WEEK 1 TUESDAY DECEMBER 9

10am – 11am

Introduction – Group exercise: Getting to know one another.

Presentation/Discussion 

 The Lean Start-Up

What do you need to know about creative entrepreneurship as a journalist, blogger, musician, indie filmmaker, recording engineer, creative curator or screenwriter working in the digital economy? What is the ‘start-up’ mindset? How are new projects and ventures launched? How can you develop a sustainable career in your field?

Eric Reis (2011) defines a start-up as ‘an organisation dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty.’  New creative enterprises are essentially start-ups. What are some of the ways to maximise their success? How could you design an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for your new venture?

http://www.startuplessonslearned.com 

11am – 12pm 

Student-led Discussion 

Is a new creative enterprise a start-up? What is Creativity? How is artistic creativity different to other forms of creativity?

Required Reading:

1. Eric Reiss (2011) ‘The Lean Start-up’ pp. 28-69

2. Runco, M and Jaeger, G (2012) ‘The Standard Definition of Creativity’, Creativity Research Journal, 24:1, pp. 92-96.

Additional Reading (a):

Csikszentmihalyi, M (1997) 'The Flow of Creativity' in Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Invention, New York: Harper Collins, pp. 107-126.

Additional Reading (b):

Carey, J (2005) What is a work of Art? in What Good Are the Arts? London: Faber and Faber, pp. 3-31.

Additional Reading (c):

Kaufman, J & Baer, J (2012) ‘Beyond New and Appropriate: Who Decides What Is Creative?’, Creativity Research Journal, 24:1, pp. 83-91.

Start-up log

Keep a log tracking your reading/viewing/listening and your group’s progress on your project. It is recommended that anyone undertaking a new creative venture do something to progress their idea every day. (Well, almost every day). What steps are you taking?

12pm – 12:30pm                     Lunch Break 

12:30pm – 2pm

Group exercise: Students will form groups and will complete idea generation exercises. 

Recommended Reading:

Sawyer, K. (2007), Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, New York: Basic Books.

WEEK 2 TUESDAY DECEMBER 16 

10am – 11am 

Presentation/Discussion 

How to Get Ideas for Start-Ups

We will look at some thoughts on how you might generate ideas for new start-ups – projects, products or services. Saras Sarasvathy did extensive research on the practices of expert entrepreneurs and came up with an approach she calls effectuation. Paul Graham, one of the founders of the Y Combinator Lab suggests, for example, starting with problems that need solutions. In this seminar, we will discuss these ideas and consider how you might apply them to generating ideas for this semester’s ‘hands on’ project.

Preparation for Week 2

Inspiring start-ups. Track down 3 examples of inspiring start-ups in your field (future journalism, screen or music production). What is the project, product or service? What need does it address? How did it get off the ground?  What resources did the founders have available? What were some of the challenges they faced?

11am – 12pm 

Student-led Discussion 

Collaboration

 Across journalism, screen media, music, performance, design and architecture, practitioners are getting together to form self-managed collectives, ateliers or studios to do projects. Some focus on one art form or media. Others cross several media. We will look at some examples. Plus, we will consider the dynamics of collaboration.

‘Media collaborations bring better results’

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2012/feb/16/media-creative-collaborations-better-results

Required Reading:

Kurtzberg, T and Teresa Amabile, T (2001), ‘From Guilford to Creative Synergy: Opening the Black Box of Team-Level Creativity’, Creativity Research Journal, 13:3-4: 285-294.

Additional Reading (a):

Sawyer, K. (2007), Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, New York: Basic Books: 3-57.

12pm – 12:30pm

Lunch Break

12:30pm – 2pm

Group work related to your own start-up ideas.

 SEMESTER BREAK

WEEK 3 TUESDAY JANUARY 6 

10am – 11am

Presentation/Discussion 

 Rapid Iteration: Prototypes, Demos and Scenarios

Prototyping, experimenting and rapid iteration play a critical role in the development of ideas and products. Failure – when designed to occur early in a process and cheaply – can reveal new options that nearly always lead to better outcomes. We will consider a number of approaches to prototyping and scenario building.

Preparation Week 3

Find an example that you consider to be a demo or prototype in your field. Come along ready to discuss.

Required Reading:

Catmull, E (2008), 'How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity', Harvard Business Review, September.

