Landshare/Daveshare
Landshare is an exciting new project with some 4iP funding behind it. Or at least I think it has 4iP funding. It certainly is 4iP in feel as explained by Adam Gee on the 4ip website.
But anyway – I think it’s a cracking idea. It connects people who want to grow stuff with people who have land to grow it on. You can also be a ‘landspotter’ – someone who knows where there is unproductive land laying fallow that could be utilised for growing food. That’s a bit like the thinking around Feastside – an idea I’d love to see kick off again (and would try to actually get to the meetings this time). Or you can be a ‘facilitator’ – someone who just wants to muck in.
I think it’s more aimed at bigger land owners rather than someone like me, an allotment holder with a plot just a bit too big for family feeding needs. I’ve registered anyway, along with 200 other ‘landowners’ from the West Midlands, so when the site launches in spring we’ll see what happens.
Actually, we could just circumvent all that and you’re more than welcome to a patch of my allotment right now. There’s a slight catch in that the back half of it is almost completely covered in brambles. But if you fancy helping me clear it then you’re welcome to a bit of it to grow some spuds or whatever. We’ll call it Daveshare.
No really, help me clear it and I’ll introduce you to the wonder of grow-your-own. It’s in Bournville, on the number 11 route.
Really overgrown bit at the back of this photo. It’s much worse than the pic suggests but not insurmountable. I’ve cleared about a quarter of it already.
At last – a 4IP project
Here’s the first Channel 4 4IP project. Yes that’s right, after all the chat and various launches we’ve got something we can point at and say “oh I see, that’s what they wanted”.
The first thing of note is that it’s a citizen journalism project, in fact it’s a football citizen journalism project. Myfootballwriter is run by Rick Waghorn whose service is based around using social media (Twitter and Jaiku) to allow Norwich City football fans contribute to discussions about their team. Rick expresses the importance of the moment to Canaries fans:
“And with the help of our new friends at Channel Four and their 4iP digital innovation fund, it means that you – this passionate, niche, Norwich City community, you – are right at the very forefront of new media innovation in this country and beyond. You are the shock troops of a new age of journalism.”
The innovation that’s attracted the investment is the Backchat facility that aggregates the fans’ conversations. Here’s a better explanation from the Guardian:
“The first test will be around the Norwich vs Ipswich match this Sunday…..The project starts as part of the Norwich City fan site, aggregating comments posted via fans through Twitter or Jaiku, and they have developed the name ‘Backchat’ so that the conversation will be platform agnostic. All messages tagged #ncfc will be picked up by this Norwich City version. so maybe we’ll see a few from Delia in there…”
Well done to Rick who has another idea brewing about innovation in online advertising. As he says on his blog this is the first 4IP idea to go through the online application process and come out the other side. You’ll have noticed of course that although the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland/Scotland have regional funding in place to match 4IP this is a national pot of funds. So the second thing of note is that this London/Norwich idea proves that good ideas will be funded no matter where they come from, having regional money matters a lot less than having a decent idea.
So how close are we to seeing the first West Midlands 4IP project? Screen WM’s info on 4IP is here. The diagram explaining the decision-making process is here (PDF link).
A Social Media network for West Midlands Digerati
One of the things to emerge from last Friday’s launch of 4IP here in the West Midlands is that Channel 4 & Screen West Midlands intend to launch a social media network for those interested in applying to the fund. During the announcement of this I put out a tweet asking why we needed one imposed; shouldn’t the existing community build its own? The response was very much why do we need one at all?
However, we do need something to improve connectivity in the digital sector as many of the companies in the room that day that I knew are simply not part of the existing network of bloggers and tweeters that has been building up over the last 12-18 months.
