Strengthening Local Creative Industries and Developing Cultural Capacity for Povery Alleviation

Source: INCD

Roadmap for the INCD

This Roadmap is based on a Study commissioned by the INCD and undertaken by Burama K. Sagnia. Both of these works are intended to inform the discussions at the 6^th Annual Meeting of the INCD taking place in Dakar, Senegal from 17-20 November 2005. This Roadmap both summarises the Study and outlines a course of action for INCD to pursue its objectives in this field.

INTRODUCTION

Since its formation in 1998 and its founding meeting in 2000, the focus of INCD’s advocacy has been on building support for the Convention on the protection and the promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. Also from the beginning, INCD has recognised that achieving greater cultural diversity requires the development of cultural capacity and creative industries in many countries and achieving more balance in the global exchange of cultural goods and services. With the adoption of the Convention by the UNESCO General Conference in October 2005, the activities of the INCD will shift to other priorities that support the realisation of the goals of the Convention and the objectives of INCD and its members.

The Study investigates and analyses three areas where INCD can make a contribution, through clearly-defined interventions.

1. The development of creative industries to promote job creation, income generation and poverty alleviation.
2. Campaigning to increase resources for cultural projects allocated by development agencies.
3. Integrating Cultural Impact Assessment into development frameworks and processes of development agencies.

While the Study addresses these themes sequentially, the findings and recommendations have been regrouped into the following areas for purposes of this Roadmap:

1. Stimulating and Strengthening Local Creative Industries.
2. Developing Cultural Capacity and Strengthening Local Institutions.
3. Advocacy Programme.

STIMULATING AND STRENGTHENING LOCAL CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Principal Issues
Creative industries are today considered to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy, outperforming traditional economic sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. To start, it is necessary to define creative industries and to understand why the sector is becoming an important sector in the global economy. Creative industries can be seen as:

Those industries that have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent with a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.

(Adapted from the 1988 definition used by the United Kingdom Creative Industries Task Force, during the first national mapping exercise on creative industries.)

Drawing from this definition and others adopted by meetings and bodies such as the International Forum on Creative Industries and the UNCTAD High-Level Panel on Creative Industries and Development (Brazil, 2004), creative industries are understood to include the following sub-sectors:

The recording industry, music, performing arts, film and video, publishing, software and computer services, photography, art and antiquities, radio, television and broadcasting industries, advertising, crafts, architecture, design, designer fashion, interactive leisure software, cultural heritage and tourism.

Globalisation and the increasing interdependence of national economies have opened up new opportunities in the creative industries for developing countries and countries in transition; at the same time, these factors are potential threats to cultural diversity and creativity. Because creative industries draw from the creative expressions of communities based on the wealth of their historical and contemporary values and symbols, support for the industries should be seen as an integral part of the preservation, protection and promotion of cultural diversity. Moreover, as such diversity is a global public good, it needs to be fully supported by the international community and this is explicitly acknowledged in the new UNESCO Convention.

Creativity is a ubiquitous asset available in all countries. Its effective nurturing and exploitation could contribute to job creation, income generation and poverty alleviation. These opportunities have been unrealised in many developing countries and countries in transition for many reasons, including the expanding technological frontiers of the information society.

Creative industries are one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy, and contribute significantly to the GDP of many developed countries. It is estimated that the global market value of creative industries will increase to US $1.3 trillion in 2005, up from US $831 billion in 2000, an annual compound growth rate over 7 percent. Globally, the industries now account for over 7 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and are forecast to grow in coming years y 10 percent per annum (UNCTAD, 2004). These industries are already a leading economic sector in OECD countries, with annual growth rates between 5 and 20 percent (E.U., 2003).

However, most developing and transition economies continue to be marginal players, regardless of their rich cultural heritage. Nonetheless, the potential for them to reap the benefits from the creative economy is enormous, given the examples of the Indian and Nigerian Film Industries, as well as the examples of successful craft industries in Senegal, South Africa, India and Brazil. Effective national policies and carefully-designed intervention strategies and programmes for creative industries could make a difference.

But developing dynamic competitiveness in creative industries in developing countries and countries in transition will require that major challenges and obstacles be identified and addressed. Most of the sectors classified under these industries are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and operate largely within the informal economy. In 2004 UNCTAD reported that the following challenges need to be addressed to enhance the competitiveness of creative industries in developing countries:

• Regulatory environment
  A simple, transparent, stable and enforceable regulatory environment is the basis upon which a dynamic enterprise can develop.
  

• Public-private sector partnership
  A favourable investment framework cannot be provided exclusively by the market, the firm or the state acting independently, but requires a partnership between all stakeholders.
  

• Access to finance
  Creative industries in developing countries traditionally have difficulty in obtaining credit or equity, because they are regarded by creditors and investors as high risk.
  

• Access to technology
  

• Development of entrepreneurial skills
  

• Intellectual property rights
  Weak copyright legislation and ineffective enforcement regimes can jeopardise growth.
  

• Concentration of media ownership

The Study provides examples of successful case studies and innovative experiences of small scale creative enterprises in Senegal, South Africa, India and Brazil. Lessons can be learned from these experiences to inform the INCD in its future interventions in these areas.

DEVELOPING CULTURAL CAPACITY AND STRENGTHENING LOCAL INSTITUTIONS

Principal Issues
Building dynamic competitiveness in the creative industries in developing countries requires the strengthening of domestic producers and supply capacities, which can have the most positive economic effect if they are integrated into global markets. All of this requires the development of local capacity and competence among artists and cultural entrepreneurs, the strengthening of local institutions and infrastructure, the development of networks, the building of new creative partnerships, enhancement of the domestic policy framework and the development of a favourable incentive structure.

The experiences of countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Brazil, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand and India which have successfully nurtured and developed their domestic creative industries attest to the fact that these sectors can contribute to skill-intensive and high value-added activities that generate linkages with ancillary sectors throughout the economy, including information and communication technologies and design capacities.

