Declan Cassidy

I was honoured to be invited along with Ukie Board member and co-Founder of Cooperative Innovations Ltd, Simon Barratt to give evidence to the Lords Select Committee on Communications and Digital as part of their enquiry into #AI and scaling up for British businesses. The Committee session was in two parts, each of which involved a panel of industry experts and businesspeople. My panel was a bit of an all-star cast, sitting alongside Caroline Norbury, OBE (CEO of Creative UK), Paul Murphy (Partner at Lightspeed) and David Glick (Founder and CEO at Edge Investments). The main focus of our session was on whether the investment conditions and public policy in the UK are doing everything they can to help 'createch' (creative technology) businesses to scale-up and to harness the potential of AI. Caroline focused on the fundamental importance of creativity in a digital economy, and the need to avoid 'over-fetishising' technology as a magic bullet for sustainable growth. Paul spoke hugely eloquently about creative talent as the fundamental factor in the success of creative technology businesses. David pointed out the need to 'unbundle' the different sub-sectors within creative technology, and to understand the specific differences between them. He pointed out the difference between companies that scale by breaking new ground in technology and those that harness existing technologies to deliver new products or services. David also spoke brilliantly about the 'soft power' impact of the UK's #createch sectors and the example they set in social mobility. In Paul's words, "this is a sector which celebrates talent, not pedigree". I was able to talk about how the video games and interactive entertainment industry is delivering both direct economic growth (in excess of £6bn GVA per annum) and indirect benefits to the wider economy through technology spillover - for example in the use of the Unreal 5 engine in TV and film production. It was an opportunity to highlight the imminent risk to the UK's world-leading video games industry if we cannot secure above-the-line support from Government, including enhancements to tax reliefs, during the lifetime of this Parliament. The discussion looked in depth at the 'money supply' for video games and the creative industries, addressing some important points about the lack of funding that is co-designed with industry to meet our specific needs, as well as the challenge of finding UK equity backing to support businesses in scaling-up. Supercharged, our 5-year strategy, has set the ambition for this to be the most pro-games Parliament in British history and this session is further evidence of the genuine engagement we are seeing from Government and Peers with our industry as a tremendous growth opportunity. Both sessions were broadcast on Parliament TV and can be watched again at https://lnkd.in/ekKHX5-n

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So Camp Get together has begun in Doncaster. Am trying a few different strategies, the video is a complying of events by Sarah Smith. Who is the other half of the Camp? Trying to keep the camp themed, trying to install design principles through the game structure. Trying to look for universals in the specific. Worked with a large segmented kind of jigsaw puzzle idea, which is a giant printout of a Google map of the area, that they can work into. So looking at location, and bringing them into the fore, this worked well. Also tried a day of Mario Kart, so transposing, creating the cars from card. Wanted to work up to a race, but didn't make it that far. But each day is one or two activities, and we try and take them on. journey through the theme of the day. So it has an organising principle, day one was modular design, and day two was transposing and rendering, so makerly themes, going to try thematic next week, The first one is 'metamorphoses', what workshops can be devised on this theme. Am thinking of the opening line by Kafka 'As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.' #art #workshops #creative #mario #maps

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Freedom in the Arts Survey 2024 Do you work in the arts in the UK? Then tell us what you think. We want to know everything about your experience of freedom of expression. We ask if anything has changed, for better or worse in the arts in the past 5 years. This is where you can tell us exactly how you feel and we invite you to do so. All responses are anonymous unless you give us your name and email address at the end. This information will be held confidentially. Anything you write will be treated as confidential and disaggregated with or without email supplied. At the end of the survey we ask for some voluntary demographic questions about you. We are collecting this data to analyse how representative our survey results are. To do this we will compare our data with the census and the cultural sector’s workforce. Information The survey will take 10 minutes to complete, with areas to write fully about your experiences as well as multiple choice questions. You can save and come back to it. Please avoid using people’s names and organisations but be assured we will not publish anything that could identify you or any employer. The survey closes on the 30th November and we aim to publish the findings in early 2025. If you are willing to be interviewed, please leave your name and email address at the end of the survey. All information is treated as confidential. Here is the LINK: https://lnkd.in/djsmFmGk

