Digital Media Innovators to Mentor New Zealand Companies

April 16, 2008

New Zealand companies will have the opportunity to work with international digital media experts at an event to be held in Wellington this May.

X|Media|Lab aims to help companies to develop and commercialise ideas, by providing the opportunity to work with mentors like Tom Duterme (New Business Development, Google), Trade Me founder Sam Morgan and new media pioneer Chris Adams. The Lab will take place in Wellington 30 May- 1 June 2008.

Local companies can apply to take part in the Lab’s two-day workshop, which will see 12 selected project teams work one-on-one with a range of world class mentors on their own digital media project ideas; or register for a one day symposium, at which local and international experts will present.

 “Digital media is a key area of opportunity for New Zealand. It fits the weightless export profile, is experiencing rapid growth and builds on New Zealand companies’ innovative work in screen production and interactive content. This event brings some of the world’s leading digital media professionals to New Zealand, to help build industry expertise and know-how around new media channels, create high value international networks and raise awareness of the quality work already being done here,” says Adam McElroy, NZTE Sector Manager, Digital Content.

This is the first X|Media|Lab to be held in New Zealand. Labs have previously been run in other hi-tech centres such as Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Suzhou, Melbourne, and Mumbai.

Other digital media experts who will act as mentors include:

• Chris Deering, who is recognised globally as one of the gaming market’s leading figures (formerly President of Sony Europe’s Consumer Electronics Division and Chairman/CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, he is now Chair of Codemasters, London);
• Noah Falstein, who is a computer game industry veteran with over 26 years of experience creating top quality interactive entertainment and educational software. In the top-rated games of all time by www.mobygames.com, Falstein was a contributor to 4 of the top 5 games on the list;
• Brian Seth Hurst – CEO, The Opportunity Company, who assists clients to take advantage of the emerging digital landscape by extending their brands and programming across platforms from broadcast and interactive television to broadband and the internet and new digital communication devices;
• Chris Adams, a new media pioneer, entertainment industry executive and social entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience in creating and developing partnerships, programming and relationships between media, entertainment and online brands. Current clients include Comcast, HBO, Glam.com, and Facebook.com 
• Suresh Seetharaman – CEO and Co-Founder, Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, a character entertainment company creating original IP for worldwide audiences.

For more information, visit www.xmedialab.com