An agency’s approach to capacity building reflects its philosophy of development, as well as how it interprets its role. It requires an agency to work with its existing and potential counterparts in a way that responds coherently to a shared reading of the context, compatible criteria for evaluating results, and a mutual understanding of their respective mission and goals.

There are several models of capacity building:

• Working through intermediaries
  This is often in the form of working through local NGOs or community-based organizations and providing grants for specified purposes.
  
• Generating synergies
  In this case, the external agency works with a combination of counterparts on specified capacity building activities.
  
• Promoting representative organisations
  This form of capacity building facilitates the emergence of unions, federations, alliances or national associations.
  
• Generating new independent organisations
  
• Governmental and non-governmental structures in parallel
  Sometimes, it may be appropriate to work predominantly through the state, usually through the Ministry of Culture or relevant national agencies responsible for specific cultural domains. This can be a channel for influencing the national cultural policy.
  

Specific capacity building activities can include:

• Training
  This represents an investment in people and can include training about rights, awareness training, or vocational and skills training.
  

• Institutional strengthening
  This is an investment in organisations. Organisations can take various shapes, including:
  - traditional organisations, mobilised around religion, ethnicity, gender, social class, village or kinship.
  - membership organisations, involving people with shared professional interests such as the musicians’ unions, etc.
  - organisations established by external agencies
  - development NGOs.
  

• Partnership and cooperation
  This is investment in networks. This can be done through linking, exchange visits, workshops, seminars, conferences, electronic communication, etc.
  

DEVELOPING AN INCD ADVOCACY PROGRAMME

The Study looks at four areas around which INCD will develop a broad-based advocacy programme. Advocacy starts with the research and writing of the necessary materials. While the Study is a good beginning and contains much information that will be useful for the campaign, there is need for additional secondary research and data in all areas.

After the necessary materials are prepared, the advocacy campaign can be launched, either on a regional or global basis, depending on the priorities that emerge from the additional research and the resources available to the INCD. The advocacy campaign can take many forms, from letter writing, meetings, media relations and conferences, to public demonstrations. The following areas are recommended for the advocacy programme.

1. Culture’s Relationship to Development
The Study observed that one critical area requiring the attention of the INCD is how to establish common ground with the development agencies on the importance of culture to the development process and the importance of cultural development.

The cultural community strives to project a perspective of culture as a “structural functional” vision of human society. This perspective advocates that the criteria and indicators for development must be broadened to include not only economic development, but also cultural growth and development. This also acknowledges the dual function of culture: its far-reaching instrumental function to promote economic development; and its intrinsic value that warrants it to grow and develop in its own right, to enable it to be effectively of service to development and other basic human objectives.

Examples of projects that can stimulate and strengthen local creative industries, and develop cultural capacity and local institutions are essential to this work and will form a key part of the support materials.

2. Increase Cultural Support by Development Agencies
The Study looks at the cultural budgets of several development agencies, both public and private. INCD will work to increase the commitment of development agencies to support:

• the development of creative industries, including financing for start-ups and acquisition of technology, and for programmes dealing with market access, intellectual property rights and other matters;

• the development of cultural capacity, including investments in the development of technical and professional creative skills, and managerial and organizational skills;

• programmes to strengthen local cultural institutions, organisations and networks.

INCD will launch a consultation process to work with individual development agencies to seek a commitment from each to work on a particular issue (for example, developing the craft industry) for a given period of time (five-to-ten years).

Integrate Cultural Impact Assessment into Development Frameworks and Processes
The INCD executed a project on the development of a framework for Cultural Impact Assessment. It intends now to push ahead with a campaign to ensure that development agencies integrate the principles of CIA into their development frameworks and processes. In this regard, the INCD will create a web portal to document successful case studies of CIA practice, launch a targeted campaign on individual funding agencies to ensure that the CIA process is accommodated in project delivery, and engage in a dialogue with development agencies generally to promote CIA.

Raise Awareness of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressio
As part of its response to the new UNESCO Convention, INCD will embark on a campaign to encourage ratification. After ratification, it will work to ensure it is effective as possible and will work to sensitize governments and civil society about the potential of the Convention.

Shanghai International CIW opening up scope for innovation

Source: China Economic

By Shen Zejin

The 2007 Shanghai International Creative Industry Week was held at 1933 Old Millfun, Shanghai from November 15 to November 21. Transformed from the largest slaughterhouse in the Far East in the 1930s into a brand new creative industry park in Shanghai, 1933 Old Millfun has become an "irresistible temptation" where renowned creative industry talents from all over the world get together.

Built in 1933, the set of buildings were designed by Balfours, a famous British architect, and constructed by the then well-known Yu Hong Ji Construction Company. Four buildings in the east, the west, the south and the north respectively, which form a square factory area, are connected to the main building at the central part taking the shape of a polygonal structure with 24 sides by staircases. Thus, there forms a unique layout, which is square when seen from outside but round when seen inside with various and interesting heights and circulating corridors, labyrinthic yet orderly, and an artistic space. Along the passages inside the slaughterhouse, people can easily reach the 4th floor without mounting the staircases.

Having conducted extensive studies, experts from relevant aspects in Shanghai decided to maintain the original structure and style of those buildings and make efforts to construct the circumjacent environment, and develop a new model of creative park construction, namely to boost the linkage development of forms including commerce, culture, tourism .etc in the circumjacent areas through doing the best in constructing the "1933 Old Millfun" and interact with the communities with an area of 11 square kilometer as guided by the government and boosted by the market by virtue of the agglomerative effect and the spinoff effect. Residents can spontaneously take part in creative transformation and construction, thus making it possible to gradually make build such an area into an original urban museum of old Shanghai folk culture getting integrated lifestyle experiencing communities, creative studios, art galleries, creative leisure and culture.