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The UK Government has launched its first Industrial Strategy in seven years - and the Creative Industries has been named as a priority sector. This is a great opportunity to grow the existing £125bn GVA contribution the creative sector already makes. With ambitious approaches to using public investment to further unlock private capital and philanthropic contribution, returns for the UK economy can turbocharge growth and drive innovation. Creativity can - and should - be baked into this strategy from the offset. Now, it's about working with the UK Government to advise on the best way to unlock shared potential and drive inclusive growth for our nation. We have the solutions. It’s time to roll our sleeves up and deliver. https://lnkd.in/ePSH8fdv

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Interesting new report from Reform Think Tank today on hyperlocal governance, subsidiarity by default and scaling #devolution across different geographies within England 👀

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There very clearly needs to be a new pact between artists, society and the technology industry more specifically. Artists do so much to make space for new ideas, make us think and enrich our lives but the way that they make money has been broken - at the best of times. I really like the proposition that we could impose a levy on certain types of technology companies and the redistribute resources to artists. I’ve even been more keen to see specific levies on companies building or making profit from AI technology. https://lnkd.in/eFNyrjvj

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What role will AI play in the future of the VFX industry and should VFX artists be worried? VFX artists are worried about their job security with the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence in film and TV post-production. Ian Thompson said: "AI can make something that is correct, but it will never understand what’s good. Only an artist can tell what’s good.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dJ2XQP_K

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BBC - SMALL INDIE FUND - CLOSES 31 DECEMBER 2024 The Small Indie Fund ring-fences £1million a year to back talented small independent production companies with turnovers of less than £10million, with a special focus on diverse-led companies and those based in the Nations and English regions. The fund is available to companies working across factual, entertainment, comedy, children’s, drama, daytime and film. Support is granted on a company by company basis – and the BBC will consider a number of factors including the strength of the company’s creative potential and current commissioning opportunities. Successful indies receive investment to help them develop and BBC mentors. This year they are offering an increased level of financial investment targeted at a smaller number of companies, alongside both business and commissioning mentors to help them focus on growing their companies and maximising the value of their content. https://lnkd.in/enX48gbk

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Media Cymru Accessible Futures Summit: Expression of Interest   On Tuesday 10 September, Media Cymru & University of South Wales are holding the inaugural Accessible Futures Summit.     With 1 in 4 of the Welsh population now identifying as disabled, and less than 8% deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent (DDN) representation on and off screen, there’s never been a more important time to talk about accessibility in our sector.    The aim of the summit is that everyone leaves more disability confident, with a better understanding of how to hire, include, train and support DDN talent, and able to identify resources and funding to ensure more accessible productions.    Screen industry professionals will come together to discuss accessibility, inclusion, and representation in all aspects of screen production and explore best practice, beyond just the basics.    Industry leaders, including disabled creatives, will share knowledge and experience, providing participants with the tools to elevate accessibility and open pathways to deeper inclusion, harnessing the creativity and other benefits that comes from lived experiences.    The Summit is for:  ·      Screen industry employers and professionals.  ·      Disability and arts organisations.    The full day programme will be announced soon.    Please register your interest here.  https://lnkd.in/eJMBayF2  

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Antarctica is making headlines for important reasons! Our recent film sheds light on the awakening of a climate giant thought dormant for thousands of years. Check out this insightful article by SHE Society on our expedition with The Earth Observatory of Singapore and Antarctica's projected impact this century globally and locally. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gtZCMvyy #antarcticathegiantawakens #climatechange #climateimpacts #climatesolutions

