X|Media|Lab is an international thinktank that the WA Museum will be heavily involved in participating and promoting.
X|Media|Lab is calling for submissions from digital and creative industry entrepreneurs to participate in a rare opportunity to workshop their projects with some of the world’s most successful new media experts, as part of the inaugural X|Media|Lab Perth, held from 15-17 April 2011 at the new State Theatre Centre.
With the theme, Storytelling in a Digital Age, X|Media|Lab Perth is also awarding up to three development grants of up to $20,000 to digital media projects that include at least one Western Australian arts practitioner in the project team.
Department of Culture and the Arts Director General Allanah Lucas said that sixteen project teams will be selected to receive one-on-one mentoring, elite consultation, feedback and advice tailored to the specific needs of individual projects. The panel of mentors includes award-winning transmedia producers, mobile strategists, gamification experts, artists, social media strategists, filmmakers and entrepreneurs.
“Project teams or companies with outstanding ‘interactive storytelling’ projects across all forms of media are encouraged to apply. Projects may have an entertainment, educational, cultural or informational basis,” Ms Lucas said.
“Upon completion of the Lab, the international mentors will select up to three West Australian digital media projects to receive a X|Media|Lab Perth Development Award of up to $20,000, created by the Department of Culture and the Arts and ScreenWest”.
X|Media|Lab Perth is an invaluable opportunity for media practitioners to work with global experts from creative hubs as diverse as Bangalore, Los Angeles, Cape Town and Toronto, including Poonacha Machaiah, CEO of Shekhar Kapur Digital Media, and Anna Serano, Director of the world renowned Canadian Film Centre Media Lab.
“We encourage project submissions from anyone interested in proliferating new technologies and how we can use them to create brand new ‘story’ experiences and interact with a multitude of audiences in new and exciting ways,” said Megan Elliott, Director of X|Media|Lab.
“X|Media|Lab Perth gives participants three days with unparalleled access to some of the world’s most creative and successful interactive storytellers from the screen, mobile, games, online and immersive media industries – all of whom are coming to Perth to assist those selected companies with their own project ideas.”
The closing date to submit a project to the Lab is 25 March 2011. Visit the XML website to submit a project to the Lab and to purchase tickets for the Pro Day Conference: www.xmedialab.com
For more information on the X|Media|Lab Perth Development Award, and to connect with WA arts practitioners visit: www.screenwest.wa.gov.au
X|Media|Lab Perth is possible thanks to international supporters the Department of Culture and the Arts, WA Museum, ScreenWest, Murdoch University, ABC TV and Screen Australia.
Selected Lab project teams will meet with:
• Poonacha Machaiah – CEO at Shekhar Kapur Digital Media, the new company of the Academy Award winning Director of Elizabeth and The Golden Age (Bangalore)
• Emma Kaye – Board member of the Mobile Entertainment Forum; One of the world’s top 50 women in mobile entertainment; and Africa’s leading interactive media entrepreneur (Cape Town)
• Kaz Brecher – Interactive Strategist, Cross-platform Story-teller and Cloud Computing Expert; previously Interactive Producer with multiple award winning WPP agency Schematic (Los Angeles)
• Ed Lantz – World Pioneer in immersive media experiences and large format digital cinema (Los Angeles)
• Ana Serano – Director of the CFC Media Lab, the world renowned new media research, training and production facility at the Canadian Film Center (Toronto)
• Marshal Vandruff – Interactive Storyteller and Artist who works with MAD Magazine, Warner Borthers, Rockstar, Blizzard Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera, Nickelodeon and many more as well as with over 40 advertising agencies (Laguna Beach)
• Esther Lim – Digital Marketing Leader, Transmedia Producer, Social Media Strategist and Game Analayst – CEO and Founder of boutique firm The Estuary (San Francisco)
• Kat McCallum – Transmedia Producer, Writer and Qrtist; ex VP Creative Development at Paramount TV (Los Angeles)
• Peter Shiao – Founder and CEO of Orb Media Group, a high-profile entertainment company based in Los Angles and Beijing (Los Angeles/ China)
• Robyn Kershaw – Producer of Bran Nue Dae, one of Australia’s most revered independent film and television producers (Melbourne/Perth)
• Professor Duane Varan – New Media Expert and Director of the Interactive Television research institute at Murdoch University (Perth)
• Dominic Knight – The Chaser and author of Disco Boy and Comrades (Sydney)
ScreenWest media contact:
Joanna Hos: +618 9224 7473 / joanna.hos@screenwest.wa.gov.au
X|Media|Lab media contact:
Nicole Tiedgen, Avviso PR: +612 9368 7277 / +61401 281 153 nicolet@avviso.com.au
