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Brososkablog: Leaping Into The Fray
Randy offers a much, much more sober and less acerbic perspective.

Having spent a week-long personal retreat in Banff at Interactive Screen 1.0, I have had some opportunities to experience an incredibly diverse range of interdisciplinary art. Admittedly, I have some frustration with some of the art that I experienced. This was more than the "that's not my thing" kind of frustration or rejection that we all encounter at some point. There was a disconnect for me, for some pieces.

First, understand that I have enough communication theory knowledge to make me dangerous, so if anyone has comments to offer that point me in the direction of sources for this area of the ideas presented in this article, please chime in!

At first I thought I was, in fact, experiencing the "I don't get" reaction that is often the case with artwork that is pushing the boundaries and exploring new territories of human expression. Still, this nagging feeling wouldn't go away. Then, during a panel discussion about the nature of art versus design, I began to reflect on my own practice of blending theatre and digital media. I realized that the artist defines a state for their audience.

The challenge for an audience is when they are presented with cues that tell them to expect a certain kind of performance. For example, when an audience is asked to arrive at a certain time, it implies a starting time for a sequence of events that will make no sense if the beginning is missed. If the audience is presented with an opening and closing time, then the implication is that the show has no beginning middle and end. The audience has the freedom to come and go independently of one another.

When artists present work that offer no beginning/middle/end structure when they have set up their audience, even with the most subtle of cues, to expect that structure, they are playing with fire. This can often backfire on the artist and people are left missing the point of their piece. An author would not randomize the pages of a book for effect, why do performance artists ignore the cues they give their audience.

In Banff, I encountered exactly that situation. I attended a piece created by Rory Middleton called "Meet Me in the Woods." In this piece, the audience encounters a musician in the woods. Much like encountering a rare sighting of an elk or deer, the audience is able to observe this musician without the musician's awareness. I had the opportunity to chat with Rory a bit and get a stronger sense of his intentions. I shared my thoughts about perhaps trying to set a range of time rather than setting a start time. That resonated for him because he really wanted to play against the feeling of "setting the stage." In fact, he wanted to turn off a spotlight (necessary because the event occurred at dusk) because he worried the effect made it too theatrical. I am curious to learn if he chooses to offer the time range and what result it has with the audience.

Performance art is a unique blend of the alinear arts (painting, writing, sculpting, etc.) and linear arts (theatre, dance, music). Some performance art places linear art behaviours in an alinear experience.

Time is such an important element in an artist's work. Thinking about the cues that you give an audience as an artist and how you can manage those cues in an effective way is vital. Much the same way an artist might manipulate typeface, colour palette, or tonal dissonance, so too the performance artist might manipulate the subtle messages they send an audience experiencing their work. Intentionally reversing expectations is fine, just be prepared for the ramifications.

In light of the recent altercation between non-professional bloggers and professional theatre producers, I thought I would offer up a few tips on how to write a review for those who are not professional reviewers. The challenge one faces is that there is no actual "professional theatre review" certificate or diploma to quantify what exactly constitutes the professional skills and knowledge of a professional theatre reviewer. That said, I have conducted extensive anecdotal research, several field surveys in the gathering places of theatre professionals, and support it with conclusions I have drawn from direct one-to-one interviews with consumers of professional theatre. As you can see, my perspective is well supported and should be taken with great severity and sobriety.

If you follow these simple steps you too can offer theatrical reviews that will avoid nasty acrimonious alacrity and alarm from those you choose to review.

1) Include a synopsis of the plot of the play. Do your research! Make sure you are clear on what exactly it is that you just watched. Don't let your direct experience of the piece fool you into thinking that what you saw is actually what you saw.

2) Praise first! Be sure to identify those who offered excellent performances. Be sure to include at least one main player, because to only single out the less important members of the company can cause serious stress to the crystalline emotions of other members. Comparisons between performers is a surefire way to fracture their tenuous connections. Avoid comparisons at all costs.

3) Make sure negative statements obfuscate your true meaning. When dealing out the inevitable "this sucked" comment, it is always best to wrap your naked truth in a cloak of ornate allegorical rhetoric.