11am – 12pm

Student-led Discussion 

Generating Business Models

Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur asked 470 entrepreneurs in 45 countries how they generated their business model.  The result was their book Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. We’ll discuss some of the insights their project generated.

Required Reading:

Alexander Osterwalder (2010) Business Model Generation pp. 146-169.

Additional Reading:

Erik Brynjosfsson & Andrew McAffee The Second Machine Age pp. 70-87

12pm – 12:30pm

12:30pm – 2pm

Group work related to your own start-up ideas.

WEEK 4 TUESDAY JANUARY 13

10am – 11am

Presentation/Discussion 

Crowdsourcing

‘Crowdsourcing’ is an online, distributed problem solving and production model that leverages the collective intelligence of online communities for the specific purposes of an organization. It combines a bottom-up, open, creative process with top-down organizational goals. Creative media has been at the forefront of crowdsourcing, drawing on it to fund films, recordings, productions and new products.

Preparation for Week 4.  Compelling pitch. Find a compelling pitch on kickstarter or another site. Why does it work? Find a not-so-compelling pitch on a crowdfunding site? Why do you think it misses the mark?

Jennifer Fox ‘The First Six Tips for Generating a Six Figure Kickstarter Campaign’ http://hopeforfilm.com/?p=6973

‘The Cosmonaut: A Film Made By More than 5,000 People’ 

http://en.cosmonautexperience.com

11am – 12pm

Beta Session: Student presentations of work-in-progress

12pm – 12:30pm

Lunch Break

12:30pm – 2pm

Social Media

Social media is often touted as a necessary component of artist marketing strategies. However, if it is used incorrectly, use of social media can backfire. The issue of social media fatigue is also an issue due to the fact that most musicians, indie filmmakers, journalists, bloggers, recording engineers, creative curators and screenwriters are using social media in similar ways. Making social media work for your entrepreneurial venture necessitates smart and creative thinking. We will conduct a case study featuring experts who know how to work the social media field.

 http://mrtrick.net/tag/social-media-is-bullshit/

 http://www.amazon.com/Social-Media-Bullshit-B-J-Mendelson/dp/1250002958

 http://digitalmusictrends.com/tag/darren-hemmings/

 https://soundcloud.com/upwardspiralpodcast/the-deep-dive-the-top-music

WEEK 5 TUESDAY JANUARY 20

10am – 11am

Presentation/Discussion 

Distribution Models. 

In Think Outside the Box Office Jon Reiss has proposed a new distribution for independent filmmakers and other creative content producers. He suggests turning everything we know about audiences and distribution on its head. Controversially, he suggests that we now need to spend 50% of our time making work and 50% promoting and distributing it. We’ll discuss shifting distribution arrangements across creative media. The Self-Start movement for creatives also rethinks our relationship to audiences (drawing on theatre and performance). How could these ideas be applied to our respective media? 

 Preparation Week 5 Recommended Websites/blogs. What are your top three recommended websites for those setting up projects and initiatives in your field? Why? 

 http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedia/c50f71f8-83a0-4aa0-9062-d4ad00d1952d/Reiss_NTTOTBO.pdf

 http://www.gipca.uct.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Self-Start-Workshop-Prof-Elizabeth-Bradley-and-Anne-Mundell-Part-1.mp3

11am - 12pm

 Telling the Story

How do you make the future tangible? What are the advantages of telling an engaging story about your new creative venture via a talk, a trailer, a comic strip or words and images?  We’ll look at some examples - and ask your team to devise a story about your own venture to be presented to the group in Week 6. 

12pm – 12:30pm

Lunch Break

12:30pm – 2pm

Group work related to your own start-up ideas.

WEEK 5 THURSDAY JANUARY 22

10am – 12pm

 Demo Day: Student Presentations

12pm – 12:30pm

Lunch Break

12:30pm – 2pm

 Business Matters

In this session we will work through the practicalities and challenges of setting up small businesses, co-operatives and start-ups. What are the minimal structures you need in place? Where can you get help and advice?

Required Reading:

1. Simpson, S and Munro, J (2012) ‘Business Structures’ in Music Business: A Musician’s Guide to the Australian Music Industry, (4th Edition) Sydney: Omnibus: 12-14. 

2. Scratchley, L and Hakstian, R (2001) The Measurement and Prediction of Managerial Creativity, Creativity Research Journal, 13:3-4, 367-384.