The reason for the 2007 Shanghai Creative Industry Week to have chosen "1933 Old Millfun" as its venue is to expose it to the world under spotlights. Unsurprisingly, this year's Creative Industry Week is much bigger than the previous two in scale, attracting not only famous creative individuals from more than 30 countries including the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and Italy but also domestic representatives from more than 500 creative enterprises in over 20 cities; many people came specifically for "1933 Old Millfun".

The opening ceremony of the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week was held in the Old Millfun on the evening of November 15. Underneath the red carpet, there laid a newly paved road surface made up of pebbles and cube stones that can be rarely found in urban areas. The crowd applauded and cheered when the 100 creative masters walked across the red carpet, signed on the crystal signature bricks with a pattern of the 1933 Old Millfun that is carefully prepared by the organizing committee, and built up a "wall of creativity" with "bricks of creativity". Among the crowd, residents in the neighborhood could be found and certain changes would appear in their life from the night on.

On the following day, many visitors came to "1933 Old Millfun" in spirits. They roamed about such an exhibition hall that extends in all directions, taking a look at creative furniture from the Netherlands, the release of new wines from Australia, German architecture designs, British sustainable designs, book publication in the USA, and "Retrospect of Hong Kong's creative industry During the Past 10 years" organized by The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the People's Republic of China.

To the excitement of visitors, there would always be something new to offer even though they pay visit to the venue every day. Instead of a single form of exhibitions, 6 creative days were held during this year's Creative Industry Week with attempts to extensively and fully display the development status of creative industry in developed countries and those cities joining in the exhibition at various levels. For example, November 16 was the Holland Day, on which a series of activities concerning Dutch creative industry were carried out, including accomplishment exhibition, lectures and on-the-spot trainings, building design and planning in urban areas, and real estate project development, product promotion, and fashion shows. Visitors can not only learn about how Holland became ranked as the No. 8 most creative country in the latest global ranking by linking creativity with the market but also have the chance to communicate face to face with masters of creativity and famous branded enterprises from Holland.

On the "Yangtze River Delta Day", more than a score of creative parks and certain creative enterprises from the Yangtze River Delta cities, such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Changzhou, made match of projects with creative parks and creative enterprises in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Hong Kong delegation organized by Hong Kong Trade Development Center was composed of dozens of enterprises from a variety of fields in the creative industry like architecture design, comic and animation, film and television. Matchmaking and communications provide the creative industry and creative enterprises on the delta with experiences, open up more space for the development of the creative industry in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and conduct rewarding exploration into the healthy development mode of resource sharing and mutual benefits for the linkage development of the creative industry in such regions and cities.

The creative industry has been developing rapidly in Shanghai in the past few years. By the end of 2006, there had already been 75 creative industry parks like "1933 Old Millfun" while another 10 were under construction. However, the Shanghai Municipal Government had made it clear that in 2007, it would not authorize any new parks; instead, licenses would be withdrawn from those parks that are not clearly oriented or badly managed so as to keep the number of creative parks in Shanghai unchanged while their quality would get improved due to the introduction of a competition mechanism.

Why Develop the Creative Industries?

Source: MICA

For over four decades, Singapore has prospered through an investment-led economic strategy focused on traditional manufacturing and services industries. As we transit into an innovation-fuelled economy, the driving force in the next phase of our development will be the imaginative and creative capacity of our people. The new architects of the global economic landscape are those who apply their imagination, creativity and knowledge to generate new ideas and create new value. Multi-dimensional creativity - artistic creativity, business entrepreneurship and technological innovation - will be the new currency of success.

Worldwide, the creative cluster (arts and culture, design and media) has been observed to be among the fastest growing sectors of developed economies such as the UK and the US. Creative industries not only contribute towards the economy directly, they also have a powerful, indirect impact on the rest of the economy - by adding style, aesthetics and freshness to differentiate our products and services. To succeed and thrive, Singapore must tap on the creative cluster (arts and culture, design, media) and recognise them as one of the vanguards of economic growth.

How the Creative Cluster can benefit Singapore • Direct GDP contribution, exports and job creation • Differentiating products and services across all economic sectors • Enhance Singapore's creative buzz and international profile • Augment the creative capacity of our people

MICA will spearhead the Creative Industries Development Strategy to contribute towards the Economic Review Committee's (ERC) vision of a diversified, entrepreneurial and globalised economy for Singapore. ERC has identified the creative industries as one of the three new and promising service areas to promote, besides education and healthcare.

Creative Industries Development Strategy

Vision:
A vibrant and self-sustaining creative cluster to propel Singapore's Creative Economy.

	"The Chicago-based Mr Lucaci, who holds a degree in industrial design, predicts that the Republic is just five years away from becoming a key industrial design centre in the region. " - Streats, 10 March, 2003. Mr Iulius Lucaci is one of the Motorola designer behind V70 cellphone. He has won BusinessWeek and Industrial Design Society of America gold awards and Hanover Industry Forum awards.

MICA will spearhead a national collaborative approach involving all relevant government agencies, industry players and stakeholders to develop this new and promising industry sector.

Creative Industries Singapore has been formed within MICA HQ to coordinate policies and programmes for the creative industries. The group can be reached at Email: mica_cisg@mica.gov.sg or Fax: (65) 6837 9493.

Industry-specific blueprints have been formulated:

•	Renaissance City 2.0: build on the original Renaissance City blueprint to develop Singapore into a highly innovative and multi-talented global city for arts and culture. This blueprint is a follow-up on the Renaissance City Report in 2000.
•	Design Singapore: establish Singapore as Asia's leading hub for design excellence, where its design cluster is fully developed into a key driver of national competitiveness and creativity.
•	Media 21: develop a thriving media ecosystem rooted in Singapore with strong international extensions.

