DMEx IMPACT: Real Stories from the Digital Media Exchange in Sheffield
EUROPEAN UNION Investing in Your Future European Regional Development Fund 2007-13 Oct 2013 - June 2015 DMEx partners Tackling the digital divide in Sheffield
Community Media Solutions (CMS) The links between digital and economic exclusion are now widely accepted. Lead organisation in charge of managing the DMEx project. Also specialist support People living in poverty and deep social disadvantage are up to seven times for media business development. more likely to be disengaged from the internet than more socially advantaged Cultural Industries Quarter Agency (CIQA) people. Strategic support and development of both new and existing Digital Media Centres. Sheffield Community Media Over three quarters of adults log on to the internet every single day in the Media investment and asset management including acquiring studio, equipment and ICT facilities at Sheffield Live. UK, but research also shows that there are still 4 million households without internet access, and that one in five adults doesn’t have basic digital skills. Sheffield Local Television City centre TV studio offering business development, media production, technical assistance and access to broadcast on Sheffield Live TV and website. And when it comes to jobs and businesses, nearly a third of UK companies and charities also still lack basic digital skills. Estimates suggest that digital Commedia Sheffield City centre radio studio, offering business development, media production, technical technology could unlock nearly £20 billion in revenue for UK small and medium- assistance and access to broadcast on Sheffield Live radio and website. sized businesses. Heeley Development Trust Neighbourhood Digital Media Centre based in Heeley offering digital media and business development support to local people. SOAR Neighbourhood Digital Media Centre based in Parson Cross, offering digital media DMEx – building on the Sheffield and business development support for local people. Sero Consulting Community Network Strategic support on project monitoring, evaluation and sustainability. Community Media Association Strategic advice, assistance with promotion, communications and specialist Digital Media Exchange (DMEx) is a £1.06 million partnership project that is enterprise support. part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Its overall aim is to promote jobs and enterprise in Sheffield and South Yorkshire by supporting The Sheffield College Digital media and business development support for students. local people to work with a range of digital media.
It follows - and builds on the infrastructure from - the Sheffield Community Network project. The evaluation of SCN and current statistics showed that there was still a real need for such a project.
EUROPEAN UNION Investing in Your Future European Regional 01 Development Fund 2007-13 02 Achievements Going Live!
In just over 18 months, DMEx has successfully set up significant infrastructure and new On 23 September 2014, Sheffield Live TV began broadcasting. The launch and continued opportunities for people in Sheffield to work in the digital media industry, or use digital running of a new HD quality TV station on Freeview, cable and broadband – including a technology to support new local businesses. syndication arrangement with BBC Regions for news content – has been the result of a huge amount of work, time and commitment. Soon after the project started in autumn 2013, a substantial amount of equipment for a new local TV transmission and distribution network was bought and installed. Equipment and During this time, the CIQA (Cultural Industries Quarter Agency) has worked to coordinate studio facilities in the centre of Sheffield were then fitted or upgraded. and support Sheffield’s network of Digital Media Centres. This includes organising meetings, mapping out existing and potential Digital Media Centres in Sheffield, and looking at At the beginning of 2014, the embryonic Sheffield Live TV put out a call for people to come appropriate ways to fund them. CIQA is also hoping to influence economic policy so that the forward with ideas for future programmes, and held three well-attended public meetings. value of Digital Media Centres is recognised and can be sustained in the future. By summer, part-time mentors specialising in creative media and business advice were employed and working with a range of potential new media production businesses. These entrepreneurs had free access to new equipment including cameras and editing software.
At the same time, the city’s well-established community radio station continued to support and work with local programme makers, often from black and minority ethnic communities and other communities of interest.
Going Local
Once the funding began to reach the partners in spring 2014, work also began out in other areas of the city. SOAR, the community organisation based at Parson Cross in north Sheffield, now has a dedicated Digital Media Centre equipped with Apple iMacs, PCs and “In just over 18 access to camcorders, digital cameras and video conferencing facilities. Demand from local people (and those outside the area) for support to set up websites and use digital media to back up businesses has been high. months, DMEx
The Digital Media Centre based at Heeley Development Trust, south of the city centre is just next door to the Heeley Online resource. Again, local people, usually on low incomes or has successfully benefits, have been supported and given the confidence to use digital media, set up their own businesses and start trading.
