RM200 Million Creative Industry Fund Takes Off

A RM200 million fund to help stimulate the creative industry took off the ground on Thursday.
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the credit facility of between RM50,000 and RM5 million, which was meant for commercial creative activities, offered competitive interests and flexible conditions.

"As the credit facility is meant for commercialisation, it has to be governed by conditions imposed by the authorities and this is contrary to assumptions that the fund is free.

"There is no such thing as a free fund for business. But with interest rates of between two and four per cent, the rate is not only very low and flexible but also fair," he told reporters after launching the Creative Industry Fund here on Thursday.

The fund, which will is meant for filmmaking, musical production, animation, and related activities, was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the 2010 Budget in October.

Rais said the credit facility, which would be disbursed through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), would also be extended for asset purchases to facilitate commercial activities.

"Only sole owners, joint partners and private limited companies, and business entities with 51 per cent Malaysian ownership are eligible for the loan.

"Those, who are getting grants from the government agencies for projects or products are not entitled to the loan," he added.

He said 22 creative activities in four sectors, namely audio visual and new media (animation, interactive, film and television production), design (fashion, accessories), arts and craft (arts performances, handicraft, galleries), and print media (publishing, writing) can apply for the fund.

On the interest rates, he said it would be two per cent a year, calculated on a monthly basis for short-term projects and four per cent per year for projects lasting five years.

He said applicants could seek financing up to 90 per cent of their cost from a special committee set up by the ministry.

"The contract documents can be pledged as collaterals, which could be handed to the banks subject to conditions imposed, by producing eligible guarantors or by determining the adequacy of company assets," he added.

On the repayment, he said BSN would fix the instalments throughout project period, loan period or fast track repayment for those posting "blockbuster" revenue.

Rais said the credit facility could be taken in stages or one lump sum based on the conditions set by the bank.

other related news:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MyIPO-WIPO Survey Reveal Creative Industries Are A Major Driver Of Economic Growth In Malaysia
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

- excerpts -
...To raise awareness on the important role played by the creative industries, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), in 2003, conducted a series of surveys focused on defining and mapping out the creative industries, and their economic contribution in over 30 countries worldwide.

"The idea was to gain a more accurate picture of the creative industry's contribution to the economy, promote creativity and Intellectual Property (IP) rights, and raise awareness and understanding of the importance of copyright as a contributor to the economy," WIPO's Acting Director for Creative Industries Division, Dr Dimiter Gantchev told Bernama.

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind like inventions, literary and artistic works; and symbols, names, images and designs used in commerce.

It is the bedrock of the creative industries, yet many companies fail to appreciate its value, and so underestimate the need to protect their IP rights.

The surveys' results provided indisputable evidence that the creative industries are indeed economically significant and are comparable to other high profile sectors in terms of their contribution to income, employment and trade...

...These statistics are the 'smoking gun' that conclusively proved creative industries are a major driver of economic growth in Malaysia.

"The figures demonstrate that creative industries are the drivers of the economy, are more dynamic than many of the other sectors in Malaysia, and have managed to cushion the effect of the 2005 global recession," said Dr Vijatakumari Kanapathy, the independent consultant who carried out the survey...
> read more

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Malaysian Film Industry
- 31Dec2009 - BERNAMA -

- excerpts -
...Nevertheless, Manjafilm's Managing Director, Anwardi Jamil noted that while the European and American viewers can easily differentiate films from other Asian countries that are screened at these festivals, our films are not easily identifiable as a Malaysian production because they lack that 'Malaysian' ambience.

"Look inwards for your source and inspiration, do not just borrow and adapt ideas from foreign productions," Anwardi urged.

However, the parameters of what constitutes a Malaysian film are not clearly defined.

"As long the producer is a Malaysian citizen, it is considered a Malaysian film," FINAS Director of Planning and Research, Balaraman Narayanasamy told this writer.

On the other hand, Film Directors' Association of Malaysia (FDAM) President, Ahmad Ibrahim stressed that in line with the 'Filem Kita, Wajah Kita' (Our Film, Our Image) mantra, a Malaysian film should be in the Malay language, with a Malay-majority cast.

While cultural diversity and ethnic plurality is aggressively being promoted in tourism billboards and brochures, why is there this assumption among some groups, that 'Our Image' is cohesive and homogenous?

When posed with this question, film producer Abdul Rahman Sallehudin concurred that there must be multi-ethnic characters in contemporary Malaysian cinema.