Cross sectoral initiatives have been launched:

Creative Community Singapore (CCS) : Positioned as the community outreach component of the Creative Industries Development Strategy as recommended by ERC, this key initiative was officially launched by MICA on Sunday, 24 July 2005. CCS aims to empower individuals, teams and organisations to initiate and pilot cutting edge projects that will unleash individual and community creativity, nurture creative ideas and build demand and capabilities for the Creative Industries. It is a unique people-private-public collaborative platform providing various forms of support, including facilitation, co-branding, marketing and co-funding. For more information on CCS, please visit www.creativecommunity.sg.

Crea©tive – Reinvent Your Future: A cluster of high profile creative events held in Singapore in November 2005, this marks an inaugural effort by MICA to present an international platform that celebrates and promotes the Creative Industries. Crea©tive provides opportunities for cross participation and cross fertilisation of ideas across the Arts, Media and Design Sectors. The key events in 2005 were Beyond 2005: The Global Summit for Creative Industries, Singapore Design Festival, Asia Media Festival and Creative Youth Xchange @ Gallery Hotel. These events have raised Singapore 's profile as a creative hub as well as provided a showcasing platform for local creative talents and enterprises. Building on the success of Crea©tive 2005, the umbrella platform will be deployed again in future years to put the spotlight on the Creative Industries

Resources:
Read ERC's Subcommittee Report on Creative Industries.

Download our Creative Industries Development Strategy brochure and Ministry of Trade and Industry's paper, Economic Contributions of Singapore's Creative Industries.

You can also read about Design Singapore in DesignSingapore's website and Media 21 in MDA's website.

Vektorjunkie – for those who love vektor art

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Creative Cluster

Source: WIPO

The term "Creative Cluster" refers to the geographic concentration of a creative industry (craft, film, music, publishing, interactive software, design, etc.) that pools together its resources in order to optimize the creation, production, dissemination and exploitation of creative works. Such clustering activity eventually leads to the formation of a network and the establishment of partnerships.

However, due to the nature of these industries, the formation of creative clusters tends to not follow the conventional process of "cluster formation", which generally speaking, tend to be attracted to an area by its market potential (enhanced cluster-based competitiveness) or to the existence of a technology institution or university. In the case of the creative industries, enterprise clustering occurs organically, given that many creative projects are done on a collaborative and project-based basis.

Case studies:

1. Quatier21 (Austria): Museum
2. Maniago (Italy): Consorzio Coltellinai Maniago (Cutlers of Maniago)
3. Moradabad UP (India)
4. Lahti (Finland): Wood Processing (see p. 13) [PDF]
5. Smaland (Sweden)
6. Southwestern Montana (United States): Artists and Writers [PDF]

Links on creative clusters:

1. What are Creative Clusters? (UNESCO)
2. Dynamic Cities and Creative Clusters (by Weiping Wu) [PDF]
3. Knowledge, Technology and Cluster-Based Growth in Africa: Findings from Eleven Case Studies of Enterprise Clusters in Africa (by Douglas Zhihua Zeng) [PDF]
4. Creative Clusters: Towards the governance of the creative industries production system? (Andy C. Pratt) [PDF]
5. Creative Clusters (Simon Evans)
6. Tourist quality labels: An incentive for the sustainable development of creative clusters as a tourist attractions?
7. The Economics of Cultural Districts: Value, Impact, Policy and Sustainability (Santagata,W and Trimarchi, M) [PDF]
8. Montana Creative Enterprises Cluster
9. Scottish Creative Enterprises Cluster [PDF]
10. New England Creative Cluster [PDF]

Creative clusters play a vital role in the social and economic development of a region and nation. As a result many countries consciously embark on implementing policies to create an encouraging environment for the prosperity of the creative industries. Such policies include those related to the strengthening of national intellectual property regimes.

