SINGAPORE:Singapore
is getting creative in its efforts to recruit the right
global talent for its fast growing Interactive and Digital
Media (IDM) industry. Contact Singapore, the government
agency responsible for promoting working and living in Singapore,
recently hosted its first invitation-only industry focused
trip, entitled Experience@Singapore: ANZAC Interactive &
Digital Media Multipliers for players who have broad influence
in foreign IDM markets.
In late September
this year, the eight academicians and industry professionals with strong networks
and connections within the IDM community in Australia and New Zealand were whisked
to Singapore to experience first-hand the growing opportunities for collaboration,
partnership and career development for students and working professionals in this
burgeoning industry. Participants were then asked to share their experiences with
their own professional and student networks, as well as publish stories on affiliated
newsletters and social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
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"We hope to gain access to larger
talent pools in Australia and New Zealand," said Ms Kee Ee Wah, Deputy Director
(Industry Workforce), at Contact Singapore. "Based on their own learning
and observations during this trip, our participants have the capability to influence
their networks in Australia and New Zealand on the positive aspects of working
and living in Singapore, especially showcasing the exciting career and professional
development opportunities in the Interactive & Digital Media sector in Singapore."
The
eight packed in visits to big-name studios in Singapore like Lucasfilm Animation
Singapore, Ubisoft and Koei Entertainment as well as tours of training institutes
like the U.S.-based DigiPen Institute of Technology and the School of Design at
Singapore Polytechnic. They also attended a presentation on Singapore's ambitious
IDM gameplan prepared by the Economic Development Board, as well as a video screening
and a tour of the S11 gallery that showcases the latest developments in Singapore's
media industry by Singapore's Media Development Authority.
"The
best things about the programme was the inside look into the culture of Singapore
and its people and burgeoning digital and interactive media industries,"
said Peter Giles, the Director of the Digital Media division at the Australian
Film, TV and Radio School. "It was very informative to tour the city and
see some of its major attractions, taste the food and experience the ambience
of the city."
"When we went
to the Singapore Polytechnic to hear from the design school, it really opened
my eyes to the opportunities that exist in Singapore," added another participant,
Morgan Barnard, a lecturer from the School of Design at Victoria University in
Wellington.
With companies like Lucasfilm
Animation, Ubisoft and Koei all looking to expand staff strengths locally, and
the building of a massive media park expected to launch its first phase in 2012,
the competition for IDM professionals is getting hot.
"Just
about everywhere we went were interested in good experienced creative and technical
staff," noted Pepi Ronalds, an executive committee member from the Australian
Interactive Media Industry Association. "Even Singapore Polytechnic indicated
that they were keen to meet potential design teaching staff."
Australia
and New Zealand were chosen for the first such trip because they boast a sizeable
pool of IDM talent such as creative and conceptual developers, specifically, concept
artists, directors, writers; technical specialists like animators, VFX artists,
programmers; and educators. Contact Singapore is already planning another Experience@Singapore
trip scheduled for January 2010, this time for IDM students from the US, UK, Australia
and New Zealand.
"After spending
a week in Singapore, I'm convinced that it would be a great place for someone
who wanted to build their career with a bit of travel and without having to learn
a second language to communicate," Ronald concluded.