4) Refer to external related (or unrelated) previous performances. These can be references to other productions of the show, or performances by the actors. (NOTE: be careful not to indulge in any direct comparisons, see point 2)

5) Use clever references to academic sounding research. One of the problems a non-professional faces is having to prove that their opinion is valid. The best way to do this is to refer to academic works. Be sure that your references are obscure enough to prove difficult to verify, but still sound smart.

6) Avoid any honest reflection or authentic sounding phrasing. One of the most challenging things a non-professional theatre reviewer faces is the messy aftermath of honesty. It is always best to quell any temptation to place yourself in the line of fire of a defensive artist.

7) Empathize with the artist. Work hard to understand that most artists don't spend time with their audience. They fear an invasion of their privacy and a distraction from their work. After all, if they spend all their time with real people, how could they possibly elevate the stories of the common man to the level required to present on the stage.

8) Be aware of the existing reputation of the actors and the company you are reviewing. If you are reviewing venerated members of the theatre community, be sure to apply a meticulous rigour to your comments to ensure you are not marring this veneration. You are only a non-professional and your opinion is only that of a regular audience member. One phrase amiss and you can topple years upon years of work to build up a house of cards for these players to stand on.

9) Analyze the educational background of the actors. This can provide vital clues to the sanctity of their reputations. For example, in Edmonton, graduates of the U of A's BFA Acting degree tend to have a greater priority to maintain the purity of their craft compared to the MacEwan Univeristy's less pure program. As a result, you can probably be more honest with a MacEwan grad.

10) Reviews should sell tickets. In these times of economic struggle, it is getting harder and harder for theatre artists to earn a buck. As a result, the production quality is always threatened. Edmonton has gotten fat on the high value productions at a relatively low cost. Negative reviews will lead to even lower attendance to the struggling productions. If you want to ensure high quality productions, make sure the mediocre work is well supported.

There you have it. Follow these simple rules and you too can offer reviews that will pass muster with those who have sacrificed themselves to entertain you by showing you a better version of yourself.

Oh, one thing, I am a non-professional rule-writer. I have taken great pains to ensure that my rules have in no way offered a personal perspective, but have been verified through the research methodology discussed above. Any comments on this work that venture into the territory of suggesting that I am a professional, or any direct attacks on my personal reputation will be ignored.

"...in a moment of youthful indiscretion, I went to law school." - Daniel Pink

I am often inspired by TED Talks. I realize there is a trend for TED bashing and I occasionally participate in such things. I also find that while I disagree with some of what TED has become, I think that the individuals who share their stories and then post them for free are often inspiring and help me re-think. One of these is Daniel Pink's "The Surprising Science of Motivation." This talk makes a case for redefining work, management, and problem solving.

I struggle with management. I am a manager and I despise behaving in managerial ways. I am not a fan of "carrots and sticks" thinking. Much of my success in my career has come as a result of pursuing interests that I would pursue regardless if there was a paycheque or dividend attached. I have been fortunate enough to be able to monetize this kind of behaviour and break out of the mould of "work" that I used to have to do.

Pink's talk reminded me of a great book I once read called "First, Break All the Rules." After I read it, I changed many of the ways I lead. What was interesting was I began to get criticized for being too nice or too soft on those I was leading. Amusingly, even though I was easy-going, work got done, work happened just as fast or slow as it would if I had behaved differently, and I was less stressed out, less contemptuous, and less managerial (with all its negative connotations). Self-serving? Perhaps. I also believe that nobody can be responsible for your happiness, only you can.

So, what is Daniel Pink's big idea? I will summarize what I think he is saying. In today's knowledge economy, extrinsic motivators (carrots and sticks) are less effective than intrinsic motivators (internal drivers like passion and engagement). We are no longer a society of assembly line workers, we are paid to use cognitive skills, and the moment cognitive challenges are introduced to a problem, the efficacy of extrinsic motivators evaporates.

So, what do we do? How do we motivate people? Make sure you have the right people doing the right jobs (figure out what they care deeply about and get them to do that), give them the tools to get the job done without distraction, and get out of their way.

Daniel Pink's ideas reminded me of David Carson's TED Talks answer to the question, "what's definition of a good job?" The answer, his favourite, "if money didn't matter, would you continue doing what you are doing? If you would, you've got a great job. If you wouldn't, then rethink what you are doing because you're going to be doing it for a long time."