"It should reflect our culture and tradition, but only within the context of a multi-racial setting, and should not be dominated by any particular race," he added...
> read more

Thinklab Design Conference

THE LOCAL DESIGN CULTURE
This event is endorsed by wREGA

The theme ‘THE LOCAL DESIGN CULTURE’ is targeted towards future young creative individuals, acting as agents of change and also working professionals that are open to new ideas and insights to respective design industries. This title set the context as a beginning for a new local thinking design culture that is currently making a huge impact across the globe.

With 6 of brilliant design industry talents, such as William Harald-Wong of WHW & Associates and Suzy Sulaiman of Re-cap, this title will open the local design context to international design scene.

Details of the events are as below:

Date: Saturday, 12th of Dec 2009
Time: 9.00 am to 1.00 pm
Venue: Conference Room, National Art Gallery
Fee: RM30 for students; RM250 for professionals

Thinklab is offering our professional & associate members RM150 for group discount rate.
Please register and make your payment through Pooi at secretariat@wrega.org.

Yellow Pencils!

The awards is here once more.

The D&AD Awards 2010 are open for entry. To be in with a chance to see your best work in the Annual next year, enter now.

Save 10%, enter by

Wednesday 18 November 2009

An exerpt from the website:

"Yellow Pencils are recognised the world over as a symbol of true creative achievement.

D&AD has celebrated and nurtured outstanding work in design and advertising since 1962. Year on year the D&AD Annual showcases the very best work and continues to provide an unrivalled source of creative inspiration.

D&AD is about brilliant commercial creativity, wherever and however it's produced. Whether you work in Design, Advertising or Digital there is an awards category for your entry."

Visit the website.

KUASA Conference 2009

What a great year for design events in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. Seeds of a creative economy?

So soon after the landmark event - KL DesignWeek 2009, now here's the next design conference rolling into town on 08-09 Aug 2009, brought to you by wREGA (THE graphic design association of Malaysia).

Event: Design Conference
Theme:
KUASA -- Design Power Asia
Date: 08-09 AUG 2009 (SAT - SUN)
Venue: University Malaya city campus, Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Costs: RM280 (professionals), RM230 (wREGA professional member), RM200 (students), RM180 (wREGA student member). USD100 (Foreign delegates). Workshops (minimal admin fee). Design Showcase/Party (FREE).

Top design minds from Asian region will present their topics for the conference on SATURDAY while SUNDAY is for post-conference student workshops... or any designer who's into "life-long-learning" (who isn't?). Some notable names: Ahn Sang-soo, Freeman Lau, Sudhir Sharma (of Elephant Design fame?), Hermawan Tanzil, Little Ong, Tarek Atrissi (he's Asian??). Details on speakers here.

Heard that the workshops have very limited seats (becos of venue limitations & the fact that all the workshops run concurrently - so you must choose one)... hope there isn't a mad rush for those... no news yet on who the speakers/facilitators/topic for the workshops yet. (heard some good stuff TBC - watch this space).

Also heard that the organisers wREGA pulled all stops in favors big & small from all their associates & suppliers to make the conference very affordable and great value for money. Since wREGA is a "not-for-profit" organisation, rest assured that every ringgit will be plowed back into organising bigger and better design activities/events for the benefit of the local design industry.

Heard some grumblings about the lack of local representation at a few previous local design conferences and this conference is no different as there's no Malaysian speaker on the speakers list. Sigh... maybe the Malaysian designers (there are really quite a few) are still shy to tap into the conference circuit celebrity thing.

But at least there will be a hands-on design workshop conducted by local designers (rumored to be about comics graphic novel production) and also a local Designers Showcase/Art Installation + Party on SUNDAY which will be curated by JayLim & Vivian of Moooving Art / Tsubaki Studios / Miss Hua fame. More on the showcase /party later.

All in all, sounds like a-lot of fun while learning & exploring design matters.
See you all there!

Everyone is a designer. Yes?

by: Thierry van Kerm

Besides the common question about what is design, another is what is a designer or rather, who is a designer? If we are convinced that design is all around us, and that we live in a designed world, then is everyone a designer? And, in that sense, how can a designer make a living or make a difference?

