Space available in lovely shared office @ Fazeley Studios

We have been asked to share this news about office space in Fazeley Studios by Sam from Mubu Music.

Sharing with just two other people, we have a space in our splendid little office available from the beginning of May at Fazeley Studios, in Digbeth, Birmingham.

The office is on the first floor of this old restored chapel, and has heating, natural light, high speed wi-fi, storage space, sofa, a gnome, 24/7 secure access, reception, and complimentary chat about obscure jazz on request.  You even get a desk, with slightly wonky drawers.

Tenants must be lovely, and like cake. Brandy optional.

Image by NickWhitworth

Rent would be just £35/week, including internet/wi-fi, office phone, electric/heating, reception, and courtyard/garden area.  No long-term tie-in.

The office is part of the excellent creative/digital hub of Fazeley Studios - http://www.fazeleystudios.com - with very nice cafe/bar, and just around the corner from the shops and studios at The Custard Factory.

Under 10 minutes walk from the city centre, Moor Street and New Street stations.

Feel free to say hello/pop in for a look.

Contact sam@mubu.eu and/or @SamwiseBaggie for more details

Pioneers Into Practice- opportunity for Digital Media Businesses

Yet another fantastic opportunity for businesses in the Digital Media Sector, sent to us by Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City.

If you are would like to explore possibilities and collaborative partnerships, contact Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City s.goh@aston.ac.uk

Susannah's email:
Our partners, Katharine Fuller and Alexa Torlo-Hartwell, of BCU have informed me of a fantastic opportunity for creative digital businesses that would be interested in working in the fields of sustainability, low-carbon and climate change.

BCU has two places for professionals to work on applied knowledge-exchange within the university for one month, followed by a further month in an overseas placement (at a partner organisation within another European country).  The knowledge exchange works both ways, so the professionals (known as ‘pioneers’) will be learning from as well as contributing to very practical and hands-on work environments.  The two months are fully funded.  More information can be found in the email below and here:
http://www.climate-kic.org/entrepreneurs/professional-education

The current round of applications closes at the end of this month, so please contact Katharine as soon as possible if you are interested.   You will need to fill in an application form, but I have been told that this is a concise process and will not take time to complete.

Katharine can be reached at: Katharine.Fuller@bcu.ac.uk


Good luck and all the best!

Birmingham Top Spot for Growth

I wonder if you have seen this news story in Business Matters online magazine? It cites the high growth software industry in Birmingham, set against the economic focus of other cities.

"Hotbeds of industry are springing up across the UK, as British businesses fight back against the constraints of the economic environment. Analysis of the first 3,000 businesses who have worked with GrowthAccelerator, a national business advice service aimed at facilitating growth, finds Birmingham has seen more high growth businesses contract to the service than anywhere else in the UK."

It looks like the data has come from Growth Accelerator, you can read the full article on the Business Matters website http://bit.ly/106Eo5n

What do you think? Does this support the announcements from Lord Heseltine that the regions still need investment and support from central government to reduce the London focus in the economy?

Droplet in London

Digital Media Businesses supporter DR Projects sent us news of the latest stage in the Droplet revolution. The new payment method, tested in Birmingham, will be rolled out to London this Wednesday 20th March. We wish them every success!

And what a great quote from the Droplet CEO Steffan Aquarone:
“Birmingham is a tremendous city and a great place to try something new with a receptive audience and a vibrant independent retail scene. We knew if we could prove the concept, we’d have a successful model we could roll out across the UK.”

Read the full article here http://bit.ly/16DQFRF

Event- Skills Debate coming up

Want to get your voice heard about future skills and job creation? The views of businesses and organisations in the Digital Media sector are sought. Digital Birmingham have asked us to circulate the invitation below:
The focus of the event is on digital skills and enterprise, which will look at how we grow and develop the skills and talent for a digital economy as well as the pathways for growth, which will include looking at apprenticeships around the digital media sector and transferable digital / IT skills cross-sector.

Invitation to Debate - Next Generation Skills: Birmingham Re-Worked

When: Monday 22 April 2013 (9.30 – 17.00)

Where: The Event Suite - Millennium Point, Birmingham

On behalf of the Birmingham Commission on Youth Unemployment and Birmingham Smart City Commission, in partnership with Microsoft and supported by Millennium Point, we would like your involvement to debate the Next Generation Skills: Birmingham Re-Worked on Monday 22 April 2013 at Millennium Point, Birmingham.