Lastly, all of this connects nicely to Nick Nissley's talk at the recent TEDxCalgary. His talked focused on an idea he has termed "narrative leadership." This is the notion that great leaders tell great stories. How these stories are told and what kind of vision they inspire can determine what outcomes are more likely. His example was the term "at risk" in the context of disenfranchised youth. The story of someone "at risk" is to say that they are always on the brink of disaster. Instead, what if the story was about youth "at potential." To tell the story of someone who is "at potential" is the story of someone who might fail once or twice, but because they are have potential, it only makes sense that, in this story, they would continue to realize that potential.

Daniel Pink's Talk - http://blog.ted.com/2009/08/the_surprising.php
David Carson - http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_carson_on_design.html
Nick Nissley - http://www.banffcentre.ca/departments/leadership/faculty/nick_nissley.asp

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." - Mark Twain

I have a friend who is going through a struggle. Her family is more than happy to belittle her ambitions. What a sad thing when your own family can't offer the safe haven from the trials of the world. I have been blessed to have a family who supported me even though some of my choices have been hugely risky and beyond what most would expect a profoundly hard of hearing person to tackle.

Growing up, the idea that I was somehow not the same as all the other little kids in the playground simply didn't happen. In every way I was exactly the same. My only difference was the fact that only heard 20% of what others heard without my hearing aids and with them, I could hear 80% or so, but the missing 20% happened to be the sound frequencies of consonants, birds, high pitched sirens, watch alarms, and really bad speakers. I lived (and still do) in a world of vowels. Imagine a world where everyone talking to you sounded like they had a dental dam in their mouth. Perhaps I should've been a dentist... :)

What amazes me is that, for me, my options and opportunities were limitless. I dreamed of being an astronaut. My family didn't say, "Oh, Owen, you are hard of hearing, you can't EVER be an astronaut." Heck no. My dad packaged up my drawing and designs for a spaceship inspired by SPACE:1999 and sent them off to NASA. We were all stunned when NASA sent back a GIANT package of posters, information cards, and a personal letter encouraging me to continue my studies, work hard and I could be a part of the space program one day. They didn't know I was hard of hearing. All they knew was I was a kid who had a dream and the last thing they were going to do was crush it.

This is why I am saddened when I hear stories about people putting limits on each other. For me, family is supposed to be the safety net that catches you when you fly too close to the sun. For me, family is there to celebrate your victories and help you recover from your wounds.

My kids watched Forrest Gump the other night for the first time. I was reminded what made that movie great. The relationship between Forrest and Jenny is beautiful on many levels. For me, the unconditional love between them make my heart swell. This is what family is. Isn't the world harsh enough? Don't we owe it to each other to just be that safety net?

The next time someone tells me they are going to do something crazy, I will tell them that they absolutely can do it and if it doesn't work out, I will be here for them. I guess that's what Twain was talking about. Why tell a couple of brothers they can't fly rather than cheering them on? Why tell a hard of hearing kid he can't be an astronaut when you can send him a big package of posters and information cards? Why limit someone when you can help them become who they dream to be?

I always tell people, when I am trying to explain empathy, that everyone is a hero in their own story. The next step is to become the hero in someone else's story. When you support, encourage, cajole, cheer or celebrate someone you care about, you take the first step to being a hero in their story. You begin an upward spiral, and you become truly great.

Games have always, for me, been a great way to tell a story. What's interesting, is how gaming naturally gravitates to archetypes that can be traced all the way back to ancient forms of theatre like commedia dell'arte. Characters that we expect to see in every form of entertainment can trace their origins back to the archetypes echoed in commedia. And rightly so. Readers of Joseph Campbell will often find themselves seeing the same stories played out over and over across the history of humankind.

What's wonderful about the commedia is that it was improvised. Characters had lazzi that they would perform, but depending on the city or town they were performing in, the various characters would take on protagonist or antagonist nuances. If a town was sympathetic to the plight of il dottore de bologna, then he would be the bumbling kind-hearted professor, who stumbles in at the right moment to save the heroine, or if the troupe was performing elsewhere, the good doctor would become the accomplice of the nefarious Pantalone.