When lecturing I am often asked by designers or companies, who is a designer and who is not. I simply ask the audience, who has a camera? Usually all hands go up because everyone has a camera. Then I ask, who takes pictures? All hands go up again. Why would you have a camera if not to take pictures? Then I ask, who has had images published? A few hands down but most people keep pointing their fingers to the ceiling. We all have published an image in a book, in a newsletter or on a blog, haven’t we? Then I ask, who is a photographer? Only a couple of hands are still up. So, most of us are taking pictures and most of us are publishing pictures. In this situation, how is the professional photographer supposed to earn a living? What does a professional photographer have to do to convince you to pay for his or her services?

Designers face exactly the same problem, how to convince clients who have managed for years without a designer to pay for their services? The answer is very simple. By demonstrating sound strong expertise, skills, knowledge and competences on the one hand and on the other demonstrating that paying for the services of a designer will in the end be a benefit to the client not a cost. Working with a professional designer has to make the difference in terms of return on the client’s investment. It’s not a question of being money-driven or not, its just a question of understanding the client’s concerns.

It sounds easy but it doesn’t always work out that way would be the usual answer from designers. It is not easy not because what I said was wrong but because they may have not been taught in terms of expertise, skills, competence and knowledge. Designers may have gained some of these capabilities through their education or careers but it may never been given its due priority. Therefore, they may not be able to demonstrate to clients or potential employers a designer’s added value.

As we see, the key is education, whether in school, college, university or lifelong learning. Educators have a major role to play helping designers acquire appropriate skills, competences and knowledge. They can make a difference by proposing projects in terms of conscious skills, competence and knowledge development, by assessing skills, competences and knowledge development as well the aesthetics of the projects. And, they can help students evaluate their projects against a clear predefined brief and test the outcomes against real world values.

Of course, the next question is, what are the relevant skills, competences and knowledge that are required, and how can students and graduates gain these capabilities? Good questions for a future debate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
article source: EDTI (European Design Training Incubator)

illustration by Jonathan Puckey, a graphic designer based in amsterdam who creates work that borders on art and employs technology in new ways.

Panel Discussion: Examining the Aesthetic Choices of our Urban Environment

Galeri Petronas,
Suria KLCC.

09 May 2009 - SAT,
4:00pm

Bringing a range of perspectives from architecture to design, the session will explore a range of issues concerning the development of our urban environment, from the selection of public sculptures to urban planning and architecture as well as the relationship between urban communities and the space that they inhabit.

Panelists: William Harald-Wong, Kevin Mark Low and Azhar Ahmad
Moderator: Sharaad Kuttan

FREE. Open to all. Find out more here.
Interests: architecture, art/sculpture, design, local/urban culture

This forum is held in-conjunction with the art exhibition "Cadangan-cadangan untuk Negara Ku" (Suggestions for my Nation) by Liew Kung Yu.
Inspired by the monuments and public sculptures found in Malaysia, artist Liew Kung Yu has created eight new works that offers the viewers of what Malaysia could look like in the future. The sculptural works comprise a Photoshop montage of various public sculptures found in the country such as the giant Pitcher Plant at Dataran Merdeka and the concrete tigers at Zoo Negara. Kung Yu's works are playful, theatrical, extremely kitsch and strangely beautiful.

Living abroad? Study shows you’re likely to be creative

SINGAPORE, April 24 — Living abroad helps people expand their experiences and also their minds, according to an international study into the link between moving to another country and creativity.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association, consisted of five studies involving students at Paris’ Sorbonne University, at INSEAD, a business school with campuses in France and Singapore and at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States.

Researchers said that although the studies show a strong relationship between living abroad and creativity, they do not prove that living abroad and adapting to a new culture actually cause people to be more creative. “This research may have something to say about the increasing impact of globalisation on the world, a fact that has been hammered home by the recent financial crisis,” said the study’s lead author, William Maddux, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD.

“Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programmes and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation.”

In one study, MBA students at the Kellogg School were asked to solve the Duncker candle problem, a classic test of creative insight in which individuals are presented with three objects on a table placed next to a cardboard wall: a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks. The task is to attach the candle to the wall so that the candle burns properly and does not drip wax on the table or the floor and the correct solution involves using the empty box of tacks as a candleholder, and then tack it to the wall.

The solution is considered a measure of creative insight because it involves the ability to see objects as performing different functions from what is typical and the results showed that the longer students had spent living abroad, the more likely they were to come up with the solution.