Over at The Sheffield College’s Norton site in the south of the city, £100k of new equipment set up significant has been bought including a tricaster vision mixer, HD cameras and other peripheries. The vision mixer exactly matches the one used at Sheffield Live TV so that content produced at The Sheffield College can be broadcast from the city centre studio. By the autumn term, infrastructure and students were being trained to use this new and transportable equipment, enabling up to 5 camera live mixes of events. Students have also been supported to set up their own media production businesses. new opportunities”
03 04 DMEx IMPACT: Real Stories from the Digital Media Exchange in Sheffield
“Scores of local people – often with diverse aims and diverse needs – have Job Done
set up their own The result of DMEx is that scores of local business or social people – often with diverse aims and diverse needs – have set up their own business or enterprise using social enterprise using digital media.
digital media” The following pages tell the stories of just a few examples
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theChat
Working with: Heeley Digital Media Centre
Carol Perry is a part-time science (and Personal, Social and Health Education) teacher at a secondary school in Sheffield. When Carol was teaching sex education lessons, she was disturbed to discover that children were being regularly exposed to easily available online pornography. It was clear that this exposure was having an impact on their understanding of adult sexual relationships including issues of consent and coercion.
Carol decided to do something about her concerns. Three years ago she set up theChat. It is now a not- for-profit community organisation with the aim of delivering up-to-date, effective sex and relationship education sessions to young people and the adults who support them. Carol Perry: theChat: new website
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DMEx support Seizing the opportunity
Carol had received some initial business advice for theChat, but was looking Having a professional online presence meant that theChat was able to seize an for support to develop a website when she heard about DMEx and the Heeley opportunity for publicity on national radio. Carol launched a brand new campaign Digital Media Centre. She met with Jade Richardson and they decided to look at called Itsnotmybag on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Itsnotmybag supports young rebranding theChat and developing a website. women to have the confidence to say no to ‘porn sex’, a phrase coined by teenage girls referring to intimate relationships that lack respect and mutual pleasure. With “A website gives you more substance, more gravity and makes a company look more Jade’s help, theChat created a campaign logo and materials, and had them on the professional. It provides a vehicle for services and campaigns in a place that people website ready for this significant and national exposure. can easily access.” And what about the future? What is Carol’s vision for theChat? “I don’t need Jade that much now. “I’d like to see a passionate and well-informed group of individuals delivering really good training to professionals working with young people so that they can deliver But power to her! It was a completely this sensitive content confidently.
sustainable process.” “The end result would be thousands more teenagers taking a critical view on porn, having it in perspective and realising its potential for undermining healthy relationships.” As well as learning new computer skills, Carol appreciated the way that DMEx offered support to her. “I’m really chuffed that I’m doing it. “I learnt how to use the graphics software a bit which was pretty good. I also feel confident with editing the website. It means I don’t need Jade that much now. But It’s great to be putting my energy into power to her! It was a completely sustainable process.” something I really believe in.” Because Carol founded theChat largely independently, she says that she can sometimes feel a bit isolated. So having the Digital Media Centre based in her local neighbourhood has been valuable. Carol is keen to roll out workshops to support parents in this area too. She is still teaching part-time, but her work with theChat is potentially expanding now. “I live a two minute walk away and I’ve used it to hot desk when I’ve had IT issues at home. It’s been really good to be able to work in an office amongst supportive “So now I’ve got to think about being an employer. There’s another skill set I need to people.” get. I do feel proud of myself and I’m really chuffed that I’m doing it. It’s great to be putting my energy into something I really believe in.”
www.thechat.org.uk
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The Digital Media Centre at Learn for Life Enterprise
Working with: the CIQA
Learn for Life is a busy community education centre Learn for Life works with people who may have in Sharrow, one of Sheffield’s most culturally and escaped from wars and other traumatic situations. ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. About 300 people As well as language classes, they can take part in a week – mainly refugees and asylum seekers – come cultural activities (including a newly formed football to learn English and other skills at the shop-front team) which Hayley believes are also important for building. community cohesion.
