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CONTRASTS IN CLUSTERING: CANADIAN NEW MEDIA

CONTRASTS IN CLUSTERING: CANADIAN NEW MEDIA. John Britton Department of Geography University of Toronto. DEFINITION of NEW MEDIA. multimedia  interactive digital media  New Media

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CONTRASTS IN CLUSTERING: CANADIAN NEW MEDIA

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  1. CONTRASTS IN CLUSTERING: CANADIAN NEW MEDIA John Britton Department of Geography University of Toronto

  2. DEFINITION of NEW MEDIA • multimedia  interactive digital media  New Media • An interrelated set of economic activities that produce digital, text, audio and interactive computer graphic material which may be accessed through the Internet, films, and related communication channels • Distinctive locations

  3. BACKGROUND • Began in mid 1980s but 1990s growth surge cut by bursting of the bubble economy • Firms produce customized solutions for clients • Innovation Creativity + limited R&D input • Entertainment and business markets are distinct but crossover activity is increasing

  4. AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO RESEARCH Practical issues: • Given that the maps show spatial differences of new media, what other regional differences are there? • Interviews with samples of firms using the same survey instrument Conceptual framework: • Cluster theory in an institutional framework  Do policy differences count? Is history important?

  5. ANTECEDENT FACTORS • Film production • Television networks • Corporate functions

  6. AN INDUSTRY OF SMALL-SCALE FIRMS? Ultra-small, entrepreneurial firms are the norm Exceptions: • Well established firms in animation have grown eg Nelvana • Large firms from related activities have establishments in new media • Some studios of games developers Electronic Arts [Vancouver] and Ubisoft [Montreal] are super large, each employs about 1,000

  7. DIFFERENT STYLES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Vancouver: 1991, Electronic Arts acquired Distinctive Software started in (1980s) by Don Mattrick Mattrick now President of EA Worldwide Studios (Van.) • Montreal: 1997 Ubisoft received the joint financial support of provincial and federal ministries and the City of Montreal This was stimulated by a local lobbyist – a civic entrepreneur • They are large: are they anchor firms?

  8. MAINSTREAM NEW MEDIA • Projects • Fee-for-service business model - project-based • Assets limited to human capital  risk • Most financing is from private sources • Labour • 2000  firms contracted in scale  more freelancers • freelancers very important for very small firms: -- 60% of employees in BC and GTA, 33% in PQ • Labour flexibility  circulation of knowledge

  9. REGIONAL VS GLOBAL LINKS 1 Technical knowledge diffusion centres 2 Market Relations: Games developers – international market Other Entertainment – regional differences Business market – regional differences • Production relationships 4 International corporate Investments

  10. REGIONAL VS GLOBAL LINKS [II] 3 Production relationships – strongly regional Collaboration (co-bidding, co-production) - an adaptation stronger in Toronto Outsourcing – capacity reasons - to acquire complementary assets - strongest in Toronto

  11. REGIONAL VS GLOBAL LINKS [III] 4 International corporate Investments Toronto • 2004 IDT Entertainment acquired DKP • 2004 Technicolor acquired Command Post and Toybox • 2002 Roxio acquired MGI • 2001 Documentum bought The Bulldog Group Games developers • 2005 Vivendi Universal acquires Radical Entertainment (Vancouver) • 2005 Ubisoft acquires MC2-Microids (Montreal) • 2004 THQ acquired Relic Entertainment (Vancouver) • 2003 MC2 acquired Microids (Montreal) • 2003 Jamdat acquired MC2-Microids (Montreal) • 2002 EA acquired Black Box (Vancouver) • 2002 Take Two (Rockstar) acquired Barking Dog (Vancouver)

  12. NEW MEDIA IN PUBLIC VIEW 1 Contrasts in associational development • New media associations: multiple aims - variable results • umbrella organizations - New Media BC, Alliance numériQC vs • specialized voices in Toronto – NMBA and AIMS 2 Contrasts in public initiatives • Contrasts in public initiatives • Montreal’s 4-point cluster strategy vs • Weak public sector support in Vancouver and Toronto

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