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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Welcome to a Special Christmas Issue of the Newsletter for members of "The Creative Networks"
'Creative Networks' at UCE Birmingham's Technology
Innovation Centre (tic) is
about bringing together all parties involved in sound
and screen-based media in the West Midlands. 'Creative
Networks' seeks to promote both successful business development
and collaboration. It also seeks to contribute to the establishment
of a strong, long-term, sound and screen-based Creative
Industry in the West Midlands. The tic
achieves this through increasing knowledge sharing and use of innovative
technologies, creative practice and business processes.
Regular monthly networking events are held at tic.
They offer opportunities for individuals and companies
to network, make pitches and identify the resources they
are seeking or support for the projects they are planning.
Visit our online portal www.creativenetworksonline.com
for up-to-date news, funding, business support, training
and tender opportunities.
In This Issue:
1. COMING UP -
January's Creative Networks Event @ tic
2. Event Reviewed - December's Creative Networks Event
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:: Key Speaker: Ruth Badger - The Star of the 2006 reality TV show "The Apprentice"
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:: Rob McLaughlin - i4 Short Courses Taster Session |
3. STOP PRESS - i4 Short Courses receive funding extension to 31st March 2007
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:: Book now to avoid disappointment |
4. Visit the UK's Biggest Technology Event - Videoforum 2007
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:: For broadcast TV, Video, Interactive Media and IPTV |
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...we’d also like to hear from you!
Contact Scarlet Scardanelli, the Creative Networks administrator
with feedback, case studies, success stories, interesting projects, collaboration opportunities or news:
:: phone
0121 331 5400
:: email
scarlet.scardanelli@tic.ac.uk
:: or
post to Technology Innovation Centre, Millennium
Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG
:: or online at www.creativenetworksonline.com |
| 1.
COMING UP - January's
Creative Networks Event @ tic *DON'T
MISS OUT* |
Thursday 25th January - From 6.00pm til LATE at tic, Millennium Point
The
Collaborative Networking Event for Creative Industry Professionals
Networking with 'The Beat'
Ranking Roger
With 30 years in the music industry, surrounded by managers and agents, Ranking Roger knows the importance of the ‘Person’ and how crucial face to face contact is.
Ranking will be sharing tales of his thirty years experience, success of The Beat, the highs and lows of being in the music industry and how he is finding fame a second time round. He will be talking about how important networking is in the Creative Industries and its place in the Digital Age.
There will be the usual opportunities to network, pitch your products and services and collaborate with colleagues from the Creative Industries Sector. Advance notice is strongly recommended for those wishing to pitch.
Creative Networks events are FREE. If you would like to join us, please contact Scarlet Scardanelli email scarlet.scardanelli@tic.ac.uk, or phone 07969 226 693
or register online on the Creative Networks portal www.creativenetworksonline.com
You'll be very welcome.
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| 2. Review of December's Creative Networks |
Wednesday 13th December - From 2.00pm at tic, Millennium Point
On a dismal December afternoon, Creative Networks exceeded all expectations yet again. Over 100 people turned out to hear our speaker, local Business Consultant and TV personality, Ruth Badger.
The theme of ‘turning ideas into profit’ continued through to the evening, with a taster session for tic Enterprise Skills short courses. Many of you have already benefited from the courses; these will now be running through January, February and March. So, if you haven’t yet found the time, there's a further opportunity to book your place for 2007.
This month’s Creative Networks ended in seasonal fashion, including our festive prize draw. The first prize was a laser printer, the second a bottle of champagne and many third prizes of the Alphabet Runner game donated by game inventor and entrepreneur Rasib Khan.
There followed more networking, to the accompaniment of welcoming and warming brandy and mince pies. |
| Ruth Badger Guest Speaker |
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Turn Your Ideas into Profit
UCE Birmingham’s Technology Innovation Centre (tic) welcomed 2006 ‘Apprentice’ star Ruth Badger to speak at the region’s largest creative networking event. This was an opportunity to benefit from Ruth’s advice on running a successful business and improving profitability.
In a presentation, which included illuminating stories and drew on her proven business experience, we learned that Ruth's career started in Wolverhampton. She was soon promoted through the ranks in all her posts, gaining knowledge of financial services, business and operations management and growing vast revenues for her employers along the way.
Applying tried and trusted methods that have led to her consistent success for over a decade, Ruth recently started her own company, helping businesses to achieve the same.
Sharing many tips on how to run a successful company, Ruth emphasised the need to ‘do the business’, stressing that it’s 'the decisions we don’t make' and 'the actions we don’t take' we might regret later. The important thing to remember is that by being decisive, even if we make a mistake, we’re able to learn from that. If we don’t try out our ideas, we’ll never know!
Ruth has an almost missionary zeal about watching the Profit and Loss figures. This is fundamental to the future of any business. How much does the business cost to run measured against what revenue is brought in each day? Therein lies the key to making ‘profit’. No surprise that her maxim is ‘Turnover is Vanity, Profit is Sanity’.
This is the essence of Ruth’s ‘Big Idea’ and the clue to turning ideas into profit, put simply (and that’s something that she repeatedly advises) – never spend anything unless you know just what you’re getting back.
The most thought provoking analogy Ruth cited was the notion that it would never occur to anyone to be sat in a car, having paid for the service and filled up with fuel, suddenly to wonder where they should travel! The moral of the story being don’t leave unless you know where you’re going; don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll make a success of your business if you haven’t even mapped out where you’re heading. Decide where you want to reach, then plan your route.
Lastly, Ruth told us she really believed that all businesses owe their success to the people who work in them. There are no limits to what we can achieve and that we should never feel our imaginations might be restricted. It’s all about attitude, resolve and application, we can be as successful as we choose to be.