My guess at the thinking in C4′s head is that they would build something similar to www.38minutes.co.uk, a site for Scottish/Northern Irish digital creatives to come together and discuss 4IP. Go take a look – it already has 300+ individual members and 45 groups/companies. It looks superb to me at first glance and the discussions have high level input from C4. In fact it’s further proof that although the West Mids were announced as the first 4IP region the Scots/Irish seem ahead of the game. That’s due in no small part to the energy and talents of their new 4IP commissioner Ewan McIntosh (go read his thinking behind 38 minutes). We do have more cash to spend apparently in the West Midlands (£10m) so perhaps there’s some consolation there but we really need to get going with connecting and collaborating.
Which brings me back to: should the digital sector just go ahead and build its own digital social media network? Is that a difficult thing to do? Would A DIY solution better demonstrate to C4 that we’re well up for 4IP and raring to go?
4IP is go…
Without much of a ceremony Channel 4 launched 4IP yesterday. Launched as in they opened up a submission section on their website and finally got round to more clearly articulating what they’re after. In their words:
- 4iP is hunting for tiny, risky ideas as well as big, crunchy ideas.
- 4iP will help turn fabulous ideas into delightful running code quickly.
- 4iP will help products showing promise to deliver way more impact.
- 4iP won’t support products or projects on an ongoing basis
- 4iP wants proposals from as wide range of people and companies as possible. Nobody is too small, nobody too big. Nobody is too close, nobody is too far away.
- Your idea could make you a millionaire; your idea could earn you a knighthood for public service, but never turn a profit. Either way 4iP is interested in helping you get started.
- 4iP loves connecting people and organisations that otherwise would never get to work together.
Of course the idea is the thing but like all bids that need pulling together there’s some background reading to do as well. 4IP stems from the ‘Next on 4‘ document published earlier this year so you really need to get your head around that. I’d be asking: what’s Channel 4′s take on Public Service and does my project speak to that? And then Channel 4 also has its core values – Do it First, Make Trouble, Inspire Change. If you’re coming from a purely commercial background then bringing yourself up to date on the Public Service Broadcasting review that hangs over all this is worthwhile.
In terms of further reading, as well as the 4IP blog itself, you should get yourself subscribed to Tom Loosemore‘s and Ewan McIntosh‘s blogs. They are the Head of 4IP and Scotland & Northern Ireland Commissioner respectively. If you’re worried about protecting your idea then Martin Baker (Head of Commercial Affairs) has a take on this but it’s interesting to note that some people are already putting their ideas out there and calling for collaborators.
Finally, If you’re in the West Midlands you can probably hold fire for a while. There’s a regional launch next week and we’ll get our own C4 commissioner in due course. There’s no mad rush on this, 4IP has a couple of years to run at least so perhaps working up your idea, finding partners, having a chat to Screen West Midlands, are the things to be getting on with.
More on 4ip
Channel 4′s 4ip blog continues to offer up details on the thinking behind the kind of projects that might get funded when the initiative goes live in September. In the most recent post Stuart Cosgrove outlines the fund’s stance on Computer Games:
“But 4iP is not about pure gaming entertainment nor should it try to replicate or compete with the existing online or console games products. The objective is to work in territory where Channel 4 has a reputation – identifying areas of creative culture, where there is a gap or failure in the market and turning that opportunity into success.”
And he has something to say about ‘Serious Games’, something we all get excited about here in the West Midlands:
“The term ‘serious games’ needs next generational thinking and beyond the games themselves there is a challenge around the users, what communities are locked out of gaming and its traditional market positioning?”
He name checks a specific game that C4 have invested in. Bow Street Runners is a spin-out from the City of Vice series. In fact there have been many hints dropped in one place or another about the kind of projects that C4 are interested in. If I find the time I might collate them. What they will share as projects is that attempt to address market failure; to attract audiences who have yet to be reached by either conventional media or fall outside of the scope of core markets addressed by most interactive media producers.
Finally, he also mentions the computer game competition Dare to Be Digital. That allows me to show off the fact that I was on telly last week talking about it.