“Learn for Life came about because of a dream for world peace,” says Director and Centre Manager, “You see a grant opportunity, you apply Hayley Nelson, who set up the social enterprise with for it and cross your fingers.” her mother Gill Rhodes. “We’ve always cared about human rights and we believe that everybody’s got the “At last year’s Christmas party, our local MP right to learn the language of the country they’re living presented certificates to students, and we were on in. Sheffield Live TV. The party was packed full of people and they were absolutely loving it!” “If you’re an asylum seeker or a refugee in Sheffield, it’s incredibly difficult to learn the language or to join a proper college course. We decided to create Learn for Life and it’s snowballed. I think every asylum seeker in Sheffield probably comes here at some point during the week.”
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Online resources
Learn for Life set up its Digital Media Centre in 2012 as part of the Sheffield Apart from finding out about and connecting with other Digital Media Centres, Community Network project. The idea was to support local people with online and Hayley also sees the network offering perhaps a longer term and more strategic computer resources to become self-employed and set up their own businesses. potential for funding. Hayley says that the Digital Media Centre had a positive impact on the look of the neighbourhood, including improved signage for local shops, which in turn drew in “It would be great if we had a consortium approach. It’s very hard to get national people to spend more money. funding for a local organisation like Learn for Life on its own. But if we could say to funders, look we’ve got these Digital Media Centres in different parts of the city, all But funding for the Digital Media Centre finished with the end of the Sheffield looking after different pockets and groups of vulnerable people, it would be a very Community Network project in 2013. Today, Learn for Life still has the physical good offer for the whole of the city.” space and resources for the Digital Media Centre, but currently there is no money to employ designated staff for it. Like most voluntary and community sector www.learnforlifeenterprise.co.uk organisations, securing the money to run activities is time-consuming and difficult.
“I think everybody cares which is great because you’ve got the human support. And there’s a value in CIQA being there to coordinate things.”
As part of the DMEx project, Learn for Life has received support from CIQA. One of the CIQA workers came to visit and discuss funding opportunities, although Hayley was already well-informed about possible sources. As she puts it: “You see a grant opportunity, you apply for it and cross your fingers.”
Keeping it bubbling
Hayley and others at Learn for Life have also been to information and networking meetings run by the CIQA. Meetings are based around themes such as promotion and funding, and give people the chance to visit and learn about other Digital Media Centres in the city. For instance, at the last event, Learn for Life found out about Sheffield Live and are now planning to take up the offer of being interviewed on Learn for Life Enterprise: Christmas Party community radio.
“I think everybody cares which is great because you’ve got the human support. And there’s a value in the CIQA being there to coordinate things. It’s about keeping us all connected, keeping it bubbling.”
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Joanne Jenkins
Working with: SOAR
Joanne Jenkins had always regretted missing out on art college. Instead, having left school at 16, she earned a living, first as a hairdresser, then as a florist. But she had always carried on with her painting, inspired by landscapes and nature.
Then, 23 years later, her artistic talents were recognised and she was advised to take an access course in Art and Design at Loxley College (now Hillsborough College). The access course led to a Fine Arts degree at Huddersfield University 10 years ago.
“It’s difficult to make a living through art alone. I have to top up my income by teaching,” says Joanne. So over the last decade she has made a living through her artwork and by teaching art classes to adults in Joanne Jenkins: Paintings by the artist various venues around Sheffield.
15 16 Going it alone
She shared a partnership with three other artists in High Green until last year but then decided to make a go of it on her own.
“When I left High Green studio, I needed a new website of my own. In April I was referred to SOAR, a community regeneration charity that provides a range of services designed to improve a person’s health, well-being and employability.”
DMEx support
Joanne met Vanessa Kirby, the Digital Media Exchange Coordinator, who helped her to set up her website, using Create.net. Joanne needed a website that did not just display her artwork but also allowed online payments, like an online shop.
“Vanessa had some great ideas and I’m very happy with the results. I know I can always contact her if I have any queries.”
Setting up PayPal was tricky with working out weight, postage and packing. “I had to be able to update the website myself. Vanessa has shown me how and helped me through when I got stuck.”
This ‘just-in-time’ ongoing support, involving phone calls and regular meetings, was essential to help Joanne develop independent control of her website, which went Joanne Jenkins: Painting by the artist live in July 2014.
