by Dominika Jankowska

Introduction

On 31st March The Studio in Birmingham city centre hosted an event entitled Crunch Time and was organised by Screen WM and Creative Republic. The debate undertook the topic on how the organisations within creative industries can beat the recession. Among the creative guest speakers there were such personalities, as: Suzie Norton (CEO, Screen WM), James Meadway (NESTA, co-author of “Attacking the Recession”), Helga Henry (Creative Republic), Lara Ratnaraja (Sector Development Director Creative, Cultural and Digital, Business Link), Chris Unitt (Editor, Created in Birmingham) and Ruth Ward (Managing Director, Rewired PR). Despite different backgrounds, all of the appointed entrepreneurs had something in common; fresh and innovative ideas on how to face credit crunch and not only survive within this time but also progress, as this is the key to success for each organisation.

“Attacking The Recession”
West Midlands region accounts 10% of total unemployment which is the highest in the UK. Cultural and Creative industries which are characterised by innovation, risk taking and creativity, are probably most vulnerable to economic changes. The co-author of Attacking The Recession, James Meadway recognises the importance of enhancing innovation through public funding and partnerships with businesses and enterprises, ‘The UK will need new growth sectors to make up for the dynamism that has been lost from financial services. The development of those growth sectors will require a mix of intelligent public investment, partnership with business and entrepreneurship. Decisive government leadership and public investment will be critical to innovation in many fields, from scientific research to cultural funding.’ Moreover, the biggest gains for society, he adds, will be found in those sectors that both offer the most immediate growth potential, drawing on the UK’s existing strengths, and help meet long-term challenges, such as green energy, environmental services, biotechnology, and services for ageing society. These need to form part of national economic strategy and be able to set long-term goals along with the political credibility to help deliver them. However, this approach needs to be combined with a mass of entrepreneurial activity which searches for new markets, opportunities and is characterised by innovation. James Meadway also adds that the recession will create a new platform of growth if business entrepreneurs emerge to take opportunities in new growth industries and social entrepreneurs address emerging social challenges.
Strong emphasis has been also put on networks and how people relate to each other. NESTA’s policy analyst argues that lack of these was one of the main reasons for collapsing of the global economy. Through digital networks and strengthening business-client relations creative industries can start breaking through the economic downturn. Recent statistics showed that Internet and BBC iPlayer account of 10% of the UK’s total internet usage which characterises the national market as driven by technological changes. Therefore, he finds the importance of using the technology as a main objective in companies’ strategies which help them meet their goals. Finally, cultural and creative industries will be driving the UK’s economy forward. It’s just the case of experimentation and creativity as long as these two work and bring the expected results.

Show me the money
Thomas Blount (Fund Manager, Advantage Proof of Concept Fund) supports small businesses and recognises the importance of innovation as well as intellectual property. As all of the guest speakers, he also supports social media which are necessary in formation of a long tail and organic growth of enterprises. However, he argues that the biggest block in growth is the access to finance – more specifically – to funding.
Skills development and Train to Gain
The panel strongly emphasised the development of skills and gaining new qualifications. This could be done, for instance, via Train to Gain, a joint investment – organisation and Government working together to boost business by improving the skills of the individual staff members. In the collaboration with Business Link, Train to Gain is a perfect tool for the business to use in the times of recession. It not only helps improving business performance and efficiency towards increasing profits but it also help the staff grow in motivation and confidence.
Summarising was the massive figure of 60% given by the panel which represents total percentage of graduates within creative industries who have, at least, gained BA degrees. This means that it is highly important to gain extra qualifications and training in this pretty competitive industry. Multi-talented qualified people represent another element of succeeding in the current economic climate.  Ergo, skills and qualification development and apprenticeships will help reach this goal.

No Budget Marketing
The panel’s guest speakers were Chris Unitt and Ruth Ward. Both guest speakers emphasised the importance of online media, direct marketing and direct mail, and social networks, such as Twitter, as keys to maintaining business-client relations. Surprisingly, there are still many creative enterprises which don’t really employ these tools in their overall business strategy. That’s one of the reasons why they don’t succeed these days.
Another useful point was that the organisation must not follow the crowds but be more innovative through using different tools of communicating with clients. Ruth also mentioned her PR organisation and how they communicate with their clients. Be different, innovative and remarkable are key elements for the current and future growth. Ruth mentioned the main steps to success and these were as follows:
•    You are biggest asset
•    Bring back bartering
•    Become your own broadcaster
•    Get creative (!)
•    Listen to what people say
•    Don’t be afraid to ask for leads
•    Be a connector
•    Become an authority on your industry
•    Ask clients for endorsements
•    Be the best at what you do

Change or die?
Tom Lawes (Electric Cinema) and Paul Davies (Television Junction) drew my attention to a very simple and how successful tool within the organisation. Diversity. ‘If you diversify your day you diversify your skills too’. Anything you do during the day at work; meetings with your clients, conferences, training they will be a good opportunity for diversifying your skills as well. One of the biggest skills, however, is to figure out where the money is and try to get it. It can be easily done through recognition of consumer preferences and current trends in the market. Once recognised they should be implemented into action and maintained.
Another crucial point was passion. The passion to work comes from skills and creativity. If you’re a creative person you will find fulfilment in anything you do (Tom Lawes).

I hope all of the above will help understand the importance of application of various approaches during the current economic situation and I will be looking forward to hearing from you what you think about it.

P.S Sorry for expanding my word count but I realised that everything discussed during Crunch Time was equally important =P

Good grief that went quickly…….on the 24th February, a group of eager students listened attentively…Ollie Leggett founder of IE Design, Birmingham, Rachel Hargrave, Phoenix Partners Leicester and freelance producer- Alan James.