Channel 4 – 4ip
Yesterday saw the pre-launch of Channel 4′s 4ip fund in Birmingham. I’m telling you this as although I managed to bring a notepad I completely failed to bring a pen and therefore need to write this down before it empties out of my head. Before we begin, two key things you need to bear in mind and written large on the 4ip homepage:
INTERACTIVE MEDIA, NOT TV
NETWORKS NOT BROADCASTERS
With that in mind, here’s a FAQ:
What’s 4ip?
Channel four investment fund to create interactive media projects with a public service benefit. The background for it is in the Next on 4 strategy stuff. £50million in total.
Why?
Ofcom are consulting about Public Service Broadcasting at the moment (phase one just closed actually). Part of that is about thinking about how broadcasters can fulfill their public service remit in ways other than showing TV programmes. It’s pretty clear 4ip is Channel 4′s attempt to develop a solution before one gets imposed. If it works then they’ll no doubt be asking for a slice of the licence fee in future.
So they are investing in ideas? Companies?
Both. Unlike the TV commissioning model where the IP remains with the producer there is potential here for Channel 4 to take an equity stake in the company itself. Andrew Dubber thought the issue around IP ownership was vague but I read it as simply too complex to go into at an event like this – real answer is that it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
How much will they invest?
£20k upwards to £1.5m. They hinted that there will be a small number of £1m+ projects, a decent amount of £200k-£600k projects and plenty at the £20k mark. You’ll need to find 50% of the funds for your project from elsewhere – this isn’t a free ride. See note from Jason at Screen WM below.
Interactive Media? Public Service benefit? Seems a bit vague.
I know, it’s great isn’t it – the door’s open to a whole range of ideas given that the criteria is so broad. However, don’t misinterpret ‘public service’ as non-commercial. This is investment funding and the investors are looking for a return. As wide open as this is there should be an emphasis on where the market has failed. An example given around a project for female computer gamers made this clear. Plus, market failure is a criteria used for public sector funding support and that’s what this is – public sector funding. Specifically cited were social media, web, computer gaming. ‘E-drama’ or brand extensions of existing TV programmes (they fund the latter seperately) is the last thing they want.
The reason for a Birmingham pre-launch?
Birmingham, because the regional development agency has put £5million into a West Midlands pot, matched by Channel 4′s £5million. ‘Pre’-launch, because the formal application procedure isn’t set up yet and won’t be till autumn. They’re recruiting a Birmingham-based commissioning editor as we speak. Screen West Midlands are managing all of this so make sure you become best friends with them. There’s a regional test to ensure there’s a benefit to the West Midlands (spending 70% of the budget there or 50% of the talent is based there).
What about other regions?
I’m a Brummie, what do I care about other regions? Oh okay, apparently Yorkshire and Scotland are also in on the act. The West Midlands got there first though – remember that. Stuart Cosgrove was the Channel 4 rep at the pre-launch and let’s not forget that he’s the Nations and Regions guy at channel 4. He specifically said that there’s a balance to be redressed in developing regional media economies in this way. He cited the North West and of course, London, as already having had their fair share. I’m actually unsure if that means that this is not a national fund. I suspect that the other partners mentioned (Arts Council England, Media Trust, others I’ve forgotten) may allow non-West Mids/Yorkshire/Scottish projects to be funded.
So I should spend the summer musing on new ideas?
Yes and no. If you’ve got an idea even half-formed get it known about now. There’s £10million to be invested in a little over two years, that will take some spending. As I said, for the West Midlands, you need to be talking to Screen West Midlands right now about your idea so that come day one, you’re at the front of the aplication queue. Talk to Jason Hall: jason.hall [at] screenwm.co.uk. Try not to be put off by what looks like a tortuous application process – this is a lot of public money we’re talking about.
Where can I learn more?
The 4ip blog gives really strong hints about what they’re after. Go subscribe now. If you look at some of the videos they’ve posted you’ll learn what’s in the heads of the people who will decide if your idea is green-lighted.