As expected, Ruth’s presentation inspired us to develop our focus, drive and ambition in order to turn our ideas into profit.
To rapturous applause, Ruth thanked us for attending and wished us luck - the afternoon having already had a distinct air of success!
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| Rob McLaughlin - Short Course Taster Session |
Having gained from the Ruth Badger's pearls of wisdom, the event continued with a presentation by Robert McLaughlin, i4 Skills short course tutor. This took the form of a Taster Session for the courses, concentrating on how to market and promote your creative business. From interesting real-life examples of how to grab peoples’ attention, to use of new technologies and the web to promote your ideas, this was an informative and light-hearted presentation. It showcased some of the aspects of the i4 Start With Success and Market Maker Skills courses - the three-day, short courses which give delegates the opportunity to look in detail at some of the things that had been presented and much, much more.
As with the courses themselves, there was a considerable interaction, with the audience being asked to think creatively and share ideas and experiences with everyone present. This opportunity to network and share ideas, from delegates’ feedback, is regarded as a most useful and important aspect of the courses. They allow people to trade ideas, make new friends and find collaborators for future projects.
Coming immediately after Ruth Badgers’s exhortations to 'do the work and work on the business', this presentation was an ideal way to introduce new people to the courses, whilst sharing more time with those that had already attended. The session got everyone's brains ticking-over with creative ideas and showed that ‘thinking outside the box’, focusing on your unique selling point, targeting your market and standing out from the crowd are essential aspects to grabbing peoples’ attention and 'making that sale'.
After a brief Q and A session, the event concluded with an excellent finale of abundant mince pies, free prizes, and a drink or two. This helped to make a highly successful event finish on a really high (and festive) note.
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| 3. STOP PRESS - i4 Short Courses receive funding extension to 31st March 2007 |
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BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
Only available until March 2007
Harness your creative talent with your own business
FREE 'START WITH SUCCESS' 3-DAY BUSINESS START-UP COURSES
i4 'Start With Success' will help you realise the full potential of your creative talents by starting and managing your own business in the screen and sound-based media industries. The course is also suitable for recent business start-ups requiring additional support to get their business going.
| Start With Success Course Dates for 2007 |
| Course 1: |
Tuesday |
16/01/07, 23/01/07, 30/01/07 |
| Course 2: |
Tuesday |
06/02/07, 13/02/07, 20/02/07 |
| Course 3: |
Tuesday |
27/02/07, 06/03/07, 13/03/07 |
| i4 'Start With Success' will help you to: |
| - Understand the fundamentals of starting a business |
| - Prepare a basic business, financial and marketing plan |
| - Improve presentation skills for networking & pitching |
| - Develop your sales and client management skills |
| - Manage your time & creative projects more effectively |
| - Produce or develop your showreel |
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BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
Only available until March 2007
Identify new markets for your creative media services
FREE 'MARKET MAKER SKILLS' 3-DAY MARKET DIVERSIFICATION COURSES
i4 'Market Maker Skills' will help screen and sound-based media professionals identify, analyse and engage with new markets for their creative media services, to secure project contracts and/or paid work.
| Market Maker Skills Course Dates for 2007 |
| Course 1: |
Thursday |
18/01/07, 25/01/07, 01/02/07 |
| Course 2: |
Thursday |
08/02/07, 15/02/07, 22/02/07 |
| Course 3: |
Thursday |
01/03/07, 08/03/07, 15/03/07 |
| i4 'Market Maker Skills' will help you to: |
| - Review the market potential for media solutions in various industry sectors |
| - Assess emerging markets that have media requirements |
| - Develop business proposals and presentations for specific market sectors |
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i4 'Start With Success' and 'Market Maker Skills' are FREE to those meeting the eligibility criteria. The courses are delivered by a series of seminars, workshops and activities over three full days (9.30am - 4.30pm), at Millennium Point in Birmingham City Centre.
Co-financed by the Learning Skills Council and European Social Fund, i4 Skills training courses are run by UCE Birmingham's Technology Innovation Centre, in conjunction with Wolverhampton-based Light House.
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| 4. Visit the UK's Biggest Technology Event - Videoforum 2007 |
If anyone is interested in joining us to go to London by coach on Wednesday the 7th February 2007, to visit Videoforum 2007 at Earl’s Court, please email scarlet.scardanelli@tic.ac.uk (subject: Earl’s Court) to register your interest.
On previous visits the Creative Networks team has found it to be a great opportunity to get to grips with some of the latest technologies and try-out equipment and software.
There's a wide range of new exhibitors at VideoForum 2007 and masses of new technology on show for you to test and try out, including:
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Mobile video technology, IPTV systems & streaming services from Newtek, Narrowstep, DatMedia, Vividas, IP Media Services, Astream, Viewcast, Breeze Technologies, Flash, i2i Technology, Albany Creative, Cotswold Communications... |
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New Blu-ray and HD-DVD technology - authoring software and professional drives |
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New tapeless & HD cameras from Grass Valley, Panasonic, JVC, Sony, Canon, Ikegami... |
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The latest desktop editing tools from Avid, Adobe, Newtek, Matrox, Apple, Canopus, Sony... |
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New technical equipment from Root 6, ERA, Axon, Tektronix, For-A, Hamlet, Crystal Vision, Electronic Visuals, Murraypro, NMR, Kramer Electronics, Bryant Broadcast... |
You will also find all the essential accessories from lights, tripods, prompters and long-arm supports to cables, connectors, interfaces and monitors |
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| ©
Technology Innovation Centre (tic) 2006
Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG
phone +44 (0)121 331 5400 fax +44 (0)121
331 5401
email enquiries@tic.ac.uk www.tic.ac.uk
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