This word ‘cultural’ in the phrase ‘cultural entrepreneur’ really tripped me up, and this is problematic because our class has been tasked with trying to define what a cultural entrepreneur is.

I found myself wondering why it was there at all, this word cultural because don’t businesses have some kind of social impact anyway? Doesn’t it somehow affect the surrounding culture and if it is a very successful business, like Coca-cola (and the re-invention of Santa Claus) it can impact culture in a huge way. Any successful individual makes an impact right? and they don’t have to be in business at all. Then I thought, well I can’t be the only person in the whole wide world to think this, and the fact that the term exists means there is a distinction somehow.

So I did the only thing I could: I turned to ‘The Independents,’ the Demos report on how creatives work and why cultural entrepreneurs matter. According to the reoprt ‘Over and above their role in generating new jobs and economic growth, and in promoting social cohesion and a sense of belonging, they have been seen as providing a ‘new’ model of work and creative production.’

Well, the more I read refreshed my memory (I had read this before you know) and I remembered Annette saying not to assume that business practise in the creative sector was normal i.e. collaborative approach for specific projects, not necessarily knowing or being deliberate about business etc…by doing so I was able to reign myself in.

Entrepreneurial traits, I find are easier to distinguish I guess partly because of how popular the term is nowadays you’ve got everyone from Kimora Lee Simons to Philip Green to Bill Gates being described as one (at some point there was joke that anyone who said that was basically unemployed).

I decided to go with Oprah Winfrey.

She is constantly in the top 10 Forbes Rich list or other, her show which is watched in 144 countries has been the number1 talk show in the U.S for 22 years. There definitely is a strong cultural impact there! Especially in daytime television which so many women tune into on a daily basis, phrases like having an ‘aha moment’,  or ‘live your best life’ are part and parcel of the culture. She owns the studio that produces the show (making her the third woman to do so in American history) and she produces films, has 2 magazines, a radio show and related products like her book club. All these things help create ‘The Oprah Effect‘ where whatever she backs up becomes a success. She is also about to launch, if she hasn’t already, her own network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and ofcourse the philanthropy.

People’s feelings vary from extreme adoration to annoyance but the steady and decided way in which she has built her ‘empire’ over the years and maintained it demonstartes a strong entrepreneurial trait. I would say she ticks all the boxes when it comes to a cultural entrepreneur, what do you think?

I am still extremely overwhelmed about our Inspirational Speakers Day!

Taking Oliver Leggett, for instance, and his presentation on leading and managing creative team, I need to agree that there were some really useful points. First of all, networking and people by people techniques which help in growing the business organically. Also, very interesting suggestion was that everyone in a creative enterprise can be a leader and this can be seen through being innovative or simply through pointing out if someone else’s ideas are better. The key point, however, were values and, therefore, he pointed out that it is extremely important to know yourself and to be true to yourself. Moreover, focusing on values and strengths are the main keys to success. It makes me think of, in this point, about our PPD module where we had a chance to assess your skills and values. I am recognising the importance of it now even more..

The other two guest speakers, Rachel Hargrave and Alan James were very inspirational in terms of the dynamics of the creative enterprise. Rachel, moreover, drew our attention to the importance of communication. Also, in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive market she says, “You have to be really good at what you do” and “It’s not important to be a big agency and exist but to be different”. Finally, as the same speaker, admitted, media convergence is also very important since it dictates how, or rather in what ways, the audience receives the message; if it is through, traditional media, or through social networking applications, mobile phones, iPods etc..

Don’t you think that what we’ve learnt so far from the modules from the first semester is all captured in practice within creative enterprises? The main task for us, however, is to apply everything what we’ve learnt to a real life and take the most out of it.

Dom.

Hi everyone! I am writing this blog post a day after our creative guest speakers gave such motivating speeches. Also, there will be one more post coming (hopefully today) commenting on Inspirational Speaker Day.

