How can Toronto become a Globally Competitive Digital Media Hub? DigitalMediaCamp – Reflections Dec.12, 2009
Posted: December 12th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »I met with a bright and inspired group of digital media innovators at OCAD in Toronto for the Digital Media Camp, (see tweets from the day here: http://twitter.com/#search?q=dmcamp). The challenge for the day was how to make Toronto into a globally competitive digital media hub.
A wide variety of topics discussed, including the digital media vision for the new WaterfrontToronto initiative which will have ultra high speed broadband from day one. Other breakout topics in the wide-ranging “unconference” format included everything from how to connect Toronto digital media to the Canadian Digital Media Association (CDMA) to improving digital media services pricing models.
The key takeaway for me today was that the Toronto digital media community assembled doesn’t have a big, galvanizing vision as a cluster. In breakouts, we discussed that part of the reason is that digital media is itself an enabler to a variety of other industries. David Ticol (http://twitter.com/dticoll) (working on a project for http://www.greatertoronto.org/ to promote ICT to the younger generation) proposed that tackle a few large problems, including digital health care, would help to focus a digital media hub. There’s a lot of individual fractured activity by very smart people but the digital media community needs an identity, and a focus.
As I reflect on the day, I realize the missing element for me was an agreed upon measure of a globally competitive digital media hub and how we would know when we got there. Based on what metrics would the Toronto Digital Media community know it was globally competitive? My personal view is that Toronto-based companies would create winning business models that would create jobs in Toronto. These winning business models and services would attract investment globally to Toronto. Sticking with the performance measures theme, how many new digital media jobs created in Toronto would be necessary before we crossed the finish line of being “globally competitive”? Are there other intangible measures such as number of digital patents that we can track? I look forward to tackling the question of measurement next time!
Thanks to all the sponsors and Mark Ruznicki (http://twitter.com/remarkk) for facilitating today’s event!
Alan Wunsche
[...] I was wrong. It was a remarkable event. And I’m comfortable saying that it shattered everyone’s expectations. But don’t take my word for it. Follow the #dmcamp hashtag on Twitter.Or check out these posts: http://www.techvibes.com/blog/digitalmediacamp-torontohttp://bradfortner.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/will-torontos-digitalmediacamp-help-better-focus-the-understanding-of-the-citys-digital-media-industry/http://citadelrock.com/www/blogpost4-Reflections-on-Digital-Media-Camphttp://beta.innovatetoronto.ca/?p=281 [...]
[...] http://www.techvibes.com/blog/digitalmediacamp-torontohttp://bradfortner.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/will-torontos-digitalmediacamp-help-better-focus-the-understanding-of-the-citys-digital-media-industry/http://citadelrock.com/www/blogpost4-Reflections-on-Digital-Media-Camphttp://beta.innovatetoronto.ca/?p=281 [...]
[...] http://www.techvibes.com/blog/digitalmediacamp-torontohttp://bradfortner.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/will-torontos-digitalmediacamp-help-better-focus-the-understanding-of-the-citys-digital-media-industry/http://citadelrock.com/www/blogpost4-Reflections-on-Digital-Media-Camphttp://beta.innovatetoronto.ca/?p=281 [...]
[...] http://www.techvibes.com/blog/digitalmediacamp-toronto http://bradfortner.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/will-torontos-digitalmediacamp-help-better-focus-the-understanding-of-the-citys-digital-media-industry/ http://citadelrock.com/www/blogpost4-Reflections-on-Digital-Media-Camp http://beta.innovatetoronto.ca/?p=281 [...]