Asian markets on a roll for licensed goods

Source: HKTDC Website 17 Jul 2007

report from Licensing 2007 International, New York Asian opportunities from Viz Media. Asia, with South America, provides the fastest growing opportunities for licensed goods sales, according to buyers and licensors attending the Licensing 2007 International show held over three days at the Javits Center in New York. Properties and preferences in Asia vary widely, while licensing has become increasingly developed throughout the region. Established, trusted brands still seem to carry the day, although new Asian properties, including those from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong carry increasing influence. "There seems to be a marked increase in interest in long-term, perennial properties," said Gail Mitchell, vice president of HPG, Hasbro's licensing arm for the Asia Pacific. "We have experienced increased interest in companies wanting to represent our brands as agents," Mitchell said. "Perhaps most importantly, we have just employed a business development manager who will be based in Hong Kong and will be responsible for building comprehensive merchandise ranges and securing high-profile promotional properties in Asia." Hasbro Transformer laptop. Hasbro's Transformers, already a major brand globally, is seeing still more action coming off the live-action DreamWorks/Paramount movie. More than 230 deals in over 70 countries cross every category, the company reported. My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Tonka, and The Game of Life are other long-term Hasbro properties with appeal in Asia. As for Monopoly - "our crown jewel," Mitchell called it: "we've been working with licensees on apparel promotions, a collectible gift line for adults, in food and beverage promotions, and in digital gaming, to name just a few." Licensing activity is strong in Japan, which has a mature licensing market that is something of a trendsetter for Asia. Taiwan and South Korea had large pavilions at the show. Long-term appeal in Asia. Littlest Pet Shop ArtsNCrafts. The Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and India have less-developed licensing markets, but are growing them rapidly, buyers said. Disney, MTV, Nickleodeon, and the Cartoon Network are in the Indian market, as they are in China. New York-based licensing organisation, International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA), has some 60 members under its China affiliate, starting from zero just a few years ago, said Sherry Rao, managing director. Entertainment, sports, art, corporate brands, food and local Chinese celebrities all have strong potential. It's important to invest in the brand, Rao said. Tonka 12 Bike. "Licensing is definitely growing in India," said Rajesh Rodriguez, general manager of Toonz Animation and an attendee from India. "It's not huge, but there is potential." Toonz represents several Asian properties on the subcontinent, including Indian folklore characters Tenali and the monkey god, Hanuman. The company has nearly completed arrangements to represent consumer products for a large American license. "We're looking to represent properties in India," Rodriguez said. "You need to start the licensing programme when the programmes are on the air." Anime, manga, Hong Kong originals and Mainland favourites "Anime and manga are becoming more mainstream in the US and abroad," said Jane Lui, public relations manager for Viz Media, master licensor for these properties. The category is growing fast in bookstores. Manga from Viz Media: "in the mainstream". Naruto anime series. Viz Media's Naruto anime series, from Japan, tops weekly sales, Lui said. Retail tie-ins for Naruto and other Viz-managed properties include T-shirts and DVDs. Hong Kong-based Intelli-Media Group has developed a strong market on the Chinese mainland for its original cartoons and animations. "We're here discussing opportunities for the US and other markets," said licensing director, Shelley Leung. The company has 500 episodes of its "Pleasant Goat and the Big Bad Wolf" ready to go, along with a merchandise line that includes apparel, comics, plush, backpacks, candies, stationary, and kids' furniture. The appeal is to both boys and girls. "Asia is a very diverse market," said Bianca Lee, Warner Bros Consumer Properties managing director for China, Southeast Asia and India. "The industry is growing, and the number of players in the market is increasing tremendously." Highlight at the show: Space Chimps.* Licensing promotion for The Dark Knight.* "We're starting to see some Chinese [mainland] local properties emerging, but the major interest is in Western and Korean brands, said Lee. Warner's Tom and Jerry cartoons are a major property in China and India. Looney Tunes and DC Comics are also popular in the traditional categories. Retail is a key strategy. In products, Lee said: "the biggest category for us is apparel and then fashion accessories and toys. We tie up with as many strong retailers as we can in every market we're in." In apparel, Warner licensees are building their own retail programmes, often with consignment areas in department stores. "[On the Chinese mainland], licensing is emerging so fast that it's hard to keep up with developments," said Ciaran Coyle, managing director at New York's The Beanstalk Group. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a significant publicity opportunity for Chinese brands, said Coyle. Land Rover is an emerging brand on the Mainland. There was a freestanding store selling diecast cars and other merchandise, and products will eventually be in car dealerships. The major diecast manufacturers are in Hong Kong, Coyle noted. Footwear and apparel are other categories, with health and beauty a possibility. Footwear from Transformers. T-shirts for all occasions. "China has a huge appetite for brands, especially high-end luxury brands," Coyle said. There is particular interest in British brands. "Asia-Pacific and Latin America are two key markets we're looking to grow," said Lynne-Mei Lee, head of publicity for FremantleMedia. The Idols format is a major focus for the company, which owns rights for and handles American Idol, along with a wide range of other entertainment properties. Larger show with bigger international element More broadly, the US$180 billion global licensing industry is poised for more growth as it expands its international reach, buyers said at the Licensing 2007 International show ending 21st June. "International" was the right word as 525 exhibitors from 19 countries showed more than 6,000 properties. In addition to the US and Europe, exhibitors came from the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. In the mood: licensing show expands.* Entertainment and character licensing dominant.* The 23,000-plus attendees were from 82 countries. US licensing royalties were US$6 billion in 2006, up 1.5% over 2005, according to LIMA. Entertainment/Character licensing is the dominant category, holding 44% of the market. It grew by 2%, with an increase of US$54 million to US$2.6 billion. Trademarks/Brands (18% share) and fashion and sports (14% each) are the next biggest. Toy and bag option on display. Apparel (17% revenue share), and toys and games (15%) top the product category. Royalties tend to be in the 8% to 12% range for apparel and 5% to 12% for toys and games. Home decor had an 11% revenue share. Brands ranged from newer, less familiar, and smaller properties to giant global names including the major toy companies and movie studios. Classic brands and older names are a key focus as trademark licensing becomes more important. Names ranged from foods and household cleaning products to favourite toys, characters from literature, and old movie classics and stars. Reflecting current issues, licensing is moving into environmental causes and health concerns. In property types, revenues for non-profits (museums and charitable organisations) grew by 4.8%. Major deals at the show Major deals announced at the show reflected geographic and property growth and Asia's role in that growth. Speed Racer a new licence. The Dark Knight film spin off. Harry Potter movie deal. Warner Bros Consumer Products named Mattel as global toy licensee for the anime-inspired Speed Racer, and for the new Batman film, The Dark Knight. Current movie property deals included video game releases for Warner's new Harry Potter movie and for the Disney/Pixar Ratatouille. Paramount's "Reel Rides" is a direct-to-retail program developed for Wal-Mart, with Malibu Toys supplying limited edition die-cast vehicles from films. Brand extensions for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, handled by Global Icons, and for MGM and its lion, handled by Brand Sense Partners. Viz Media named Bandai America as toy licensee for its new anime series Blue Dragon, based on the Xbox game. The Beanstalk Group and the World Wildlife Fund will center their efforts on furthering the conservation group's programs in sustainability and green living. McDonald's teamed with DreamWorks Animation on a Shrek 3 promotion to encourage kids to make healthy eating choices like salads and white meat chicken. Monopoly in with McDonald's. Licensing executives, including those from movie studios, commented that familiar names and established brands have more long-term staying power than most current "hot" movie properties. "Movies have peaks and valleys," said US-based Global Icons CEO Jeff Lotman. Familiar names have "dependability and reliability," he said. Mobility and digital portals are the future. "The next wave of the Internet will be on your phone," Lotman said. Global Icons' Hollywood Walk of Fame launches through a digital portal. "It's an icon that contains the entire industry," he said. Global Icons signed Honda just before the show, and will be handling motorcycles, Honda cars, and Acura. Lifestyle products will be a good fit, Lotman said. Asia's tie-ins American Idol's portfolio includes over 40 licensees in apparel, role-play, toys and games, food, and other categories. "We're looking for ways for people to interact with the brand," said Lee of FremantleMedia. "We look at each brand on an individual basis, for logical brand extensions." Vietnam Idol tie-ins include board and electronic games, and musical instruments. Asia will be a major focus for MGM and its lion, to be managed by Brand Sense in a partnership announced at the show. "It's a high-end lifestyle play on the MGM brand itself," said Brand Sense business development director, Austin Katz. Product plans include fragrances, furniture inspired by old MGM movies, and apparel. Quality and luxury will be central as Brand Sense talks with potential suppliers. Cultural mingling: Transformers as sunglasses. "It's wonderful to see your property translate to another culture," said Anthony Kosiewska, director of international licensing for the educational company Scholastic Media, a relatively new player internationally. Part of that is recognising the different appeal brands can have in different markets. Scholastic's Clifford the Big Red Dog, mainly a pre-school property in the US, reaches across age groups in other countries. "It's a way of adapting to other cultures," Kosiewska said. Scholastic has been working with Mindworks and with Japanese licensee Densu to create Clifford products targeting teens and young adults in Japan. There are 12 licenses already in Japan, covering apparel, change purses, bedding and curtains, and novelty plush. Clifford has been the "spokesdog" for the Tokyo metro, using his reputation for cooperative, sharing behaviour to encourage safety on the trains. Plans call for going into China. from special correspondent Lisa Harbatkin, New York (*Images by Cory Doviak) Contact: Company Tel/Web The Beanstalk Group Tel: (1) 212-303-1122 (US), (44) 20-7030-7979 (UK) Web: http://www.beanstalk.com Brand Sense Partners, LLC Tel: (1) 310-867-7322 Web: http://www.bsp.com FremantleMedia Tel: (44) 7691-6782 Web: http://www.fremantlemedia.com Global Icons Tel: (1) 310-820-5300 Web: http://www.globalicons.com Hasbro Properties Group Tel: (1) 401-727-5634 Web: http://www.hasbro.com Intell-Media Group (Holdings) Limited Tel: (852) 3426-9898 Web: http://www.intelli-mgh.com Scholastic Media Tel: (1) 212-343-6849 Web: http://www.scholastic.com Toonz Animation Tel: (91) 471-2700954 Web: http://www.toonzanimationindia.com Viz Media, LLC Tel: (1) 415-546-7073 Warner Bros (FE) Inc Tel: (852) 3128-1898 Warner Bros Consumer Products Tel: (1) 818-954-7980 Web: http://www.warnerbros.com

