Welcome to June's Issue of the Newsletter for members of "The Creative Networks"

'Creative Networks' at UCE Birmingham's Technology Innovation Centre (tic) brings 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 establish a strong, long-term, sound and screen-based Creative Industry in the West Midlands. 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, identify the resources they are seeking or find support for the projects they are planning.

Visit the online portal www.creativenetworksonline.com for up-to-date news, funding, business support, training and tender opportunities.

Thursday 29th June - From 6.00pm til LATE at tic, Millennium Point
The Collaborative Networking Event for Creative Industry Professionals

'The Apprentice' - Road to Success
The man behind the candidates reveals the secret 'winning' formula

The life-coach of winning Participants from ‘The Apprentice’  TV programme, the UK version with Alan Sugar, will give advice on promoting behavioural change. Guest presenter, Martin Goodyer will alter your approach to life's challenges. Highly motivating, his presentation helps get you ready to make the change you desire and to benefit from the resulting success.

This interactive experience offers time to address individual problems and get answers to your questions. It will actively help change your perspective and embrace life as it presents itself from a different points of view. It will help you to change yourself and others and to get results!

The Creative Networks event is FREE. If you would like to join us, please contact Mandeep Chana on email mandeep.chana@tic.ac.uk, or call Ha Vu on phone 07967 706 445. You'll be very welcome.

Register on the Creative Networks portal www.creativenetworksonline.com and select the 'Business Profile' section to take the opportunity to showcase your media services and projects on the Digital Asset Management (DAM) System.

The regular monthly 'Open Floor' Pitching feature gave delegates the opportunity to give a short pitch about their creative business in order to gain the interest of and to seek collaboration with, fellow industry members.  First on the stage was Ian Wallman, pitching about his company Output.

Output Contact: Ian Wallman phone 07973 925023 email ian@output.ws website www.output.ws

Ian Wallman established Output Production a year ago as a vehicle for his music production, engineering and writing activities. With 12 years experience in the music industry, Ian has been involved in many areas of the business. His activitied range from having a number seven in the charts, being nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello award, being signed to a couple of high profile record labels, touring with established acts, releasing many successful records, to producing many singles and albums for local, national and international artists.
Ian has been involved in numerous projects, within various genres, during his career.

The aim of OUTPUT is both to centralise and diversify further Ian’s activities, chiefly through extensive collaborations with the local and national media industries.

The services OUTPUT provides are:

	music composition / arrangement
	audio mixing
	access to vast back-catalogue of works
	recording facilities (both location and studio)
	experience with Pro Tools / Logic / Ableton
	dubbing / post production services
	music consultation
	links with local musicians
	creative input to projects
	radio production / jingles
	music for websites

Surinder Sandhu Contact: Surinder Sandhu phone 07746 130535 email saurango@aol.com web www.surindersandhu.com

Surinder highlighted preparations for his new album, The Fictionist, a full Symphony Orchestra score with Indian and Western choirs, soloists and special guests, being recorded between June and September 2006. It will be mixed courtesy of George Lucas at his Skywalker Ranch, California, and will be premiered in 2007.  Surinder is creating visuals for the album; three videos on the topics of the Past, Present, and Future of film-making, since, as a first generation British Indian, the music of Bollywood cinema was instrumental in exposing him to Indian culture.  Surinder welcomes contact from anyone interested in getting involved with the project.

Gary further demonstrated The New Grey Whistle Test’s work with a three and a half minute video trailer.  The New Grey Whistle Test showcases aspiring artists and unsigned acts with an internet platform that carries on from the BBC Old Grey Whistle Test. It helps new bands and artists find opportunities to perform. They are looking for new talent, so contact Gary to find out more if your act could benefit from the exposure.

Optical Prime Broadcast Contact: Stuart Coburn mobile: 07773 375876 email: opticalprime@hotmail.com web www.opticalprime.co.uk

Optical Prime is a video / post-production company focusing on editing and/or FX design using the skills and experience, born of many years in broadcast and corporate media, to enhance clients’ productions.  Stuart invited anyone requiring more information on Optical Prime’s facilities and capabilities to visit their website or to contact him regarding projects Optical Prime could help bring from imagination into reality.

