SlatteryIT has annunced the line-up for Tech23, Australia’s premier showcase of new and emerging technology-based start-ups. Great to see a number of friends on the list, including Bart Jellena’s ZeroMail, Scott Frew’s iAsset, Rob Manson’s MOB and Tony Surtee’s Hyperlocalizer, and plenty of others. The event is being held in Sydney on August 23, and if you want to register, click here.
What NBN means for video marketing
In May Mio Ristic and the team at Digital Video Vault captured part of my presentation on A Faster Future to ICT Geelong, and also recorded this interview talking about the impact of high-speed broadband on video marketing. Digital Video Vault is one of the many emerging companies that are taking advantage of the opportunities that better broadband is providing to business to get their message out there via video. You can read more about the company at its blog.
$50,000 up for grabs in the IT Invention Test
If you’re an individual or small-to-medium businesses based in Australia and have a project that is an idea, concept or prototype that has generated not more than $150,000 in sales you may be eligible to go into the running for the $50,000 IT Invention Test. Organised by ICT Geelong to provide a pathway for people with IT ideas to commercialise their dreams, last year’s inaugural competition received and overwhelming response. Submissions close at 5:00pm Friday 9th September 2011.
X|Media|Lab & Creativeinnovation – The infinite paths to creative success
During this year’s X|Media|Lab conference day in Sydney I had the pleasure of interviewing a number of the speakers on behalf of Creativeinnovation. The main theme was around the factors that drive creative success, and the speakers gave an incredibly diverse set of opinions regarding the road to success. Much of their thoughts are captured in this showcase video and blog post for Creativeinnovation. Individual interviews with Tim Chang, John Tarnoff, Andy Elwood, Christopher Tanner and Dr Vesna Petresin-Robert will follow. Thanks to the teams at X|Media|Lab and Creativeinnovation for making this happen.
X|Media|Lab to hold Transmedia Masterclass with Geoff Gomez
Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing US-based trans-media producer Geoff Gomez for a podcast for Australian Anthill. As the founder and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment Geoff has been blurring the lines between films, comics, toys, games and even them park rides since the 1990s, and you can listen to to his thoughts on the topic by clicking here. Now X|Media|Lab has announced that it will be holding a masterclass with Geoff in Melbourne and Sydney later this month. For more information, click here.
SmartCompany – The tech titans turned angel investors
Over the past decade it’s been really pleasing to see many of the leading lights of Australia’s technology sector plough some of the money they’ve made back into assisting smaller businesses. With Australia’s VC industry having shrunk dramatically over the same period, angel investors and high net worth individuals have plugged some of the gap when it comes to providing cash to worth start-ups. My most recent article for SmartCompany revolved around conversations with four of them, Craig Winkler (former CEO of MYOB), Simon Baker (former REA Group CEO), Pollenizer co-founder Mick Liubinskas and entrepreneur and investor Adrian Vanzyl. Their insights make fascinating reading for anyone considering getting a tech-based venture off the group, and you can check them out by clicking here.
Games developers to converge on Ballarat
Back in June I gave a presentation on A Faster Future in the regional Victoria city of Ballarat, organised by the University of Ballarat Technology Park and the local ICT association, Ballarat ICT. If you’ve never been there, Ballarat is a city that rose to prominence during the Victoria gold rush of the 19th century, and today has a population of 90,000. It is growing quickly, partially as a result of its comparatively lower cost of living than nearby Melbourne while still being within commuting distance, and it has also developed as a major regional centre with its own industry and services base.
It was a great turnout, including senior personnel from the University, the local State Member of Parliament Sharon Knight and various business leaders from around the region. What impressed me mot was the hunger for information on new technologies and services and how they could improve the lives of people living in the region, and also the commitment shown to developing the city as an ICT hub.
To that end, the City of Ballarat has organised Ballarat GIG: Get Into Games, Australia’s largest regional computer games career expo, which will be held at the Ballarat Mining Exchange on the 22nd and 23rd of July. Speakers include GDAA CEO Tony Reed, and presentations from Australian developers Big Ant and Firemint, amongst others. Ballarat GIG has been running since 2006, and includes presentations from local education institutions and teacher specific workshops.
Entry to the inaugural Mobile Awards still open
A quick update from the inaugural Mobile Awards – creator Mark Bergin reports that interest has been strong, and the first batch will be posted on the awards website for public voting imminently. Entries are still open, and if you are interested in being in the running for a $5000 cash price, you can enter here.
Geare magazine examines the NBN
Issue #66 of Geare magazine is out now and features a terrific article by Neerav Bhatt explaining Australia’s National Broadband Network, how it is being built and what it is trying to achieve. Neerav goes into detail about the fibre technology being used and the alternatives, the cost, and the implications for consumers. He stops short of describing the applications and services that will be possible on the NBN, but does point readers to A Faster Future for more information.
Live from X|Media|Lab 2011 Sydney: John Tranoff @johntarnoff from Newspeak #XMediaLab
The third presentation at X|Media|Lab 2011 was from John Tarnoff, a former executive at Dreamworks and now the founder of Hollywood-based Newspeak Consulting Group. His presentation focused on people, talking about 21st Century citizenship and the emergence of a seamless industry of platforms and streams. Everyone is a participant in content creation these days, with content shaped by interaction between content and fans. The language created by Hollywood has gone global, and it will lose share of voice as a result, while individuals are self-organising into communities, rather than remaining in static audiences.
“An audience is a group that will stand by and watch you fail – a community is a group that will jump in and help you succeed.”
His presentation talked about the massive changes that he has witnessed in the content creation industry, and how these changes much be embraced. There is a demand for transparency that is a breath of fresh air, not a threat to traditional models. The new skills for the 21st Century citizen include being able to better brand and identify ourselves to make ourselves be appreciated – we are building personal brands, and if we are not, we need to get busy. New skills needed include critical thinking, time management, and many more – we need to learn them and teach them to our children. While we have lost face-t0-face communication, we need to get involved in deeper levels of engagement both on and off the screen.
He also talked about the emergence of curation as an empowerment and community building tool. All of us who use social media are performing a selection and filtering process that is a form of leadership that can rally support aroound an idea. He said that we must strive to demolish silos, and we must invite their builders out to play, to build communities instead. He also recommended the book The Starfish and the Spider.