X Media Lab‘s global footprint is now established and growing stronger, as founders you must be really proud of making a success of this very unique model. We‘d like to know how and when it all began?
Brendan Harkin founded X|Media|Lab in Sydney in 2003 at the Sydney Opera House! Brendan’s background combines high level new media industry development and philosophy, while mine combines traditional media industry development and artistic practice.
In 2005 we held our first XML in Singapore, and since then we’ve held X|Media|Lab in Mumbai, Melbourne, Beijing, Suzhou, Wellington, Los Angeles, London and Seoul. Our Lab in Suzhou will be our 24th X|Media|Lab!
Each X|Media|Lab event is an incredible joy and privilege to be a part of – because it’s not about us – it’s about the inspiration, creativity and know-how of everyone who participates – the unique generosity of the XML network!
What is the basic objective of the lab?
X|Media|Lab is one of the world’s leading networks of outstanding professionals in digital media. XML is all about assisting companies to increase the chances of achieving commercial success with their own digital media ideas. Each Lab focuses on creativity and innovation, technology know-how, business thinking, and investment opportunities by linking the local companies to the world’s best digital media people.
But it’s the ‘X’ in X|Media|Lab that is the key to understanding what the Lab is all about!
‘X’ stands for: Cross Platform, and Cross Disciplinary, of course! ‘X’ also stands for “cross cultural”. XML celebrates the genuinely international nature of our network of people, places and events.
The character ‘X’ is also the “critical moment”, the “crossing over”, the “ex-changing” when some thing, becomes some thing else. The Lab helps bring what is un-known and un-formed into being through the shared inspiration, creativity, and expertise of everyone who participates at each event.
By the time they materialise, all concepts go through a lot of iterations…..How has the X Media Lab model evolved over the years?
Every X|Media|Lab is unique – every Lab has a different theme and a changing set of international mentors. As we’ve built our brand internationally, we’ve also built networks with more and more amazing people across the globe! Shri Amit Khanna participated in the very first XML at the Sydney Opera House and since then we’ve had such luminaries as Shekhar Kapur, Stuart Butterfield (co-founder of Flickr) and now John Stevenson participate.
There is always an ‘un-named’ project in each Lab – which is X|Media|Lab itself. We are continually asking ourselves ‘How can X|Media|Lab add value’? ‘What are we learning?’, ‘Who can we create partnerships with?’. We’ve learnt that the Lab itself is scaleable, so we now have more people and projects inside each Lab, and we’ve refined the mentoring process inside the Lab itself.
What is unique about X|Media|Lab itself is that it’s never about Brendan or I. We are never at the forefront telling people what to do. Our role is to assemble the very best people in the room – and then it’s all up to them!
Where are this year‘s labs lined up for, what are their themes?
In 2009 we’ll be holding XML in Suzhou “Wealth of Animation”; Auckland “Commercialising Ideas”; Sydney “Serious Games”; Foshan “Serious Games”; and another XML at the Sydney Opera House on Creativity and a couple more soon to be announced!
What‘s the mentor and speaker line up for XML Suzhou? What are the projects?
XML Suzhou has an absolutely stellar line-up of International Mentors! And we’re thrilled that you’re one of them Anand!
We have John Stevenson, Director of ‘Kung Fu Panda’; Zareh Nalbandian, the Co-founder and CEO of Animal Logic; Eric Rollman, President of Marvel Animation; Ashish S.K, CEO, BIG Animation; Yaosh Ho, Director of Worldwide Digital Media at MGM Studios; Linda M. Steiner, Senior VP at Warner Bros.; Mark Ollila, Director, Publishing, Games, Services, Nokia, and many more!
The majority of the projects in this Lab are from China, although there are a few international projects also participating. They range across the board from kids tv and mobile games to feature films. China’s animation industry is thriving and just like India’s, wants to move from being ‘Made in China” to “Created in China”.