This is where gaming offers some wonderful opportunities to explore this notion of character perspective. Depending on who and how you choose to play, you can immerse yourself in the empathetic perspective of the characters who might otherwise be seen as villains. Sports is very much like this. Edmonton hockey fans have seen their dream team go from top of the heap to the role of underdog. This perspective is very different for native Calgarians who have always seen the Oilers as the evil empire that must be toppled. Who is "right." That all depends. Where are you from?

As an actor, I have had to play characters whose perspective I did not share. It was my job to figure, understand, and empathize with that character. This is a very intense and world-altering thing. What did I get from those experiences? I realized that everything is not as it seems. Good guys are sometimes not all good, and bad guys are sometimes not all bad. I learned that people do horrible things because they think they are doing the right thing. For me, in life, I have learned to let the story play out a little before I begin to form alliances and take sides. It isn't easy, but patience is great for revealing things are otherwise hidden.

Games play an important role, for me, in offering everyone an opportunity to discover the same things I did as an actor. What I would like to see is the game storytellers begin to bring this richness to their work. The Sith are not necessarily evil. It's a matter of perspective. The Jedi are not necessarily good. What if a game featured a Jedi suicide bomber... what if...

Well now, never say never. I am officially returning to this blog, and you can thank Empire Avenue for that.

It was really more practical than anything. I enjoy blogging and post on my company's blog (http://www.gurudigitalarts.org) but I don't really have a personal outlet, and it is time that the stuff that I want to personally share is presented separately from Guru's blog. Not to say that the tone of the blog at Guru will change. It's just nice to have a place for more personal perspectives.

That said, I am returning to this blog and all its stuff. I plan to keep to the theme of the thespian perspective, mainly because it is where I tend to bring my thoughts from. I start from the "when I was in theatre" and connect that perspective to whatever I am doing now.

I am working with understanding motivation and what makes people do what they do. I often say, "people are the hero in their own story." I think this is what leads to conflict and tension. One person thinks they are doing the right thing, another person thinks that too. When they realize the things they are doing don't fit together, we get tension and conflict. Simple right?

There is a great deal of talk about empathy. Do people really know what that means? Are people truly empathetic? Empathy can lead to a complete reversal of strategy. Are companies really prepared to do that? Perhaps the courageous ones are.

Empathy is a bit thing, I want to write more on this...

This little blog of mine has been gathering dust, but not due to my lack of blogging activity. I have just come to realize that I am spreading my blogging efforts a bit too thin. I have three right now and I think it is time to consolidate.

So, please visit me at http://www.newglobemedia.com

I am hoping to focus primarily there and keep adding my thoughts on what it means to be a knowledge worker in today's world.

All the best,
Owen

Digital Alberta once again help out with the annual Christmas @ Cannes event organized by the CMA. Showing the NABS reel of the latest award winning commercials from around the globe, the night took place at Flames Central on the 1st of Dec and was a lot of fun. I think one of the favourite commercials of the evening had to be ‘if cats had opposable thumbs’ along with a super unique Japanese mobile phone ad. As the drinks and food flowed, Digital Alberta members mingled in the DA reserved section and enjoyed the evening. All in all another great event this year.

Category: Industry News

On Monday December 12th, Digital Alberta sponsored one of the more unique seasonal mixers held in the province this month. Nat Jones and Travis Shewchuk have been showcasing their work (Nat’s comic art and Travis’s sculptures) at Shades of Grey tattoo studio that features some of the most rare collectible toys in city. This only makes sense since Shane Turgeon is the organizer of the Edmonton Collectible Toy and Comic Show and owner of Shades of Grey.

The show featured original work from Nat's incredibly successful '68 series including some works that were not included in the published comic. As well, several Travis Shewchuk creations, including two full sized zombies based on the '68 series. Amongst the most memorable pieces were Nat's zombie-based pop culture pieces that served as very clever and nuanced socio-political commentary on the times. These pieces are must-sees for any comic zombie fan.

The evening was a wonderful mash-up of digital media folks, film & TV folks, comic fans, and at one point I could have sworn I saw a zombie shuffle past the bathroom door. Jay Bardayla of Happy Harbor comics was ranting about growing the indie comic scene in Edmonton. Suzette Chan was on hand to promote a new curated show of the late Gilbert Bouchard’s comic book collection titled “I’m No Superman.” Andrew Foley (one of the writers of the original graphic novel “Cowboys & Aliens”) was on hand to chat about the joys of being a comic book writer and creator. Multiple members of the Guru Digital Arts College faculty and student body checked out the cool space and amazing work of Nat’s and Travis’s.