The findings appear in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

— Reuters

Defining the design arena: Join the ‘design umbrella’

article source: EDTI (European Design Training Incubator)
Recently, at design innovation, we were looking for new trainers to talk about the different design domains. My first question to the candidates was, who is a designer? Only half raised their hands. To my surprise, apart from artists or art historians, the others who kept their hands down were graphic designers, fashion designers or interior architects, people we assume to be designers.

It means that designers themselves do not know they are part of the design business. I’ve heard many times designers complaining about clients who don’t know what design is. How do we expect a client to know what design is if designers themselves don’t know? How therefore can we expect someone to buy design services or expertise? This confused situation has direct economic impacts in terms of clients not using designers.

Defining design domains does not mean restricting creativity. It just helps outsiders to apprehend what design is, who to call and for what services. It helps design businesses and client satisfaction. Health-care (designers love comparing themselves to doctors) is a huge area of expertise: doctors, surgeons, paediatricians, dentists, anaesthetists, general practitioners, orthodontists and many others. We, as clients, know which door to knock at if we have a cold or a broken leg. We are aware there are different doors but we know they are all doctors. Why can it not be the same with design? All designers should know they are ‘designers’, and they should know how to position themselves on the design map. This should be communicated to clients to understand the scope of design.

While developing the EDTI surveys, we faced the question of listing design domains. It sounded easy and obvious but it ended up in lengthy debates. The question was not that easy. Nevertheless, we finally came up with a list of 7 main design domains, some 40 sub-domains and close to 200 sub-sub-domains. Is this the final list of design domains? Most likely not but it might become a standard or a foundation for a future standard. Comments on the list are invited.

All designers, design schools, design associations and design organisations could gather under a common ‘design’ umbrella and use a common language and organisational structure for design disciplines, design domains or design categories. This would be a huge step towards the development of the design and creative industries. At an individual level, it would be a huge step forward in each designer’s career development.

Thierry Van Kerm
EDTI co-ordinator

+ + + + + + + + +
Be proactive -- join wREGA (wakaf Reka Grafik) Malaysia, speak up and make a difference on things that matter to you as a designer.

Wonderful Market + 1st Pipiteer Gathering

1st Designer Hand-made Creative Market

03 May 2009 - SUN
11am - 8pm

Level 7, Berjaya Times Square, KL (near Theme Park entrance)

> click here to see some of the latest cool artsy designer products that will be available at the market.

Enquiries: Mike (Pipit)

Scandinavian DesignLab talk

29 April 2009 -- WED
10:00am – 12:00pm
Jesper von Wieding, strategic Creative Director and Founding partner of Scandinavian DesignLab from Denmark will be giving a lecture at Dasein Academy of Art.

FREE - all welcome.

Venue: Dasein Academy Of Art
3A-12-G, Jln Wangsa Delima 10, Desa Wangsa, Setapak, KL
For more information: email Shanli or call Mdm. Lim +603-4142 2990

Call for Entries - Work your guts out

Hong Kong Asia Design Awards 2009
Take part in this multi-disciplinary design competition for the Asia Pacific region.

Organised by the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA), the HKDA Awards has been a who’s who of design excellence in Hong Kong and Asia in the last 34 years. It is a comprehensive, multi- disciplinary award for professional designs in the fields of graphic, product, spatial and new media.

(click on pix to view Call for Entries Poster in full size)
The last HKDA Awards 07 received more than 1,700 entries, collected from 36 destinations in the region including Mainland China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taipei and Hong Kong.

Submission deadline
30 MAY 2009

Submission details

Art and the marketplace

by: Victor Chin
For 20 years or more, if you were a Malaysian artist, not in the popular line-up, yet one of those lucky ones with your artwork in the National Art Gallery’s (NAG) collection, you’ll probably have a quibble with NAG because you can’t find any of your works on display in the premier art institution. Why?

There could be many reasons for this distressing situation. One was that there was simply no deliberate policy, in the past, to display a sample of ever artist, past and present, old and young, of the 3,800 artworks in their collection, for the public to get an overview and judge for themselves what sort of artistic talents we have in the country.

But thanks to the current Director General of NAG, Mohamad Najib Ahmad Dewa, many things have changed. Read all about this in Victor Chin's article in TheMalaysianInsider.com.

Victor Chin is a Kuala Lumpur-based artist and photographer.

Mad about Bamboo

Recently, Heath Nash, that brilliant designer who turns recycled plastics into lighted works of art, marveled & raved about the range, diversity & complexity of local Malaysian handicraft during his design workshop during the KL Design Week.