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I really enjoyed being interviewed for this hackajob article. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the early days of my career working in digital innovation. Although the digital landscape has changed considerably since 2005, I think there were lots of learnings from the ways in which we worked together during these early days. 👉🏻 Bringing together brilliant TV content creators with digital innovators led to exciting outcomes... The Torchwood Alternate Reality Game & Sherlock Live were two very memorable projects for me and it was brilliant to combine creative storytelling with digital innovation and audience interaction. 👉🏻 Cross-discipline collaboration was the norm... We worked in very small teams with each person bringing their expertise to each project - as I producer I would work alongside a software developer, designer and technical project manager on each creative project. 👉🏻 Being playful and experimenting... We adopted a ‘fail fast, learn fast’ mindset and had the freedom to experiment and try things out - we were learning fast and adapting as we went based on audience response & our data analytics. It's been great to witness the change from 'digital' being a very fringe activity at the BBC when I joined in 2006 to it being front and centre of our current strategy - I'm pleased to say we're no longer tucked away in a small office at the back of the building 😂 #digitalinnovation #BBC #careerdevelopment #waysofworking #collaboration #creativity #techcareers

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Wowzers! We're at Day 5 - and around 20% of the way towards full funding (which is about right if plotting linearly). Usually with the level of funding and backers on the project we'd have reached our minimum target, but this game is a little different, as we need sufficient backing to get the main outer box designed and printed - we know this costs more, and needs a bigger upfront print run - so we need around 500-1000 players to make this cost effective to do - hence the the much bigger crowdfunding ask. We wanted to be realistic. I love Kickstarter - it means if we don't reach funding levels, there's no commitment to create the game and backers keep their money. So it provides a great win:win for creators. No money = no project. (Also saves you creating something there's no audience for!) And for backers: No minimum funding reached - no money taken. The difference with this project, is that we know there's a big audience out there who LOVE stuff like this - so our challenge is to get the project shared enough to find our target market, as this market is slightly different to our regular game players. So you'll see me regularly posting about this one over the next 3 weeks, and if you can have it in your heart to tag those you know who play and enjoy case file experiences, I'd be most obliged! it's not our regular cohort of customers! Link to project below: https://lnkd.in/ehPmChiS Mark Webb Laura Sparkes Alex McCranor Gary Swan Sarah Bishop

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Are you going to The Children's Media Conference in Sheffield this week? Don't miss the session I have exec produced, Collaboration for Change, on Wednesday 10th July in Cinema 1, 12.40-1.40pm. Please do bring your lunch! The latest on inclusive casting and production, with practical tips on how to bring about change. Produced by Jo G. and featuring all these brilliant contributors: Hanah Draper, Fern Lulham, Karen Newell, Laura Winson (nee Johnson) as well as young actor Sonny Shaw, moderated by model Devon J, one of the stars of Channel 4's New Model Agency. https://lnkd.in/e8NGgEdV This deep dive into the current landscape of inclusive casting and production will consider who has been doing it well and how they achieve that. It will explore how technology is being used to promote inclusion, both in front of and behind the camera. In the spirit of “Inclusivity Now”, practical hints and tips will help you to tell authentic stories that resonate – and if disability is not on your radar, then neither is diversity, and you risk being left behind.

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New faces, same policies? How will the UK General Election on 4 July change the tech public policy world? My latest column in NewDigitalAge #ukgeneralelection #tech #publicpolicy

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Training Course for animators - Blender: Career Animator Tune Up with Chris McFall 18th-22nd November 2024 This course will help professional animators tune up their skill set, with Blender! It will include how to transition from other software; a hands-on workshop, where we examine your existing workflow and see how it can be transplanted. Taking your current approach and working practice into Blender, while addressing individual preferences and requirements. The second part of the course will be looking at new ways to expand and enhance your workflow, by incorporating the work of your peers and engaging with emerging technologies – that allow us to speed up workflows and create with quality and efficiency. https://lnkd.in/eCgrN7uS

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