The evening was a steady stream of folks chatting and enjoying a little “cheer” courtesy of Digital Alberta. More and more it seems that Digital Alberta is present at the intersections between media forms. From the Alberta Book Publishers speed dating with media producers to the amazing Banff weekend co-produced with AMPIA, Digital Alberta is continually seeking unique opportunities to discover synergies between groups that have yet to discover the power of their collaborative potential. 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year and Digital Alberta will be in the thick of it mashing all the way.

Category: Industry News

Unit B is a newly repurposed space in the basement of the McKenney building on the corner of 104 St. and 102 Ave., on the edge of the warehouse district in downtown Edmonton. Like many of the early 20th century brick warehouses and lofts in the area, it’s sturdy looking 3 level brick building with layers of stories buried inside. 

Unit B is a shared workspace conceived of and occupied by a group of entrepreneurs in different parts of the creative arts business. We’re home to artists, writers and graphic designers, PR and marketing pros, a political consultant, and several internet wizards specializing in web architecture, web development and organic search engine optimization.

Each member of the B team had a hand in renovating and fixing up the place, and now we’re proud to say that it looks like the beautiful creative studio that we envisioned. We all the rent our individual offices, and each pitch in on the upkeep of the shared common areas.

The space had been vacant for many years before we took it over several months ago. The whole thing is still very new, a little blurry, and a lot of fun.

Here are some shots from the opening reception we hosted in early December, which we hope is just the first of many. There are potentially some more offices to open up in Unit B, so please be in touch if this sounds like the way you want to work. You’d probably like it, it’s fun.

Tags: yegcreative spaceoffice spacenetworkingCategory: Industry News

Media Release

Edmonton- Two local leaders in the digital arts and technology sector, Rocketfuel Games and GURU Digital Arts College, have reached an agreement to co-produce a new education-based video game. Mind’s Eye is a first-person shooter game that teaches students math skills while they obliterate mutant enemies. The project will integrate Rocketfuel’s game design expertise with the art direction and development skills of GURU staff and students.

Kyle Sams, a student in GURU’s Digital Illustration and Sequential Art program, along with support from program instructors Nat Jones & Lee Neilsen, will provide concept art, and GURU’s Interaction Design & Game Level Development program students will develop the game under the game design direction of GURU’s Executive Director, Owen Brierley.

Rocketfuel has produced multiple award-winning games in the learning sector, and is a leader in understanding game design and the dynamics of game play in a learning environment. “The level of expertise that GURU provides on both the art side and the technical side is phenomenal. We’ve done a lot of great games over the past few years and we’re excited to get started on Mind’s Eye,”  says Rocketfuel Games COO Norman Mendoza.

“I don’t always gravitate to what’s thought of as edutainment,” explains GURU Executive Director Owen Brierley. “It just conjures up an image of someone singing to me while I’m trying to do math, ugh. But this game is going to truly be entertaining and enjoyable to play, that’s our focus. I mean, its a hardcore mutant shooter, how fun is that? The game play will be so engaging that the students won’t even realize that they’re learning at the same time. That’s the key to this.”

Rocketfuel Games President Jason Suriano explains how the concept was born: “I was sitting at a conference and someone came up to me and said, ‘my kid will only play an educational game for about fifteen minutes before he starts playing Angry Birds. Can you guys fix that?’ The truth is, educational games haven’t been able to compete with entertainment-first games, but we think it’s time to try to do something disruptive in this space and what better way than to create a math-based first person mutant shooter game.”

About Rocketfuel Games

Rocketfuel Games produces games that you play online and in the real world. Launched in 2006, Rocketfuel has been recognized with various awards including Most Promising New Company at the Canadian New Media Awards and a 2010 Children’s Technology Review Award for their work with Discovery Communications. For more information visit www.rocketfuelgames.ca. 