This event will bring together key voices (employers, strategic leaders, education providers, agencies, government, third sector and local authority) to provide debate and action around the growing skills gap and future skills needed for job creation that will support and prepare young people from education to employment, as well as develop businesses as part of a digital economy.

As a result of the revolution in digital technology, the nature of business and the workplace is changing. While this creates new opportunities, it also requires the skills base to be significantly reshaped.

This debate will respond to the challenges and opportunities for young people presented by a rapidly changing technology landscape and globalisation and look at how we can work together to address skills retention and improvement as a route to innovation, global competitiveness and sustainable economic growth. Morning keynote and expert panel debates will be complemented by ‘unconference’ sessions centred on the themes of education, skills and inspiration, designed to define tangible outcomes.

This is an invitation only event and if you are unable to attend, we would be grateful if you could nominate a representative who would be able to attend on your behalf.

To register for the event please visit: http://nextgenerationskillsbirmingham.eventbrite.com


More information about the unconference activities and programme for the event will follow shortly

Digital Opportunity

The third digital opportunity from Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City- Thanks again Susannah!


If you are would like to explore possibilities and collaborative partnerships, contact Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City s.goh@aston.ac.uk

Digital Innovation Contest 2013

Funding of up to £25K per award can be won for digital  prototyping.

The Technology Strategy Board notes the following:

The contest is offering seven awards… each to develop innovative commercial prototypes that meet the following challenges:

•     Beyond the ebook, in partnership with HarperCollins
•     Social and recommendation, in partnership with Constable & Robinson
•     Next generation location specific advertising, in partnership with MediaCom
•     Innovation in outdoor signage for brands and advertisers, in partnership with Ogilvy and JCDecaux
•     Enhanced digital content, in partnership with FreemantleMedia UK
•     Developing the TV, in partnership with Samsung
•     Exploring mobile-influenced content, in partnership with YouTube

The submissions deadline is 24th April.

For further details go to:

https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/digital-innovation-contest-2013/overview

There will be a briefing event in London and a briefing webinar, to book either click here 

Another Digital Opportunity

Another opportunity circulated by Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City
If you are would like to explore possibilities and collaborative partnerships, contact Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City s.goh@aston.ac.uk

Enabling the Digital Railway – £5m competition for collaborative R&D funding

This competition encourages collaborative R&D to further the use of innovative digital, ICT and satellite application technologies to address challenges faced by leading rail organisations.

Please note that the competition opens on 25th March.  There will also be a consortia building event on the same day which is in Coventry and you can register for it here:

https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/digital-railway-information-and-consortia-building-day

The full scope and entry details are given here:

https://connect.innovateuk.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=5cbaabcd-452e-4203-86b5-e8aede6e5190&groupId=5145854

New Digital Opportunity

Susannah Goh, Demonstrator Development Manager of Birmingham Science City has sent us details of some new digital opportunities.Thanks Susannah! Follow on twitter @BhamScienceCity

If you are would like to explore possibilities and collaborative partnerships, contact Susannah Goh at Birmingham Science City s.goh@aston.ac.uk

Opportunity -Funding for ‘businesses and research institutes who have worked together to successfully deploy digital technologies in the Creative Industries’.  This includes SMEs.

The DigiBIC Award rewards businesses and research institutes who have worked together to successfully deploy digital technologies in the Creative Industries. It recognises the impact of successful technology deployment on the growth and development of individual companies.

Winners will receive a cash prize and an expenses-paid trip to pitch to an audience of investment, innovation and business incubation specialists at the EBN Annual Congress in Derry-Londonderry on 29-31 May 2013.
The deadline is 26th March.
 For more details follow this link...

Budget Seminar with RSM Tenon - next week

We have been asked to remind you of this RSM Tenon eventt.


Chancellor George Osborne's Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 20th March 2013. Following on from this, RSM Tenon will be holding a Budget Seminar that afternoon at West Bromwich Albion Football Club.
Their team of tax specialists will be on hand to give you an immediate analysis of the Budget, their reaction to it and also explain how the announcements and changes will impact individuals and companies.

There will be an opportunity for networking prior to and following the actual presentation.  Due to the high demand for places there is a limit of two delegates per company and they recommend you make a reservation as soon as possible.

