day conference they were asked to develop and facilitate by the Australia Council for the Arts.
Over 80 managers from australian Performing Arts companies attended what was a stimulating day bridging high quality broadband, new technologies and creative ideas to maintain and develop new audiences.
FAST MOVES ON FAST WIRES
Performing Arts and the Impact of Fast Ubiquitous Broadband
19 October 2012
The Mint, Macquarie Street, Sydney
09.00 Registration
09.45 Welcome from the Chair
Jennifer Wilson, Director, The Project Factory
09.50 Welcome and Introductions
Tony Grybowski, Executive Director Arts Organisations, Australia Council for the Arts
SESSION 1
10.00 Where is the world going? Life in a fast broadband world
We wonder when the future is going to get here, while often not noticing the major changes that have already happened. When you think that five years ago, MySpace was smaller than Facebook; and Twitter was pretty irrelevant – the pace of change is actually phenomenal.
Fast, ubiquitous broadband is seen as a massive enabler to connect people, share information and change business. It will have a profound impact on how we create, conceive and collaborate on artistic endeavours; on how we promote and market our events to reach audiences; and on how we operate as companies, our internal running even hiring.
In this session, digital visionary Austin Bryan will imagine a fast broadband world, see where this is going and posit some possible futures for us.
The session should be mind -xpanding is the best possible way, getting us think of a world without boundaries. How will we engage with performing arts? Will live remain important and how does this fit into our connected life?
Austin Bryan, Global Head of Digital Communities & Eco-Systems, SingTel Optus
10.20 Pockets of brilliance
William Gibson said in 1993 “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed”. In this session, we’ll hear about some ‘pockets of brilliance’ from our unevenly distributed future.
Even without ubiquitous fast broadband, performing arts groups are still using connected digital technology in unique and surprising ways. Pushing boundaries, reaching new audiences and learning new ways of collaborating and creating – not waiting for the future, but dreaming it and making it.
Louise O’Donnell will talk about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, how this came together, what the intent was, what is achieved and what is delivered for the performing arts companies involved in the production.
Louise O’Donnell, Director, SeedProduction
10.40 Group Discussion:
Each table discusses the issues raised by the prior speakers. One person at the table will report back on the discussion to allow the thoughts and views of the participants to be captured. At each of the two group discussion sessions, different questions relating to the sessions will be posed.
• What do you think will be the biggest impact of fast ubiquitous broadband?
• Are there thinks you would like to be doing now in the connected digital world?
• What do you see as the main opportunities/threats from fast broadband?
(Feedback from each table will be taken)
11.00 Feedback presented
11.15 Life in the fast lane – how connection changes how we work
From an operational standpoint, getting connected can be straightforward or really complex. We can upload faster, but what does this offer us. What are the main issues in getting connected? What does ubiquitous fast broadband mean at the practical level? There are costs involved in this but the benefits are significantly greater.
This practical session looks at some of the nuts and bolts about getting connected.
Colin Griffith, Director, Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation (ACBI), CSIRO
11.35 BREAK
11.55 The changing consumer landscape
There have been reports from just about every consulting group on how digital is shaking up audiences and businesses alike.
It’s all very well to think about what the organisations are doing, but is the audience along for the ride? This session will look at the research to see if this can point the way to what is happening at a consumer level to prepare us for the new audience in the for the changing landscape ahead.
Megan Brownlow, Executive Director, Media & Entertainment, PwC Australia
12.15 New world, new business models, new forms of funding
From a marketing and business perspective, threats are often just opportunities in disguise. If we can find a way to leverage our fears, they can become our biggest strength. Right now, in this highly media saturated world, brands are struggling for connection; while content (including arts) is struggling for reach.
This panel session focusses on digital innovators to hear about some of the new ways of doing business in a fragmented world. Concentrating on new business models, new partnerships and new ways of collaborating, our panel will talk about branding funding, collaboration and what the performing arts can learn from advertising.
Moderator: Jennifer Wilson, Director, The Project Factory
Panellists:
Lisa Colley, Director, Creative Industries Innovation Centre
Greg Logan, ECD, Moon Communications and Executive Producer, Hatch Entertainment
Kieran Ots
Charles Clapshaw, President, TBWA\DIGITAL ARTS NETWORK
12.45 Group discussion
Questions relating to this session are:
• How do you think the changes in audience or expectations are relevant to you?
• What have been your experiences of trialling new business models?
• Are your sponsors either partners or just funders? How could this change?
• Would stronger brand funding compromise your artistic integrity? Why?
(Feedback from each table will be taken)
13.05 Feedback
13.20 LUNCH
Session 2: Mentor sessions
14.20 Round 1
These two sessions are designed to give you some in-depth learning with highly experienced mentors. The mentors will collect the questions and major issues of concern from the participants at their table and will answer both specific questions as well as talk to some of the more general issues.
There will be two sessions of 45 minutes each. Participants should book in with the mentor they are interested in meeting with. Acceptance will be on a ‘first come first served’ basis, with no more than eight people at each mentor session to ensure that highly focussed conversations can happen.
Topics and mentors:
1. Rights issues: Katherine Sainty
2. Video production: Nick Bolton
3. Video production/platforms: Rachel Dixon
4. Business models: Billy Tucker (TBC)
5. Business models: Jennifer Wilson
6. Brand partnerships: Chris Clapshaw
7. Strategy and operational issues: Lisa Colley
8. Strategy and operational issues Louise O’Donnell
9. Artistic Collaboration: Julian Knowles
15.05 Change tables for Round 2
15.50 BREAK
Session 3: Hypothetical
16.10 Performing Like It’s 2022… (A hypothetical view of the future)
Designed to be entertaining, uplifting, future visioning and positive: we imagine a life ten years on and try to create the impossible: an engaging live performance on stage in front of your very eyes.
It’s 2022. Fast broadband is ubiquitous. It connects our buildings, our open spaces and our wearable devices. We can engage with content anywhere – with every wall a potential screen. The urban landscape is performance art – and we’re all part of it.
What is the world like for performing arts and what role do the arts play generally?
This drama will be moderated and directed by Sandy George and will include :
• Megan Brownlow: where are the audiences and what are they doing?
• Austin Bryan (Colin Griffith): How did we get here?
• Rachel Healy: How does the urban landscapes fit into this?
• and what new awesome things are we engaging with?
• Greg Logan: where are brands in this – what role do they play?:
• Victoria Doidge: And what about performing arts – have they escaped?
• Billy Tucker (TBC): What new start-ups have been created and what do they offer?
17.10 Wrap for day
A brief summary of the top ten things of the day, some of the key learnings and take-aways.
A brief look at what might be next.
17.30 Finish