Wiki in Plain English

Phunkstudio: The Champion of Singapore's Graphic Scene

Phunk has propagated a visual signature that seamlessly blends their diverse influences into a singular creative thought. Their cross-disciplinary approach is best described as "an aesthetic collective consciousness" focused on experimenting with new approaches to visual expressions. Phunk has collaborated and worked with international brands such as Nike, MTV, Daimler Chrysler, Diesel, Levis,Comme des Garcon, Tiger Beer and Salem.
http://www.phunkstudio.com

China Creative City

Source: Picnic

Organized by Da-Tong China Desk Creative Industry

28 Sept 07 14:00-28 Sept 07 15:30 Engine Room Engine Room (view on map)

Interesting and conceptually compelling cases of building "creative cities" in China, debate about the role of the creative industry in the dynamic urbanization in China.

Moderated by: Paul van den Hoven, professor of Utrecht University, dean of the Professional School of the Arts Utrecht

Key Note Speakers:
Huang Rui(China)
Su Tong(China)

Panelists:
Isaac Mao(China)
Cai Ming(China)
Dirk Noordman(Erasmus University, The Netherlands)
P.P.van Besouw(Smalltails, The Netherlands)
Linda Vlassenrood(NAi, the Netherlands)

Huang Rui

Contact
Da-Tong Foundation
China Desk Creative Industry

Liu Yan, Director,
Tel: +31 6-51 601 788
liuyan@wxs.nl

Boudijn H. Uythof. Chairman.
Tel: +31 6-28 255 100
boudijn@uythof.com

More information about Key Note Speakers:

Huang Rui:

Contemporary artist, curator, and the founder of the 798 Dashanzi Art District and 798 Dashanzi Art Festival(DIAF), Huang Rui works in the mediums of painting, photography, installation, and performance art.
Huang was an original member of the groundbreaking, historic Chinese contemporary art group, The Star Group. Since 2003, he has unflinchingly initiated creative arts projects such as Transborder Language: Poetry/Performance Art, Blue Sky Exposure for the DIAF (Dashanzi International Art Festival) within the 798 Dashanzi Art District. Created in 2004, DIAF is a large scale event held organized by Huang Rui’s organization – Thinking Hands along with the various artistic initiatives around 798 art district.
Huang is also prolific in publishing and planning print works including 798, the definitive volume on the history and development of the art district: Beijing 798, reflection on art, architecture and society in China, published by Timezone8, Hong Kong. Huang Rui is an artist whose works avoids easy taxonomy. Over the years his works have taken on many forms. Most of them are characterized by a spirit of rebelliousness and an interest in exploring how the human condition faces up to the impenetrable walls of authority.

Huang Rui is a highly socially engaged artist who incorporates important political and historical references into his works. He has a particular fascination with Chinese political slogans from the 1980s reform era, which, using tidy, controlled brushstrokes, are deliberately enlarged on stark white canvases. Now, as Huang is being forced out of 798 by the landowners, he is leading Beijing's artists to a new creative community in Gaobedian, and looks back at the factory blocks he helped transform.
Located in north east part of Beijing, "798 Dashanzi Art District" is the informal name of a part of Dashanzi in the Chaoyang District of Beijing that houses a thriving artist community, among 50-year old factory buildings of unique Bauhaus architectural style; Now, an active artistic community, a must-see tourist-friendly art district, and often being compared with New York's Greenwich Village or SoHo, it has seen a tremendous growth of new independent arts districts in the recent years besides the famous Factory 798, which includes: Beigao Art District (which include Suojiacun village and Feijiacun village -- Shangri-La art Commune), Huajiadi area of Wangjing residential area (many residing artists), and new-arising wine factory and East End art district etc.