“Vanessa had some great ideas and I’m very happy with the results. I know I can always contact her if I have any queries or need support updating my website.”
www.joannecjenkins.co.uk
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Cool Beans
Working with: Sheffield Live TV
Chris Arnold started Cool Beans in 2010 as a DJ and events management business. Around that time he also started doing the Cool Beans radio show on Sheffield University’s Forge Radio, and then later on with the local community radio station, Sheffield Live! 93.2FM.
Cool Beans is influenced by comedians like Reeves and Mortimer, as Chris explains: “All the Cool Beans’ stuff is rooted in humour. It’s quite bright and bouncy. It takes on lots of musical aspects. It’s for people who Cool Beans: Chris Arnold (centre) and colleagues are into pop culture and silliness.” “Working for Sheffield Live pretty much Over the last five years, Cool Beans has evolved and taught me how to make a TV show.” Chris has worked with a team of about ten other people to also make small-scale music videos and “It was really important. The fact that they said you’ve comedy sketches. Then in 2014, as part of the DMEx got a slot for a TV show motivated us all to actually go project, Sheffield Live TV provided an opportunity for out and make something. Once you’ve been given that Cool Beans to make - and ultimately sell - television deadline it’s a big thing. You think, ‘Let’s do it!’” shows.
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DMEx support Moving on forward
Sheffield Live TV offered valuable technical support including the use of computers So what about the future for Cool Beans? Chris is hoping to “do better stuff, employ and industry-standard editing software, available 24 hours a day. But Chris says that more people and just move on forward.” it was the creative advice that really made a difference to Cool Beans. And Chris and his friends are now talking about the idea of forming a Cool Beans “Structuring the show was one of the trickiest things to get our heads round. So production company following a model set by, for instance, Steve Coogan’s Baby there were lots of tips about getting your intro theme, outro theme and idents Cow Productions or Reeves and Mortimer’s Pett Productions. sorted. We’ve learnt about efficient ways to film so if we had recurring sketches we’d film stuff in blocks.” “People can come to you with an idea and say: ‘Here’s the budget, you’ve got everything you need to make a TV show, go and do it.’”
“It’s essentially one very long pilot of 12 He also acknowledges that without Sheffield Live TV and the DMEx project, Cool episodes showcasing what we can do!” Beans would not be in the position to even consider this. “I’ve been on a massive journey. I’ve never worked as hard as that on anything ever, Cool Beans made a series of six shows for Sheffield Live TV, timed to start during and I’m really proud of it. I had skills in certain areas, but working for Sheffield Live the station’s launch week in September 2014. Sheffield Live TV lets Cool Beans and pretty much taught me how to make a TV show,” says Chris. other companies keep the copyright to their shows, meaning that the companies can sell them elsewhere. This first series was well-received, and subsequently “The Cool Beans TV show is essentially one very long pilot of 12 episodes bought by the Made Television Network to be shown in Leeds, Cardiff, Bristol and showcasing what we can do!” Tyne and Wear. Made Television commissioned a second series which has just aired, and now there is interest from other TV channels too. http://welovecoolbeans.com
www.youtube.com/coolbeanstelevision
Cool Beans: Television show Cool Beans: Radio show
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James Woollen
Working with: SOAR
James Woollen left Abbeydale Grange school in Sheffield with one GCSE in art and a diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia. Twenty five years later and after a variety of jobs which were terminated for health reasons, James decided to build on his artistic talents. He took the plunge and started up his own arts and crafts business.
James has been interested in arts and crafts since childhood. It started off with his dad showing him how to make small figures from Plasticine. Today he has many inspirations, including the art deco and abstract movements.
James Woollen: Pottery by the artist
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DMEx support
But it was the DMEx project that helped him to take advantage of the cost-free shop window of the internet to sell his own ceramics, paintings and glass-painting, as well as postcards.
James started the business in 2009, when he was living in Lincolnshire. When he moved to Sheffield he was referred to SOAR by the disability employment agency, Remploy. Here he met Vanessa Kirby who provided business mentoring.
“It was a good thing, because they’ve been really well organised. Vanessa has been quite thorough.”
Making contacts
“It’s been great for networking.”
Vanessa suggested a number of outlets for his work and helped him to set up his website.