About GURU

GURU Digital Arts College is an Edmonton-based private post secondary institute that trains students to work at the intersection of art and technology. Our graduates leave ready work for video game companies, advertising agencies, and graphic design studios and other interesting corners of the digital media industry. We make the learning fit the student rather than the student fit the learning. 

For more information or an interview, contact: 

Rocketfuel Games
Name: Jason Suriano
Number: 780-994-4237
Email: jason@rocketfuelgames.ca 

GURU Digital Arts College
Name: Erin Hazen
Number: 780-429-4878
Email: erin.hazen@gurudigitalarts.com

Tags: media releasegururocketfuel gamespartnershipCategory: Industry News

by Owen Brierley

This past weekend 50 producers of various stripes gathered at the Banff Centre for a unique event that offered the first co-production between Digital Alberta and AMPIA. What ensued was several good sessions featuring a range of perspectives from both the digital media and film and television industries.  

Why was this important? The general trend of government funding (which supports up to 70% of Canadian film or television production) has been to merge digital media production funding and film & TV funding into one “media fund.”As a result, film and television producers are asked to also include digital media in their content development strategy. As well, digital media producers are now competing with seasoned film & tv producers for funds. The vision for this, long term, is a good one. The notion that content is moving from broadcast to “bitcast”(a term coined by Nicholas Negroponte in “Being Digital”an old futurist book from 1997 that still has relevance today) is prevalent in conversations about the future of media production. AMPIA used to be the Albera Motion Pictures Industry Association and recently changed its name to Alberta Media Producers Industries Association. The Banff World Television Festival is now called the Banff World Media Festival. You can see a trend. 

On Saturday, the group gathered to hear the various perspectives of several representatives from the industries. The broadcast landscape was championed by Tessa Sproule from CBC interactive, the TV producer perspective was shared by Jordy Randall of Seven24 Films (creators of “Heartland”, the digital media production story was told by Michael Sikorsky of 1400 Months, the on-line distribution perspective was covered by Trevor Doerkson from MoboVivo, and the overall digital landscape was presented by Michelle Sklar from Digital Alberta. 

This was followed a lunch hosted by McLeod Dixon, and featured a presentation from Peter Menzies, CRTC Commissioner. Mr. Menzies shared the CRTC’s mandate to ensure there was a healthy interpretation of the two acts (Telecommunications & Broadcast) handed down from parliament. The questions from the group were indicative of the ramifications of convergence. Tessa Sproule asked if the CRTC saw the fact that the broadcasters also happened to be the telecommunications companies as a conflict. Menzies could only shrug and agree that the situation is not optimal, but change is happening. Joe Novak wanted to know why online distributors like Netflix are not under the same Canadian content regulations as broadcasters. Michelle Sklar wanted to know more about the UBB issues and the upcoming ramifications for those who watch their tv shows online. 

After lunch, Claire Stillwell & Meredith Macdonald from the law firm McLeod Dixon gave an overview of brand, trademark and copyright in relation to the world of social media. The general message was the old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”If you are proactive with your brand and message, you can avoid others stealing or impersonating your online presence.

Next up, a case study, we were presented with a collaboration between "1400 Months" and the producers of "Heartland" to develop a game related to the television series “Heartland". The game is based on the popular casual game “Sally’s Spa”developed by Games Cafe (also from Calgary). The game mechanics would remain the same, but the characters would be from the Heartland series. The result is a “horse spa”where the various activities that the player manages are activities that relate to caring for a horse. This was a great example of Digital Media adapting to fit an environment where the creative property has already matured. There are positive and negative aspects of this approach and the resulting conversations during the coffee break sponsored by Prime Capital Leasing. 

After coffee and a chance to stretch our legs, we returned for a session on funding called “Follow the Money”featuring, Luke Azevedo the CED Commissioner, Film & Television Creative Industries, Canada Media Fund - Paul McDougall, Brian Prokop –Roxy Enterprises, and Jeff Davison –Poor Dog Entertainment. This session looked at the various ways to fund projects and the conditions that content creators must meet in order to acquire either public or private investment. One of the big ideas shared by Brian Prokop was the necessity for a content creator to be able to demonstrate how the investment will be paid back, what is the result of the risk? Amazingly, there is over $30 million dollars in funding available for various CMF projects.  