First of all, I would like to draw our attention to first assignment in Cultural Entrepreneurship whose deadline is on 6^th March. I have been thinking recently about any possible relevant case studies which would form the basis for the final report. What do you think about recent story about Jade Goody and how she uses media to show her illness? Don’t you think that she is an example of a cultural entrepreneur? Selling her fitness videos and DVDs, perfumes, autobiography, etc. and using all different kinds of media (including her appearance on celebrity Big Brother in 2008) brought her huge profit already. In addition to all this, she decided to shoot the reportage about her illness and how she struggles to survive each day showing other women, who suffer from cervical cancer, the importance of spending the last months with the closest family friends. It’s like Horace’s carpe diem (‘seize the day’) the phrase which probably reflects the feelings of this ‘entrepreneur’ and helps her create something culturally important for the British nation that no one has ever done before.

Maybe I’m going the wrong direction but I’m considering many different case studies at the moment.

Dominika Jankowska

Hi there, this is YuChi from Taiwan. I am the current student of MA Media Enterprise.

I make it a rule to write a blog about pop music or movies since five years ago, but this is the first time I have ever written a blog in English. I think it will be my next goal to achieve. Haha…XD

In the following article, I will introduce a “Cultural Entrepreneur” from Taiwan.

Jay Chou, is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. He is well-known for composing all his own songs and songs for other singers, and also is the founder of JVR MUSIC. Media said that Jay is the top 100 most influential people in Asia, and received the Asia’s Heroes 2005 by TIME magazine.

In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for popular Chinese singers. Although he was trained in classical music, Jay combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock and pop genres, covering issues such as domestic violence, war, and urbanization.

In 2000 Jay released his first album, titled Jay, under the record company Alfa Music. Since then he has released one album per year, selling several million copies each. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia, most notably in regions such as Mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, and in overseas Asian communities, winning more than 20 awards each year. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. He debuted his acting career in Initial D (2005), for which he won Best Newcomer Actor in Golden Horse Awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music. He has also endorsed various models of Media Players released by Onda in which he appears on the box, and his signature and likeness is printed on the back of certain models of these players.

JAY’S FIRST SINGLE: Adorable Woman CHECK HERE!!<-

To Be Continue…

Well this is just a test and eventually I found the login area at the bottom. I must be quite dim at times! As you can see I’m blogging about nothing.

I’ve done the assignment and what I’ve learnt is that entrepreneurs are not just someone who starts their own business like the Americans definition. Entrpreneurs creates a new business model, market or product. Most creatives create but not all make a product that creates it’s own market demand or fullfils a unreleased niche market. However there seems to be a blurring of being entrepreneurial in the creative industries. Haven’t quite got the Cultural diffusion idea…..on the David Rae part especially as Loudmouth doesn’t appear to exist now and that was his ‘case study’. Lost interest at 3.15am this morning after a hour of exhaustive searching via Google. In case you are wondering why I’m working that late – I think better without distraction.

‘As Leadbeater and Oakley (1999) argue, cultural entrepreneurs ‘blur the demarcation lines’ between consumption and production, work and non-work, individualism and collaboration’ (Rae, 2007:194)

I might be following Maddonna on this next assignment or perhaps the guys who set up Lovehoney.co.uk. They were both pushed and pulled into it!!!!! Maddonna wasn’t, she pushed!!! Or Ollie Leggit?

Has anybody got any ideas???

Hi, this is the first time I have ever written a blog – so its all new to me. I ‘m currently about half way through the media enterprise masters. I am starting a project which I need to focus on a “Cultural Entrepreneur ”.

I have a fashion background so therefore this will of course influence my choice finally. I have had a quick think of some individuals I’d like to look at, but I would really appreciate everyones input and ideas on my choices or any other suggestions. 

The list so far of female cultural entrepreneurs i’d like to look at so far are: Anita Roddick – BodyShop, Victoria Beckham, Katie Price, the inventor of the Wonder bra and or possibly  Bravissimo.