“Vanessa has been very patient with me. She’s helped with contacts and the work on the website as well. I could add to it but I would not have been able to set it up as it is now.” James Woollen
Vanessa has also helped James to find teaching work at Longley 4G Community Centre and starter classes in glass-painting for people with mental health “Vanessa has been very patient with problems at Shiregreen Community Centre. “I don’t think I would have got the classes either,” he says. me. I would not have been able to set
As well as business advice and help with the website, support from SOAR has also it up as it is now.” resulted in James meeting people in the area and extending his own networks.
“Through SOAR and the people I’ve met here, I’ve got the chance to get some voluntary class work as well. It’s been great for networking.”
http://www.jwoollen.com
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Neon Tech Productions
Working with: The Sheffield College
Josh Hague and Ashley Foulstone are students at The Sheffield College, just finishing the second year of a Foundation Degree in Media Production. They are both the first people in their family to go on to higher education.
Josh and Ashley met three years ago on the bus home Neon Tech Productions: Ashley and Josh from college. Ashley asked Josh to help out with his camera skills on a small project he was working on, “It has changed me. It’s definitely and the two hit it off. They talked about setting up a built my confidence.” business together, and came up with the name Neon Tech.
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DMEx support Teaching and hiring
When their tutor at The Sheffield College described the business support and new video equipment available as part of DMEx, Josh and Ashley jumped at the chance. “We’re teaching and hiring a lot of The opportunity came at the same time that the Sheffield Sharks basketball team contacted the college looking for someone to video and broadcast their games. students internally to work with us now,
Along with other students, Josh and Ashley were trained how to use a new portable which is satisfying.” tricaster (vision mixer and recorder) and HD video cameras. This industry-standard equipment made it possible to record professional looking live shows and events. Over the past year, Neon Tech has expanded to work with about 20 other Sheffield The tricaster also mirrored the one bought and used by Sheffield Live TV which was College students. just being launched and was hungry for new programmes. “We’re teaching and hiring a lot of students internally to work with us now, which “The timing really made sense. We thought it was a pretty amazing opportunity – is satisfying. Some of them are very talented. As long as we get the game finished especially to get stuff on TV,” says Josh. and it looks professional, we’re very laid back, so they love it,” says Josh.
Both Josh and Ashley can list a range of new skills that they have gained from “The timing really made sense. We DMEx.
thought it was a pretty amazing “It’s organisation everywhere! It’s been planning everything and making sure there opportunity – especially to get stuff on is good time management. And from a technical standpoint, I have now been in every single role: camera operator, director, editor, producer. So I’ve learnt a lot,” TV.” says Josh.
With business support from DMEx, Josh and Ashley registered Neon Tech “As well as supporting us starting the business, new equipment bought under Productions as a limited company. They also had help negotiating a tricky DMEx funding gave us the ability to do more and more jobs. So I’ve learned how sponsorship deal and began to make some income. to use professional equipment, how to work as a team and how to manage a business,” says Ashley.
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Other skills
On top of new technical and business abilities, the two acknowledge that the experience has helped them to develop personal and communication skills too.
“It has taught me to be calm under pressure. You’ve just got to get on. If you don’t, it will just all start falling apart. It has built my confidence loads. I used to be a wreck when I was at school, but I’m not like that now. I can’t be, I’m too busy,” says Josh.
“It has changed me. It has definitely built my confidence. I used to be shy about working in a team, I wouldn’t communicate with new people. But now I’m bringing new people in, training them up and I communicate well,” says Ashley.
And what about the future for Neon Tech?
Josh and Ashley have decided that although setting up Neon Tech as a limited company initially seemed appropriate, it has ended up being bureaucratically unwieldy for their current work. So they are going to disband the company and instead work together as two sole traders. It’s a business-led decision.
Ashley would like to continue to have his own company, but also sees himself working for ITV or the BBC.
Josh would like to do more sports, music and corporate videos, and sees a definite niche for future Neon Tech type work: “My vision would be that we’d be a business that thrives on all the other sports that the big production companies don’t like.”
www.ntproductions.co.uk
Neon Tech Productions: Filming and post-production
31 32 EUROPEAN UNION Investing in Your Future European Regional Development Fund 2007-13