After all that, it was time to network. Everyone at the event was eager to meet other producers and many were proactive about blazing new trails to connect with folks outside their discipline. The pre-dinner mixer was sponsored by Calgary Economic Development in the MacLab Bistro in the excellent new Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation. Dinner was in the lovely Vistas Dining Room. 

The evening saw several groups continue the networking sessions in smaller groups. Self-selected groups who discovered all sorts of common ground.  

In the morning, Adobe sponsored the Sunday breakfast at 7:30, followed by an early morning session devoted to Digital Narrative Strateigies. I had the privilege of leading this session with 3 of my esteemed colleagues from a fairly broad spectrum of the digital media realm. Michael Magee is a Ph.D. in Educational Technologies and developing an online comic book publishing environment called the Fabler. Nat Jones is a legend in the comic industry. Kevin Franco is a transmedia storyteller. Each of these guys have developed intellectual property that was formatted for multiple media formats. From games to graphic novels to films the core of this session was to ensure that every creative concept begins with thinking about multiple media strategies.  

After the morning session, the group got intimate and interactive with a digital dating session that cycled all the attendees around a set of tables of about 6 people per table. During this time, everyone was able to share their story and connect with others they might not have had a chance to connect with yet.  

The overall theme of the weekend seemed to be connecting, sharing and comparing. Not everyone agreed with the perspectives shared, but instead of dismissive attitudes, the group in general seemed to want to hear and be heard. There seemed to be a genuine interest in continuing the conversations and find opportunities to have follow up events. It was a privilege to be a part of an event that initiated positive change in our industries. I am optimistic that as we continue these conversations, we will help develop new governmental policy, best practices in production, and sensible business models that address the growing changing face of the digital world. 

UPDATE: The "Heartland" game was a collaboration between 1400 Months and the producers of Heartland.  The article has been edited to reflect this. - OB

Can you give us a brief overview of 3DI is and what your company does?
We deliver physically accurate simulations in a repeatable and safe digital environment that blend art and science, capture attention and produce measureable results. 

What projects are you currently working on at the moment?
We are currently working on three simulators: one for snubbing, one for an automated drill rig and the last for a blast hole drill. We have also just started a major e-learning project for the oil and gas industry. 

What is the biggest impact that 3DI hopes to make on the industry and your field that you develop products for?
We hope to reduce accidents, save lives and improve core competency through cost-effective interactive training. We recognize that hands-on learning is a very effective training tool, especially in today's world of video games and phone apps. People learn more effectively if they are engaged and interested in what they are doing and we use a video game engine to give them an environment that both looks and behaves realistically. We are looking to take the entertainment value that video games provide and apply it to training applications so that the user can learn in a new way and enjoy themselves while they are doing so.

3DI does its development in Edmonton, what strengths do you feel that operating in this city provides that are conductive towards the growth of your company?
Having access to the University of Alberta has been a big help in growing our company. We've hired many people who have gone through their undergraduate or graduate programs in Computing Science, Engineering and Industrial Design. We're also lucky to be close to so many of the companies in the oil and energy industries. Having existing and potential clients so nearby is a huge bonus and it makes us more appealing because we are local and that makes communication that much easier.

Do you see any industry trends occurring with regards to your line of work?
Training is starting to become more important across many industries. Accidents are costly and so we've seen that companies are putting a higher priority on properly training their employees and they are looking for effective ways to do it. Digital media is becoming an increasingly large part our everyday lives and this results in people looking to be taught in more interactive ways than traditional classroom training. Companies are realizing this and looking to incorporate digital media into the way they train their employees, which leads them to look into simulators and e-learning.

Do you have a particular wish list of things that you would like to see changed here in Alberta to see the industry as a whole grow?
- Better government understanding and acknowledgement of interactive digital media. The more the government understands our industry, the easier it is for them to properly allocate funding and promote the industry, which in turn helps our industry to grow.
- Better facilitation and communication between post-secondary and industry. It would be great if we could work together more to ensure that students are learning things that are applicable both to their academic education and to their chosen industry when they graduate. Our industry moves so fast - we want to make sure that students aren't behind the curve before they even start their careers.
- Easier access to funding for R&D.

