The final project hypothesis

When I joined Ravensbourne in 2007 I felt that within four years I would end up delivering more innovation for its TV and broadcasting audiences and customers than I would for those on the design side, the world from which I had come and knew best. On 25 January 2010 I thought I knew what to do. It all seemed clear. The final project concept for my MA in Enabling Creative Innovation was set. It was obvious that all I needed to do was to research, design and deliver an online platform, a virtual space, or hub if you like, that would facilitate indie TV production companies in the UK to innovate, to develop new business models and to prosper in the Digital Britain of 2010 and beyond. Not so. Let this be a lesson for any future work-based MA takers - "It ain't that simple!" I had my first tutorial on 26 January with Mr Matt Marsh, visiting professor at Ravensbourne and the founder of innovation / service design company 'firsthand experience'. Matt set me straight. He correctly pointed out that for me to really get something out of this MA experience, other than a bit of paper, which would flatter my academic vanity, I should pull back a few steps. Take a new look at what could be achieved. Question "why" I should do so and to really think about "what" the probelm is that needs to be addressed though some sort of solution, which may or may not end up being the online platform I originally had planned.

So. Here I am. Back at square one on the MA snakes and ladders board. My challenge for the next tutorial is to develop the killer hypothesis that I can, hopefully, in turn transform into the killer solution, the killer platform, app, online space for the UK's TV indies. So what is this hypothesis?

Here's some initial questions / ideas that I hope will help shape it:

What happens when isolated businesses and whole sectors collide head on with new and very open business models, necessary to succeed in the open, digital age?

What new attitudes, skills, languages and partnerships do they need to learn or adopt to succeed?

Where do they find the above?

What are the barriers to adoption and how are they best overcome?

Which businesses, sectors and/or countries can they learn from who may have gone through digital or 'open' business transitions already?

Can UK indies innovate in the ways which are necessary or are they so isolated and 'closed' that this is an impossible task?

If they can't innovate and open themselves, what will the new wave of content and production companies look like who do prosper in the digital age and what type of content will they produyce and how will it be distributed, to who and how will it be funded or paid for?

And. What are the key digital advances that make the above questions and challenges necessary? Real Time Web, freemium content, mashup and open source philosophy, super fast broadband access, the fall of our traditional broadcasters and their commissioning processes? Perhaps it's all of these things?

Anyway. Once I've got the hypothesis I hope to develop something of real value. Something that can help to open these closed and isolated businesses and act as the glue to bring them together, to develop a new community of shared practice for production professionals, which will help to keep the UK indie TV production sector competitive and successful in the age of Digital Britain.