For more details and online booking click here

Event - Future Media Experiences in the Internet of Things. Speaker: Jason DaPonte

THURSDAY 28 MARCH 2013, 5.45PM UNTIL 8.45PM - WWW.CREATIVENETWORKSONLINE.COM
BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY, MILLENNIUM POINT, CURZON STREET, BIRMINGHAM B4 7XG
INCLUDING THE MUSIC NETWORK 4PM UNTIL 5.30PM - WWW.BIRMINGHAMMUSICNETWORK.COM

AND BIRMINGHAM SCREEN IMAGE NETWORK 4PM UNTIL 5.30PM - WWW.BSIN.CO.UK

 Future Media Experiences in the Internet of Things. Speaker: Jason DaPonte
Media experiences from weather reports, to cooking shows to documentaries, are set for a seismic shift as they become part of the Internet of Things - the network of connected objects and data that are communicating online.


As TVs, games consoles and other similar devices become connected, they will be able to provide us with more engaging and personal experiences. Media and technology producer Jason DaPonte makes predictions about how this world will unfold. www.entertheswarm.com

THE SWARM produces and designs digital content and services for the television, arts and culture sectors. The company has worked with broadcasters and producers from over 20 countries on transmedia strategies and productions. Before starting THE SWARM, Jason spent three years working in the midst of the mobile content explosion overseeing the content across the BBC’s mobile web, apps and messaging properties. Before that, he was an Executive Producer for BBC Online and a mentor/facilitator for the BBC Creative Network. He has also worked in digital roles for: FOX, The Economist, Flavorpill, CitySearch, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and Dealtime.com. Jason was the Hearst Visiting Fellow at the University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Journalism.


Creative Networks brings together all parties involved in screen and sound media in the West Midlands, promoting both successful business development and collaboration.
To join this FREE event, please email creative.networks@bcu.ac.uk or call 0121 331 5400. Alternatively, register online at our website www.creativenetworksonline.com

Digital Developer Opportunity

We had the following email from the amazing team at the Digital Heritage Hub, it's very tight timescale but do hope one of you will be able to take up the opportunity. I have a copy of the PDF details, but have posted it below as an image.

Good afternoon,

The Digital Heritage Demonstrator Project team have received a request from a regional documentary film maker, to seek potential partners to collaborate on a new digital project. The organisation is looking for a digital interactive developer to collaborate on four interactive tours at the Newman Brothers Coffin Works in the Jewellery Quarter.

Please see below for the full details on the opportunity. The local SME will be applying for this project as a Community Film Maker but would like to see if there are any interested and suitably qualified practitioners in the field of Digital Interactive Development  who would like to collaborate with him.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is this Wednesday 13th March at Midday - so we fully appreciate that this is a long shot given the very tight timescales.

If you are interested in the opportunity to collaborate on this project, please contact me as soon as possible so I can put you in touch.

Kind regards

Nadia Wood

Nadia Wood

Project Manager

Digital Cultural Heritage Demonstrator Project

College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham

T  0121 414 9153

E  n.m.wood@bham.ac.uk
W www.birmingham.ac.uk/hclh

Science Capital events

Heard about these upcoming Science Capital events in Birmingham? The first may be of special interest to Digital Media Businesses

Amish Patel, IBM leader for "Big Data" solutions focusing on Government across Europe will join speakers Dr Mike Short CBE, VP, Telefonica Europe, Ric Roberts, CTO  of Linked Data company and Prof Ian Nabney (Aston University) at Digital World 2013: The Data Revolution from Apr 26 (register at www.sciencecapital.co.uk/2013-digital/)

  

Also -Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council, presents his vision for Birmingham on 26 March 2013 at Bevan Brittan. John Charlton is organizing this Lunar Society Business and Economy Luncheon. Free, register at www.sciencecapital.co.uk/pdfs/AlbertBore26March2013.doc

... and- Launch of the Edgbaston Medical Quarter at the Life Science Summit: The Future Business of Healthcare from March 18-19 at Edgbaston Stadium.  Free, programme at www.sciencecapital.co.uk/pdfs/LifeSci18Mar2013.pdf

Lunar Society Annual Lecture by Prof Raymond Tallis on Aping Mankind, Neuromania, Darwinitis & the Misrepresentation of Mankind at Thinktank on March 20. Free, 

Science Capital is an independent nonprofit that brings together research and business leaders to tackle major challenges and explore new opportunities for growth. See the full list of events at www.sciencecapital.co.uk

Partnered with Birmingham City Council, Boilerhouse, GrowthAccelerator, The Information Daily and The Lunar Society .