Ollie Leggett of IE Design, was totally inspiring from how he obtained his first client, to his approach in running his business. His personal values have shaped his business ethos. When Ollie started his company he created his core values which he still works by today however he did say that it’s a daily struggle to keep to them when he has to let someone go etc. His ‘Key Values’ are non negotiable and suggested that to ‘Be true to yourself and live it’

Ollie stated that he lead not managed his company and went on to say that only 3% of us are ‘Natural Leaders’ however the good news is that you can learn to be one!!!!! He referred to a book ‘Developing the Leader within You’ by John C Maxwell.

Most of what Ollie spoke about reflected current management thinking……I really think he should write it down!

Second up was Rachel Hargrave with a totally different approach to her business. Rachel, is a partner of Phoenix Partners based in Leicestershire which she set-up 7 years ago. Organic strategy comes to mind in how Rachel approaches her business, responding to clients needs with ‘Yes we can do that to’ then finding a way! Moving from live events and film and video into different areas such as PR and graphic design has been a business strategy that has benefitted the company in the downturn as the projects and budgets have been slashed in Live Events. Rachel recognised that she has to be more structured since the early days where she was very much hands on, she now finds herself managing and moving the company forward. Something she admits seems at times rather alien to her. How she wins work is being really good a what you do – helping people to communicate their story in a variety of multi platform and cross discipline work, that is memorable and full of impact.
Alan James, a freelance producer shared with us his experience of producing a unscripted improvised live band with an orchestra and live writing composers. The Band –“The Bays” based in London.
10 years ago, a group of session musicians from well know acts came together and decided not to make records but only play live totally improvised with no rehearsals and no vocals. The four piece, The Bays, are drums, bass, keyboards and ‘science department’ – effects with a special guest each night. Alan explained the difficulties in working with an improvised band with an orchestra and how it was overcome by the use of technology.
All these speakers had qualities of passion, commitment and creativity in what they produced and how they ran their business or project. I would like to thank all of them in taking the time to come and talk. Thank you for reading…

As much as possible, I think it’s a good idea to get a feel for how things work in the real world. Especially for me, being someone who turns to books on any pretext it is easy to think you may know something because you read it.

I thought I knew that the values that you have as a business owner definitely impact the way you run your business and the culture that ensues. It doesn’t have to be deliberate but it has an effect. What I didn’t know, which you only can from experience, is that just because you may have strong values/a strong culture it does not mean that your clients will be the same. Infact, your most lucrative relationships maybe with the complete opposite of you!

This is one of the best things I learnt from our first guest speaker Oliver Legitt of I.E Design Consultancy. I like that he has cultivated an environment where the relationships around him are important. I imagine that working for him is a lovely and rewarding, warm and fuzzy kinda experience BUT, he is was quick to explain that he runs a business and people get fired and hired. Tough decisions have to be made. He also pointed out that NOT hiring your clone is a great way to progress, you need someone to challenge you afterall. I had never thought of things in this light before, as naturally you would think someone who thinks like you would always understand what needs to get done but in a business environment, especially a creative one a different perspective is invaluable. I won’t be forgetting this piece of information in a hurry!

While I.E’s culture was a more deliberate effort, the one at The Phoenix Partners (marketing) was not. Rachel Hargrave, its Director, commented on how she only realised that there was a culture (and that it was not for everyone) after someone had to leave because they could not keep up with the pace. Her approach to business is different to Oliver’s in that they are very focused on meeting the bottom line, as that is the point of a business. She pointed out that she was very good at what she does and that in the end is what singles you out.

Interestingly enough, just because the approaches of the two businesses may be different there were a few similarities. For example, Rachel also had to think about whether or not they should take on certain clients for example if the fees was too low, especially now during the recession because once the recession lifts then re-negotiations have to take place, meaning your recession as a business can last longer.

Both put emphasis on following your own instincts and doing what was best for the client. Very tasty food for thought…

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

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.

In preparation for the focus groups today I have been assessing the existing online services and networks for the students and alumni of the MA Media Enterprise course.

First of all, there is Moodle, the electronic learning resource. On this site students can find out all sorts of information about their course as tutors post lecture notes and presentations to supplement learning. This site is useful as a database of knowledge and module information but does not provide opportunities for networking.

Students and alumni of the course can also make use of the Yahoo Group set up for them. This gives them an easy way to communicate with the whole group with just one click. It’s great for asking questions about assignments as the issue at hand may be one that several people were concerned about; and asking everyone, rather than just asking the tutor, promotes discussion and a community feel. It is also a good way to let all the students know at once of any upcoming events or opportunities.

So we are provided with easy communication methods and a learning database, but it would seem that there is no online location to congregate, to share personal as well as professional information. Yes, many of us have Facebook or MySpace profiles, and temporary “groups” have been set up on here, but these sites are not for focusing on our professional development or the progression of the course.

Does this mean there is a gap in provision here? Is a student and alumni network something we need? This shall be discussed in the focus groups and I will let you know the outcomes in due course…

“Focus groups provide a unique and interactive way to gather information and share views on any number of subjects” says Focus Group UK.

This is the method with which I intend to obtain the students’ views on the alumni network idea. Its advantages are that it promotes discussion and gives a combination of opinions and angles on the selected topic. Its disadvantages are that the discussion may stray from the subject easily and that some participants may dominate the discussion more than others.

It is therefore my task as moderator to keep the discussion on track without being too imposing so as to let it flow freely.

So, the venue, refreshments and recording equipment are all in place, all I need now is the participants!

Calling all students and alumni of the MA Media Enterprise course, this is your chance to have your say! Do you want your own network to be like moodle or more like facebook?

If you don’t come along to one of the focus groups you never know how it might turn out…