Finding a way out of creative business frustrations at FITC

Technical imitations, new technologies and competition plague new media workers and threaten to stifle their creativity. But at the 2007 Flash in the Can (FITC) Design and Technology Festival, the message was reassuring: limitations can be overcome, new technologies should be celebrated and, with a revamped business stream, competition can be a little easier to swallow.Founded in 2002 by new media entrepreneur Shawn Pucknell, the event uses the experiences of others to teach and inspire designers, technical professionals and business leaders "What's really cool about the FITC festival is that it's kind of a do-it-yourself festival," says FITC's Evan Jones. "We show people how things are made, how to do it and how to handle it all." More than 1,000 participants and 87 speakers from 18 different countries converged on the Toronto Hilton between April 22 and April 24 for the sixth annual FITC. Three streams of workshops and presentations - creative, technical and business - celebrated all things related to Adobe Systems Inc.' Flash graphics sofware.Industry giants such as MIT Media Lab's John Maeda and Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried of Loneygirl15 fame, were enlisted to share their experiences and insight into the business of new media. Attendees flocked to demonstrations of Adobe's newest offerings, the Creative Suite 3 Professional, but it was the upcoming launch of a product named Chumby that generated the greatest buzz.Slated to launch next month in the US, the Web-viewing device is slightly larger than a coffee mug. Created by San Diego-based Chumby Industries, users will be able to view hockey scores, weather, or their favorite websites on their 3.5" LCD touch screen, from anywhere with a WiFi connection and electrical socket. "The Chumby's launch will really change the way people view Internet content," said Jones.Users will register their devices and create a series of widgets and channels to feature on their Chumby through the company's website. "Users can preset morning and night channels, or channels that are viewed at different locations," explains Chumby Industries VP of business development, Steve Adler. "You can set the widgets to come on automatically at different times. So, if you want to wake-up to the weather network, or get your surf update in mid-morning, or check your eBay listing at 11pm, you can."Adler expects the devices will be using Adobe's Flash Light 3.0 initially, offering users better audio and video quality. Most of the keypad actions, such as Facebook passwords, will be filled out on the Chumby website. Interactive widgets such as games are controlled through Chumby's touch screen and motion sensors. "It'll be like the Nintendo Wii. If you move the Chumby to the left or right, the widget will recognize your movements," explains Adler.Although there are no concrete deals in place, Adler says Chumby Industries has talked to more than 80 content and service providers, and has been approached by several television and music companies. "We realize that content will drive our devices' sales, but there's also the opportunity for people to make their own Flash content, so that's important too," says Adler.Chumbies will only be available through the company's site, and will sell for approximately US$165. "Canada will be one of the first markets we enter afterwards," Adler reassured CNM.Some attendees were frustrated by the limited launch, but many found solace in the revamped business stream of presentations and speakers.Armed with $40,000 from the Ontario Media Development Fund, FITC organizers were able to offer attendees more valuable how-to lessons. Although they only increased their business stream offerings by one session, from 11 in 2006 to 12 this year, the quality and interest in the presentations, was significantly higher. Many of the business sessions were near capacity or standing room only.Contracts and bids remain the life-blood of the new media industry, a sector that contributes approximately $3 billion to the Canadian economy each year. Nowhere was this more obvious than Daniel Schutzsmith's presentation, "The Secret to Writing a Killer Proposal." The session was packed - both in terms of audience and information. New York city-based Schutzsmith's advice stems from nearly 10 years in the industry. Originally a Web designer, he's now a serial entrepreneur and teaches at New York's School of Visual Arts. Schutzsmith's warnings were the most telling. The new media industry relies heavily on networking and contacts, which means informal inquiries by friends or acquaintances - made over the phone, in person, or even via email - are plentiful. But he advises companies not to waste too much time on these proposals."Informal requests are usually the deadliest," he cautions. "There might not be a budget . It may be so off-the-cuff that they're just asking because they thought about it last night, while watching TV. You could end up spending three days of your week working on a proposal that ends up going nowhere."Instead, Schutzsmith advocates using a request for proposal (RFP) process. RFPs tend to lay out precisely what the company is looking for, including technical specifications, budgets, deadlines and target markets. "The person that gives up the most information first, is the one with the least leverage," he points out. And, tailoring proposals to the clients' needs is much easier when you know what they want.Even so, research is key. Sham RFPs from bogus companies can cost you time and money while providing your competition with an advantage. "It has happened to me before," Schutzsmith cautions, "where a company asks for a proposal and in the end, it was just other designers looking to see how much we were quoting." He warns that these companies often disguise themselves as relatively new not-for-profit organizations, presumably to mask their lack of history.It is equally important to find out which firms the company has worked with in the past. Many companies have three-bid minimum clauses, meaning they can't award a contract unless they've received proposals from three different companies. You may discover that they always work with X, and your bid is the third they're waiting on. "I can't waste my time doing a proposal that I don't have a chance on. As soon as I figure out that I'm the third bid in a three-bid situation, I have to back out. I can't waste my time on that," Schutzsmith says.He disapproves of spec work, adding that you're "giving away your work for free." Yet FITC attendees saw first-hand that free work is often the most inspiring and creative.The Movement's Patrick Keenan and Alan Smit showcased several of their projects, but http://www.theundecided.ca/ attracted the greatest praise. Launched prior to the 2006 federal election, the Flash-based site enables users to "blindly" choose which parties' position they most agree with. Users then prioritize the issues and are told which party their beliefs best correspond with, an outcome that can considerably vary from their initial proclamation.The site is devoid of advertising, since it wasn't designed to generate revenue. "You have to look beyond money," Keenan says. "You have to look for cultural and social profits. What that means is you get more than what you put in, so the return is greater than the investment."Sze Sze Ong might agree. At the awards gala, Ong captured the first-ever Flash Goddess award. A new addition to the FITC awards lineup (a complete winners' list can be found at http://awards.fitc.ca/main/finalists/), the award honors women designers and developers working in the Flash industry. Ong's portfolio included some of her work for Nokia, but primarily featured artistic creations, including a mock toy catalogue and several animated e-cards.Jones anticipates next year's presentations and award submissions will be even more creative, in part thanks to Adobe's latest creative suite. "Artists will have more opportunity to do what they really want to do," he says. "I think it's really going to change the projects coming out next year."He also expects FITC will continue to grow. The event has established a presence in Montreal, Chicago, Vancouver and the UK, but the flagship festival will likely stay put in Toronto. "It's important for us to make this an international event, but also a Toronto event," says Jones. "We want to showcase local talent and show what Toronto is up to."Helpful hints for landing that contractStick to RFPs. Cold calls rarely pan out and informal requests are often a waste of time.If you can't write, hire a freelance or part-time copywriter.Make sure you include a cover page and your contact information in the actual proposal. Use templates as much as you can. Microsoft Word, In Design and Quark have lots of options.Avoid sales speak. Tell them what you're going to do and how you can help, but don't oversell it. Try to keep it under 10 pages, not including case studies.Include your objectives and your process. Tell them step-by-step how you'll deliver their campaign. Include a list of very specific things you'll be delivering with the project, such as Photoshop files.Details. It comes down to details: in the proposal's content and in the proposal's design. Source: Daniel Schutzsmith's FITC presentation, "The Secret to Writing a Killer Proposal"

Finding a way out of creative business frustrations at FITC

Broadcast | May 3, 2007

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