With your global and multi regional exposure to various facets of the media industry, what are the trends that you are seeing emerge?
There is no doubt in our minds that the shift in capital and power from the West to the East is a permanent one, and this is having an impact in the power structures, economics, and creative centres of digital media. What we’re witnessing now is how this shift is combining with new media technologies to create something genuinely new and disruptive to the traditional media hegemony of Hollywood.
India, China, North and South Asia are not bound by the incumbent telco monopolies and copper wires of the West, and are leapfrogging ahead in mobile and internet technologies and take-up, which will further drive the demand for local digital content in these markets.
In terms of animation we’re seeing original stories and IP being developed which combine some of the storytelling techniques developed by Hollywood with the rich cultural stories and artistic practice of the East, and these stories being parlayed across platforms.
In games, educational and factual content we’re starting to see a real move towards ‘serious games’ and ‘games based learning’ as people understand how the immediate feedback, reinforcement, supported risk taking, and interaction of games can create greater learning outcomes than traditional rote learning or text-based pedagogy.
In mobile – it’s all about locative services and how those technologies can be used for distribution, marketing and engagement. 3G applications and services will start to take off, especially now that China, the world’s largest mobile market has started to roll out 3G.
Online widgetisation and the failure of so many American newspapers means that big media companies are finally making their content available across multiple sites and engaging with their communities. Ad supported models are becoming less and less viable for start-ups and major media companies alike, and so new models such as ‘social gaming’ – combining the micro payment and reward systems of online gaming with social networking – are starting to emerge.
And the most innovative digital media companies are starting to re-think their views on copyright and no longer perceive their audiences as communities of potential pirates. Last month at the 4th Al Jazeera Media Summit we saw how Al Jazeera are releasing 10 hours of HD footage under a Creative Commons license to their community – which is a unheard of for a major media company. That content has been used by its community in blogs, vlogs, computer games, school projects … it exemplifies the new world of media!
Could you share about some of the most impressive projects that have participated at XML till date?
All the projects are impressive! It’s always such a joy to discover the depth of creativity and innovation within each of the project teams! XML project teams have ranged from independent start-ups which have gone on to win awards at MIPCOM, UNESCO in New York, AIMIA in Australia, be screened at Cannes Film Festival, receive Angel, first or second round investment… to larger media organisations such as Lonely Planet, ABC Television, Disney Internet Group, Adlabs, Fairfax Digital and world leading virtual worlds platforms.
Once we’re inside the Lab we’re a group of peers and we all inspire and learn from each other!
How can projects be nominated?
Companies or project teams simply nominate their project idea through the site. It’s very simple and it’s free! All we ask is for information about their project idea, their project team, and a way to get in touch with them.
Similarities and differences you have observed across the various regions you have held your lab in? Is an entertainment company / startup in Auckland very much the same like one in Mumbai?
OR to rephrase the question
Could you share your insights along with specific adjectives, distinguishing between the cultures and Media Entertainment sectors of the geographies where you have held your lab in
The culture of each digital media hotspot where XML occurs is original and unique!
What exists in every project team everywhere is a passion to bring their digital media idea to market, a hunger for international networks and know-how, and exposure to investment opportunities.
India and China’s media and entertainment industries both enjoy huge domestic markets, diasprora’s, 5000 years of history, and genuine international engagement. They also have many more artists, engineers and Phds, and much more entrepreneurial cultures than countries in the West! In Singapore and Malaysia digital media professionals are really engaged with ASEAN and their opportunities to partner with their colleagues or to enter markets in the ASEAN region. Whereas places such as Australia and New Zealand are just becoming aware of the nature of opportunities presented by having a genuine engagement with the digital media industries across Asia – until now their focus has always been on gaining entry to or investment from the North American or European markets, which limits their vision and understanding of the behavioural choices of consumers internationally and the new business models emerging.
Your message for Animation Xpress readers
Looking forward to seeing you at a X|Media|Lab somewhere very soon!!!!