MEDIA MAVERICKS

Making it big in the media industry is no easy feat but some Irish media based businesses are striving forward and embarking on some very interesting and lucrative projects. Niamh Mac Sweeney reports.

Regardless of the difficulties facing many emerging media companies in Ireland many are still determined to succeed and to showcase their work to large global audiences. By embracing the innovative changes in technology they are breaking down the barriers and in doing so are providing a platform for Irish media companies ensuring that media businesses in Ireland are becoming key players in global markets.

Tony Callaly, Franco Noonan, Conor Maloney, CashmereMedia

One such company forging a career in the competitive media industry in Ireland is the production company, CashmereMedia. A young and emerging production company, CashmereMedia have been in operation for three years, two years as a creative partnership, who in the past year have been operating as a fully registered company.

Conor Maloney, Franco Noonan and Tony Callaly met while studying communications in college. Equipped with plenty of original script ideas, they decided to start CashmereMedia as they were determined to work for themselves.

Documentary Makers

Recently CashmereMedia were contacted by Californian based Current TV, who were looking for Irish filmmakers to produce short documentaries to be shown on their UK station upon its recent launch. Current TV is an independent media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. A cable television network, Current TV features “pods”, or short programs, of which 30% are created by viewers and users.

CashmereMedia were contacted with a view to providing documentaries for the Current TV network. The Irish production company produced a short seven-minute documentary called “Bankrolling” which really impressed the staff at Current TV. The Bankrolling documentary is based on the skateboarding scene in Dublin and the lack of facilities available. Bankrolling was broadcast on Current TV's US Network at the end of March to an audience of 40 million and it was later broadcast on the UK network to a further 10 million bringing the combined audience figures to 50 million. Since submitting their first documentary CashmereMedia have an order for four other scripts to be financed and broadcast on Current TV UK. Franco Noonan, producer with CashmereMedia says this is a very exciting time for the production company as it is the only Irish production company Current TV is in talks with.

Burning Ambition

Although CashmereMedia are basking in their current success, getting the production company up and running proved challenging. However, with a deep passion and vision for the future of their production company, the determined trio overcame all obstacles.

“We scraped the money together to get our first camera. From there we got a job from the Samaritans to make a small video to show transition year students. The money we made from that we put straight back in to buy an editing system and from there we knocked on doors and eventually got small corporate jobs constantly putting the money straight back in, even though we were all working day jobs. By putting the money back into the business we built up the equipment and slowly but surely we clawed our way up into better paying jobs,” explains Noonan.

Challenging Obstacles

According to Noonan the main reason why media companies like theirs face difficulties is because there are major flaws in the supports available to emerging production companies and because the bigger companies control the market.

“In the media game there are a lot of production companies out there. We did a lot of research and found that many young production companies weren’t making it big. We came to the conclusion that a lot of them would be concentrating on film and film alone because it’s more exciting and more creative. But the Irish industry is too small. So we made the decision that we would make short films to get the creative juices flowing, but we would also try and make our headway into corporate films because that is where you will make the money,” Noonan says. By putting all the money back into the company CashmereMedia’s assets expanded, affording them more opportunities to get their foot in the door.

Sound Advice

Noonan agrees that initially they were over ambitious and tried to do too much too soon. However he also admits that this was a massive learning curve for the production company. Someone once told Noonan that it is all right to make mistakes so long as you don’t repeat them. This advice he has take on board. He says that while there are many barriers and so much red tape in the media industry in Ireland for CashmereMedia the future looks very bright.

"It is our passion, it is our dream, we are creative people and that drive keeps us going. We get minor successes and we build from that,” he says.

A New Era

BUSINESS 2 ARTS

Building a bridge between business and art, Business 2 Arts are involved in this matchmaking process.

Conor Mc Carty and Mark Duckenfield, Winners 2006 David Manley Award

Business 2 Arts are involved with bringing business and arts together in a relationship designed to benefit both parties Rowena Neville, Director of Marketing and PR explains that Business 2 Arts have people coming to them in the creative industries who are starting up. “If people are working strictly in the arts we provide a whole range of training in all the business skills that are art specific such a sponsorship seeking and marketing. Courses for artists wanting to make money from their creativity often cost money that they don’t have access to and that is where Business 2 Arts can help.

Assisting Business And Artists

“We run mentoring programmes, we provide a consultancy so we can provide people with help if they are seeking sponsorship, one to one marketing or we find companies that artists can partner with,” Neville explains.

Awarding Artists

One of the new programmes Business 2 Arts got involved with last year was the David Manley Awards which in the last four years have been opened up to include art and social entrepreneurs.

“We write to young companies and artists who are starting out and we get them to apply with their business plan and the panel choose one arts business entrepreneur,” informs Neville. Last years overall winner were the Street Performance World Champions. According to Neville the award is worth about €90,000 which is very significant and the winner also receives mentoring from top business organisations such as legal firms and marketing and branding firms.

A Helping Hand

“People in the arts are often very creative but on the they tend to neglect the business side of things. We find that many senior business people are volunteering to become mentors because they might have skills that they are using everyday in the business sense but the thought of using these skills in a totally different way with an art organisation is exciting. For an art organisation that goes to the bank and the bank says you really need a financial strategy for the next five years they really don’t know where to start and it can be terrifying. So they can come to us and we will match them with someone who can give a helping hand almost like a guardian angel giving advice” Neville explains.

REVOLUTIONARY NEW RECORD LABEL

Sonikdub, the first open source record label of its kind in the world will open the floodgates for unsigned artists to launch in Ireland and the UK.

Sonikdub is a new record label that empowers unsigned artists to independently release their music through an open source matrix, where the artist keeps all monies earned and valuable copyrights.

A Changing Industry

The music industry is changing and Sonikdub is embracing the changes with this revolutionary concept. For too long the music charts have been dominated by designer boy/girl bands, and pop manufactured indie music, but Denver Thomas CEO of SonikDub says there are thousands of unsigned acts in Ireland producing powerful music without a platform to help them succeed.

According to Thomas if you look at the industry the major labels are petrified of digital distribution because they find it difficult to control. “I have no sympathy with the major labels, ok they are still going to be necessary for the music industries future because they have the money and because it cost enormous sums of money to break an act,” he says but adds that there are far too many manufactured bands making it while talented artists fail to get signed.

At Sonikdub there are no music contracts to sign, the label accepts music from anyone and everyone across all genres. Musicians can sell their songs via SMS text from mobile phones or online advance from music stores. All sales are recognised and reported to the official download charts both in Ireland and the UK. If an unsigned artist works hard enough promoting themselves offline, they can achieve a top 40 chart ranking, says Thomas.

Back To Grassroots

Sonikdub uploads music into seven music stores including itunes, Vodafone and the 3music store for a flat non exclusive fee of €495. By staying non exclusive the power is finally put back into the hands of the musicians. The company makes its revenue from volume administration.

The label also offers very low cost cd replication, marketing, publicity and music videos. “I feel this particular concept is very big because it gives an artist a chance to chart. I believe in freedom so who am I to say what is good music and what isn’t. We live in a reality age and we are a label reflecting a sign of the times,” Thomas says.

Sonikdub is creating a huge buzz within the music industry and on the streets in Ireland and the UK. The implications are clear; this label has the potential to alter music history, giving the opportunity to grassroot unsigned musicians to level the playing field.