'Like Fxck' by Project X Presents, is an experimental cabaret event for the clubbing generation at Epic Skate Park, Alcester Road, Moseley on 08 July 2006. Project X Presents is a collective, motivated to deliver a challenging, uncompromising, once-in-a-lifetime, live entertainment experience with action moving around three stages, beguiling the audience in the middle of it all with a story of Birmingham’s creative potential.  The 'Like Fxck' event will include an exposé of technical, visual, musical, performing and humorous talent.  Rob invited anyone interested in membership, (which is required for admission), to visit the website.

Jonathan Webber Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and UK Trade & Investment phone 0121 607 1758 email j.webber@birminghamchamber.org.uk web www.birminghamchamber.org.uk

The first Expert on Export to speak, Jonathan Webber – Head of International Trade, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and UK Trade and Investment introduced himself as "The Government: The Establishment and therefore licenced to be boring!"  However, Jonathan proceeded to demonstrate that he dispensed with this licence in his role of 'looking after the Creative & Media side' of International Business Development.  In outlining the public assistance available to creative industries, Jonathan advised that there was no 'big pot of money' available to individuals. Financial assistance is targeted at multipliers such as Screen West Midlands.  His advice was therefore to approach international trade collectively, through licencing rather than shipping. 

He recommended international trade as an extension of business planning with additional language and cultural angles which may require training: research it well, and ask if you can afford it.  He asked the audience to bear in mind that there are Trade Officers working for UK business in 154 countries and that trade missions can be subsidised.  Jonathan’s main message was that he couldn't 'preach' international trade, but could have specific dialogue with anyone in the Creative Industries looking to export, especially if they addressed UK Trade and Investment’s objectives in their approach.  He invited such approaches and suggested learning from the experiences of the following speakers.

Stef Lewandowski Company: 3form & Type Records

phone 0121 773 5553
email stef@3form.net
web www.3form.net
web www.typerecords.com

Stef Lewandowski from interactive design company, 3form, and the experimental record label, Type records, shared what he had learned along the way for the benefit of anyone wanting to export.  Stef’s rationale for exporting Creativity from Birmingham is that industrial exports were overtaken by international competition to be replaced by services which have, in turn, now slowed. This leaves Intellectual Property (IP) and Creativity to drive the economy with twice the growth rates of other sectors.  Everything is going to the knowledge economy!  Birmingham needs to look to competitors in Europe and beyond instead of just London.  China, for instance, is building entire cities to exploit IP.  Creative design itself, as a service, can’t be replicated and scaled, and this Region has, for example, more musicians than any other outside London, which can give the West Midlands Region a clear advantage. 

Stef’s advice was to “go niche”. As you can’t be all things to all men, a specific niche makes you understandable.  He further advised getting partners, getting support and not compromising standards so that the Region can build a reputation for quality.

Rhonda Wilson MBA Company: Rhubarb Rhubarb phone 0121 773 7889 email info@rhubarb-rhubarb.net web www.rhubarb-rhubarb.net

Finally, Rhonda Wilson, of Rhubarb Rhubarb, spoke of her experience, over 12 years, in creating international networks for photographers and in developing photographers’ professional skills.  Rhonda started with a desire to get photographers recognized, but there were no fine arts markets in the Region. So, she brought photographers together with reviewers from London in an event at Cannon Hill Park which, through entertaining and showing quality, developed into Europe’s Premier portfolio review.  The event now brings together publishers from Europe, America and the Far East, making the most of technology though a website each year enabling reviewers to book individual viewings, giving a more intimate approach to a ‘trade fair’.  Last year two-thirds of the photographers got commissioned.  Rhonda recommended 'doing it your own way' and personally networking: people want to know who the people are behind the work being exported.  Rhonda’s own network amounts to some 25,000 through establishing networks with other databases.  She illustrated the value of networking through a trip she had to make to France to scout locations, however, a corporate contact from Spain advised that their French counterpart would await her arrival, and later taking her straight to the ideal venue!  So, do it your own way, deliver quality and make sure you network!