Winner of Local Business Accelerators and NSEW Awards in 2012.

Another great Radio-To-Go post

Super article and interview with local rising star George Barnett from Radio-To-Go - read it here 

Collider12 - a project from Creative England

Collider12 backs creative industry start-ups with investment, skills and brands.

The Creative England-supported scheme focused on creative technology that helps brands: ‘B2Brand’ technology. This is technology that will help big brands with market engagement and ultimately help them sell more product.

Collider12 is a year-long programme that allows startups to develop a sustainable and attractive product for their customers. It’s the connections with brands that make Collider12 different.

The mentoring offered is from investors and entrepreneurs from companies including CBS Outdoor, Uniliver and William Hill, who have track records of success in the sector.

For more information, visit www.collider12.com or read more on the Creative England website

Sampad’s SEPP:Digital programme at STRP festival

Another fantastic opportunity for creative professionals, this time from SAMPAD...

"Sampad’s SEPP:Digital programme at STRP festival

Check out Alex McCorkindale’s tumblr site and tweets of her current placement at STRP festival in Eindhoven.

http://strpbrum13.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/IdeasVendor

SPRING 2013. We are recruiting for 2 creative professionals (placement mid July to mid Sept 2013) and 10 volunteers (placement late Aug to Mid Sept 2013) for Ars Electronica Festival.
To register your interest email buzby@sampad.org.uk, I will reply with more details and what to do next.
Flights and accommodation are paid for and you receive subsistence money.

Buzby Bywater
special projects and admin
sampad south asian arts
tel: 0121 446 3260
email: buzby@sampad.org.uk "

Do.cake event 26th March

Book for the next University of Birmingham do.cake event here 

See below for details from the do.cake page...

Given the wide and diverse range of academics, businesses, students and Heritage organisations working collaboratively on the DHD project, we will be hosting FREE monthly “cake” (Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange) mornings to showcase current developments, discuss funding opportunities and tackle current challenges. Given the name of the event - it goes without saying that there will be cake!

Tuesday 26th March 2013

DHD Tacking Demonstration

This month's CAKE morning will be very exciting as in the Chowen Prototyping Hall; we will host our first public demonstration of our full-room tracking system.  This setup uses 16 VICON cameras - the same technology that Hollywood uses to motion capture for feature films!

We can currently track 20 users simultaneously and you are invited to take part in this demo.  On entering the hall, you will be provided with either a hat or glasses with trackable sensors.  You will log into our system using the browser on your mobile phone and associate your tracking headwear with your own account.  From then on all your movements in the room will be monitored.  We will record where you move, what you look at and how you interact with our touch screens and tables.  We will finish by showing some simple analysis of the data we've collected during CAKE.

If you have any special requirements or are looking to get something specific out of a CAKE morning, please do not hesitate to get in touch at contacts@dhd.bham.ac.uk or by phone on 0121 414 9153.

We are located in the ERI building, off Pritchatts Road in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Our nearest pay and display car park is the North Car Park on the opposite side of the road. If you put our post code into a satellite navigation system, it will direct you to the University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus. You can access printable directions and a map by going to our University web page at www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/hclh/contact/index.aspx.

 Cake events take place on the first Tuesday of every month. If you would like to present or show a demonstration please contact Nadia Wood, Project Manager at contacts@dhd.bham.ac.uk or 0121 414 9153.

Birmingham Hippodrome seeks young bloggers

We received this opportunity for 16-23 year olds from Birmingham Hippodrome in our inbox today...

"Become a First Night Blogger

Our press team are recruiting First Night Bloggers to report on all the biggest events and show openings at the theatre.

If you (or anyone you know) are aged between 16-23 years, looking to gain experience and build contacts within the media industry and would enjoy a free ticket and programme to a show, then this is an opportunity not to be missed!

As a First Night Blogger, your duties will be to attend selected press nights and other PR launches, write about them on your blog (or other social media platforms) and help publicise the show, the First Night scheme, and any ticket offers with other young people.

To apply, please send a short email explaining why you’re right for this opportunity, to press@birminghamhippodrome.com.

Attach some short relevant samples of your writing, and useful links to your blog/social media activity.
Deadline: Mon 11 Mar

CLICK HERE  for detailed information on how to apply and what becoming a First Night Blogger entails.

CLICK HERE for details of our First Night scheme."