Website: www.diaf.org

Su Tong: Secretary-General of the Pacific Society of China Ocean Culture Commitee, director of the research center of the Association for the Promotion of Olympic Culture, Beijing and Secretary-General of Created in China Industry Alliance.

Su Tong is 40 years old and is the founding executive director of the Beijing-based Creative China Industrial Alliance. This organisation is a non-profit company operating under the umbrella of Asia-Pacific Research Society, itself a think tank associated with the Ministry of Information Industry.

Su Tong’s passion is the slogan “from made in China to created in China”, which has become a brand for his company’s public relations services. These include conference management, web-design, and project management. Su Tong and his organization have been involved in several creative cities campaigns and their designs have found support within the Beijing Municipal government. The Creative China Industrial Alliance has also been engaged on several Beijing Olympics promotions. One of these is an image database called Beijing Explorer -an online photo exhibit of Beijing that allows residents to contribute their impressions of culturally significant sites.

Su Tong points out that creativity is not just about big cities and the middle classes. It needs to be distributed to be people-centred. In 2004 the Creative China Industrial Alliance conducted a creative branding campaign around a wheaten food festival in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province in north-west China, a place left behind by globalisation.

The Creative China Industrial Alliance also believe the development of creative industries is an international activity and for this reason have sought to integrate Western and global perspectives and insights. He actively organizes international conferences and have been participating international talks in creativity, creative industry, creative cluster and creative city in Europe and Australia.

Su Tong(right) and Liu Yan(Left), director of Da-Tong China Desk in Westergasfabriek

Nicholas Negroponte: The vision behind One Laptop Per Child

One Laptop per Child designer Yves Behar (watch his TEDTalk) shares exciting news about the top-to-bottom redesign of the XO laptop -- sometimes called the "$100 laptop." He writes:

With the XO (1.0), we pushed the boundaries of what a laptop could be by lowering the cost dramatically, being green (no heavy metals, lowest energy consumption ever), and a human-driven unique design approach.

Now, with XOXO (2.0), we are challenging what a truly collaborative and creative computing experience could be ... a true departure from the traditional keyboard and screen layout, a new way to interface and play with data, information and communication:

- imagine if your learning machine was an un-interrupted screen one could interface with from any direction
- imagine if it was a reading experience just like a book, and at the same time a seamless large visual tablet
- imagine if children could play board games sitting across from each other (or computer games).

The XOXO is a book, a tablet, a board...and yes, a laptop too if that is what you need. The design is still green and white, but thin, simple, and un-interrupted by keyboards, buttons, speaker holes, input devices and visible connectors. And it is soft to the touch, like a piece of luggage, everyday luggage you can take anywhere.

Planned for early 2010, the XOXO should be the next learning object of desire, from Bogota, to Istanbul, to New York.

David Kelley: The future of design is human-centered

David Kelley is a designer -- of products, details, environments, his own industry-leading workplace, and now a groundbreaking design school at Stanford.

Kelley was working (unhappily) as an electrical engineer when he heard about Stanford's cross-disciplinary Joint Program in Design, which merged engineering and art. What he learned there -- debate, openness to new approaches, a desire to solve fundamental problems with design -- he has maintained in his professional life as a designer.

In 1978, he co-founded a design firm that ultimately became IDEO, now renowned worldwide for its innovative, user-centered approach to design. IDEO works with a range of clients -- from fast food conglomerates to high tech startups, hospitals to universities -- building everything from a life-saving portable defibrillator to the defining details at the groundbreaking Prada shop in Manhattan (IDEO designed those famous see-through dressing rooms). Based in Palo Alto, Calif., IDEO has grown to seven offices and 400+ employees worldwide.

Now chairman of IDEO, Kelley has also been teaching design at Stanford for more than 25 years. He's now leading the university's brand-new d.school -- an interdisciplinary institute for educating innovative designers and thinkers.

"Kelley has become a poster child for innovation in America for two reasons: His engineering firm serves as the brains behind many of today's most innovative products, and IDEO (Greek for idea) has been a trendsetter in modern-day corporate management."
Virtual Advisor (www.va-interactive.co)

Dean Kamen: Rolling along, helping students and the third world

Dean Kamen is an innovator, but not just of things. He hopes to revolutionize attitudes, quality of life, awareness. While an undergraduate, he developed the first portable infusion device, which delivers drug treatments that once required round-the-clock hospital care. And, through his DEKA Research and Development, which he cofounded in 1982, he developed a portable dialysis machine, a vascular stent, and the iBOT -- a motorized wheelchair that climbs stairs (Stephen Colbert took one for a spin).

Yes, he's a college dropout, but he's a huge believer in education, and in 1989 established the nonprofit FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to inspire teenagers to pursue careers in science. FIRST sponsors lively annual competitions, where students form teams to create the best robot.

His focus now is on off-grid electricity and water purification for developing countries; another recent project, previewed at TED2007, is a prosthetic arm for maimed soldiers (read an update here). He's also working on a power source for the wonderful Think car. And, with more funding in the works, we haven't seen the last of the Segway.

"Lots of people talk and dream about changing the world. But inventor Dean Kamen is actually doing it."
CBS News

Ron Eglash: African Fractals

"Ethno-mathematician" Ron Eglash is the author of African Fractals, a book that examines the fractal patterns underpinning architecture, art and design in many parts of Africa. By looking at aerial-view photos -- and then following up with detailed research on the ground -- Eglash discovered that many African villages are purposely laid out to form perfect fractals, with self-similar shapes repeated in the rooms of the house, and the house itself, and the clusters of houses in the village, in mathematically predictable patterns.