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Tags: member profilegamingCategory: Member Profile

The future of digital industries in Alberta got a shot in the arm on Wednesday when Digital Alberta and CE3C brought Laurie Gloge from Global Game Jam and Luis Berumen from StartUp Weekend to speak to a packed room at the Alberta College of Art + Design. More than 40 students heard about two events coming up in the new year: Global Game Jam (January 27-29), and StartUp Weekend (February 3-5).

Students were excited about the opportunity to interact with real industry professionals and exercise their ACAD skills in a real, applied context. Global Game Jam pairs artists, designers and technologists to create computer games in a 48 hour marathon. StartUp Weekend matches creatives with business mentors to create project pitches for a real life Dragon's Den and the opportunity for investment to create a new start up venture. Registration for Global Game Jam starts today (Thursday, November 17th).

Watch the DA website for details about how you can participate these great events, and check back for the results of the events in the new year.

  Tags: Startup weekendGlobal Game JamACADCE3CCategory: Industry News

Great voices met around the table at the Auburn Saloon on Tuesday for an intimate, creative, and super constructive evening. Representatives from the Vulcan Business Development Society (VBDS), the Alberta Rural Development Network, and Cybera met with some very talented thinkers from the Digital Alberta  membership to carve out a new wave of opportunities for Digital Producers and a vibrant rural constituency. Vulcan presented a number of challenges for our membership to brainstorm and consider. On offer here was the opportunity to bid $100,000 worth of contracts, and partner with Vulcan on future funding applications and initiatives. Our members were quick to see the potential of developing a cutting edge solution for this surprisingly large niche market that extends not only around the province, but across the country and the world: rural communities are increasingly competing against urban environments both for quality of living and business opportunities.

The participants of the Vulcan Digital Possibilities Symposium will have two weeks to develop their concepts before the competition will be opened up publicly. Watch the Digital Alberta website at the beginning of December for information and videos about what Vulcan, and other rural communities, are looking for. Then submit your pitch for up to $100,000 worth of contracts that may lay the foundation for your next big product line.

This opportunity is exclusively for Digital Alberta members; a current membership in good standing is require to hold a contract with VBDS. This is yet another way DA supports its members and drives innovation across our industry and the province.

Category: Industry News

Our PR Lunch and Learn took place yesterday at Accelerator YYC, Calgary’s new Day 1 startup launchpad. We had a packed room and great crowd – a mix of technical minds and marketing practitioners looking to re-fresh their PR skills. The session provided participants with an introduction and practical tips on creating a thought-out PR strategy and campaign. Lead by Digital Alberta board member Arleigh Vasconcellos the session included a presentation from guest speaker John Robertson from Marketwire. Marketwire offers a number of great tools and resources to help run a successful PR program. Yesterday’s workshop is a part of a series focused on PR and its skills. The next Lunch and Learn will delve into how to engage with the media. Stay tuned for dates and sign-up details.

Category: Industry News

About Arleigh Galant Vasconcellos – principal of The Agency

Arleigh is a bundle of energy and brings a wealth of experience and passion to all of her communications projects and clients. Working in the field for over 13 years, she founded The Agency in March 2009 upon her return to Canada.

Prior to coming home to her native Calgary, Arleigh lived in London, UK where she had the opportunity to hone her PR skills working with a diverse contact network including international government bodies such as the UNWTO and global business leaders in the banking, technology, and travel and tourism sectors. Some career highlights include leading the Communications and PR team for WTM at Reed Exhibitions, and managing the PR, Sponsorship and Promotions team at Virgin Holidays. In both roles she focused on strategic planning, change management, project messaging, and managing globals communications campaigns.

Since her return to Canada, Arleigh has jumped head first into growing her business and connecting with the interesting people who live and work in the Canadian tech space. She currently works with a handful of excellent organizations including Digital Alberta and Wmode Inc., sits on the TechRev PR Roundtable and this past spring ran two Lunch and Learn sessions on the basics of PR for tech start-ups at Innovate. 

About The Agency

Favouring technology, especially the mobile start-up and software spaces, The Agency is an enthusiastic member of the local technology community.

We specialize in delivering integrated strategic communications campaigns and building long term communications plans for our clients. What does building a communications strategy mean? It’s everything from setting-up your communications goals, to planning how you’ll execute on them, to doing the work to get-it-done.