As he puts it: "When Europeans first came to Africa, they considered the architecture very disorganized and thus primitive. It never occurred to them that the Africans might have been using a form of mathematics that they hadn't even discovered yet."

His other areas of study are equally fascinating, including research into African and Native American cybernetics, teaching kids math through culturally specific design tools (such as the Virtual Breakdancer applet, which explores rotation and sine functions), and race and ethnicity issues in science and technology. Eglash teaches in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and he recently co-edited the book Appropriating Technology, about how we reinvent consumer tech for our own uses.

"Next time you bump into one of those idiots who starts asking you questions like, 'where is the African Mozart, or where is the African Brunel?' -- implying that Africans do not think -- send them a copy of Ron Eglash’s study of fractals in African architecture and watch their heads explode."
mentalacrobatics.com

Starchitect on TED: Joshua Prince-Ramus

Architect Joshua Prince-Ramus takes the audience on dazzling, dizzying virtual tours of three recent projects, including the Seattle Central Library, Museum Plaza in Louisville and Dallas' Charles Wyly Theater. Adopting what he describes as a "hyper-rational" approach to architecture, Joshua Prince-Ramus explains how logic can act as the catalyst for extraordinary buildings. He previews an ambitious new theater in Dallas, a hyper-customizable performance space in which everything -- stage, seats, walls, ceiling -- can be altered on the fly. He concludes with an animation of the 1.1-million-square-foot Museum Plaza in Louisville, scheduled for completion in 2010. Source: Ted.com

Very inspiring design process and spectacular visualization! But personally, I didn't enjoy the design result.
Andi S. Boediman

e-Choupal, Transforming Agricultural Supply Chain

In setting up rural farmer-entrepreneurs with Internet access, and using modern technology to accurately weigh farmers' crops (and paying them promptly), ITC's e-Choupal system is transforming India's agricultural supply chain, reducing systemic corruption and giving farmers both better prices for their crops and a sense of dignity and confidence in being connected to the rest of the world.

Amy Smith: Simple designs that could save millions of childrens' lives

Mechanical engineer Amy Smith's approach to problem-solving in developing nations is refreshingly common-sense: Invent cheap, low-tech devices that use local resources, so communities can reproduce her efforts and ultimately help themselves. Smith, working with her students at MIT, has come up with several useful tools, including an incubator that stays warm without electricity, a simple grain mill, and a tool that converts farm waste into cleaner-burning charcoal.

The inventions have earned Smith three prestigious prizes: the B.F. Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Award, the MIT-Lemelson Prize, and a MacArthur "genius" grant. Her course, "Design for Developing Countries," is a pioneer in bringing humanitarian design into the curriculum of major institutions. Going forward, the former Peace Corps volunteer strives to do much more, bringing her inventiveness and boundless energy to bear on some of the world's most persistent problems.

"Smith has a stable of oldfangled technologies that she has reconfigured and applied to underdeveloped areas around the world. Her solutions sound like answers to problems that should have been solved a century ago. To Smith, that's the point."

Wired News

Iqbal Quadir: The power of the mobile phone to end poverty

As a kid in rural Bangladesh in 1971, Iqbal Quadir had to walk half a day to another village to find the doctor -- who was not there. Twenty years later he felt the same frustration while working at a New York bank, using diskettes to share information during a computer network breakdown. His epiphany: In both cases, "connectivity is productivity." Had he been able to call the doctor, it would have saved him hours of walking for nothing.

Partnering with microcredit pioneer GrameenBank, in 1997 Quadir established GrameenPhone, a wireless operator now offering phone services to 80 million rural Bangladeshi. It's become the model for a bottom-up, tech-empowered approach to development. "Phones have a triple impact," Quadir says. "They provide business opportunities; connect the village to the world; and generate over time a culture of entrepreneurship, which is crucial for any economic development."

"GrameenPhone has increased the country’s GDP by a far greater amount than repeated infusions of foreign aid. "
The New Nation

Pekan Produk Budaya Indonesia 4 - 8 Juni 2008

Dengan ini kami sampaikan bahwa 12 Departemen/Kementerian Negara, KADIN dan DEKRANAS melalui koordinasi Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kesejahteraan Rakyat akan menyelenggarakan Pekan Produk Budaya Indonesia (PPBI) 2008, pada tanggal 4 s/d Juni 2008 di Jakarta Convention Center.

Dalam PPBI 2008 akan dilaksanakan berbagai kegiatan meliputi:
a. Pameran akan menampilkan beragam produk budaya Indonesia dan industri kreatif
b. Konvensi yang terdiri atas seminar, lokakarya dan dialog
c. Gelar seni budaya yang akan menampilkan berbagai seni budaya Indonesia

Sehubungan dengan acara tersebut, tersedia area khusus untuk pameran industri kreatif (software & Internet, permainan interaktif, animasi, film, musik, periklanan, penerbitan buku & komik, animasi, fesyen, barang seni & kerajinan, desain produk, desain mebel, fotografi, arsitektur, desain grafis, seni pertunjukan)

Agar kegiatan ini dapat bermanfaat bagi para pelaku industri maupun khalayak masyarakat, kami mengundang Bapak/Ibu/Saudara sebagai peserta dan membantu koordinasi dari industri terkait agar tercipta sinergi yang baik antar para pelaku industri dan pameran ini dapat memberikan hasil yang maksimal.

Bagi para pelaku industri kreatif, tersedia stand bersubsidi yang diprioritaskan kepada produk-produk unggulan dan berdasarkan masukan dari asosiasi atau komunitas kreatif yang bersangkutan. Term of Reference bisa dilihat di bawah ini:

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Silakan mendistribusikan informasi ini kepada rekan2 pelaku industri kreatif lainnya.