I had thot, oh great, another gwei-lo getting inspired by the most mundane trinkets found in our craft markets, reminding us of our rich heritage in craft & design. What does it mean - that these crafty achievements has gone unnoticed by Malaysian designers fed on a diet of foreign design superiority. So, from now on, I will also blog on Malaysian handicraft news into kakireka's radar in the hope that it will bring about more awareness & subsequent creative collaborations between designers & handicraft producers.

As a start, there is bamboo, a woody grass(!) found growing all over Malaysia. I was told that in Java, indonesia, bamboo is treasured as a resource and used so efficiently that a normal family can sustain itself economically making bamboo-derived products with just 4 clumps of bamboo growing in their backyard. From building houses & furniture to household utensils, handicraft & toys for sale. Whereas in Malaysia, bamboo is just treated like grass or at best, merely decoration in a pot or landscaping. FYI, Malaysia used to be in the forefront of bamboo "technology" & research. China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh are way ahead of us in this field where bamboo is seen as a viable, eco-friendlier alternative construction material compared to timber/wood by using latest engineering tech for reinforcement & durability. In the US alone, there are 4000+ registered patents on inventions using bamboo. (info updated from Bamboo Forum speakers).

What can you do with BAMBOO?
Find out at this event. For Architects, Product Designers, Interior Designers, Artists, Handicraft producers, etc.

MACRI Creativity & Innovation Week - Exploring New Possibilities
15 - 21 April 2009 // Pusat Sains Negara, Bukit Kiara, KL.

MACRI (Malaysian Association of Creativity & Innovation) has planned a week of programs, workshops, seminars, activities, all designed to bring out the creative and innovative spirit in us. While the overall theme of this year’s Creativity & Innovation Week is bamboo, there are many parallel events that cater to everyone. Here are some items that may interest Designers:

15 - 21April 9am - 5pm daily
Bamboo Expo – unique showcase of all kinds of products and crafts made from bamboo. Highly recommended for secondary and college students, and entrepreneurs.

18th April SAT 9am ~ 4pm
Bamboo FORUM – Material of the New Millenium // The anchor event of the entire week. Come and hear experts and speakers talk about bamboo and its vast potential. Targeted at entrepreneurs, innovators, members of government agencies, the corporate sector, and the academia. Participation fee is RM25 per person for members of the public, and RM10 per person for students (including lunch and tea breaks). Free for participants from MACRI, FRIM, PSN, MOSTI, YIM, MARA, OUM, MENSA. full programme - below.

19th April SUN 9am ~ 5pm
Bamboo Design Workshop // Led by staff and students from ALFA International College, this is a one-of-its-kind workshop that imparts creative skills through the use of bamboo. Targeted at youth from colleges and universities, and also at young entrepreneurs. Limited seats.

21st April TUE 10am ~ 12pm
Seminar: Forging a Thinking & Innovative Organization // Targeted at the representatives of any corporate organization, the seminar examines the crucial role Creativity and Innovative can play to help meet today’s many challenges. Middle and Senior Management staff will find this seminar very useful. Facilitator is none other than Dato’ Ghazi Sheikh Ramli, Malaysia’s foremost Innovation Evangelist.

Bamboo FORUM – Material of the New Millenium
09.45am -- BAMBOO – HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW by: En Abdul Razak Othman, Senior Research Officer, FRIM
10.15am -- Tea Break
10.45am -- BAMBOO FOR HEALTH, by Dr Marzalina Mansor, Director, Biotech Division, FRIM
11.15am -- ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN WITH BAMBOO by: Assoc. Prof Puan Sri Nila Inangda, Dept of Architecture, Universiti Malaya
11.45am -- BAMBOO FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS by: Prof Dr Jimmy Lim, Alfa College
12.15pm -- A SHOWCASE OF THE LATEST BAMBOO PRODUCTS by: Dr Wan Tarmeze Wan Ariffin, Senior Research Officer, FRIM
12.45pm -- COMMERCIALIZATION OF BAMBOO PRODUCTS by: Assoc. Prof Dr Razak Wahab, School of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah
01.15pm -- Lunch
02.00pm -- SPECIAL BAMBOO MUSICAL RENDITION
02.30pm -- PANEL DISCUSSION – BAMBOO, MATERIAL OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM moderated by: Dato’ Ghazi Sheikh Ramli, Founder/President, MACRI
04.00pm -- End of Forum

>> More info at MACRI, or call Ramesh at 017-8828 302

Some designs using bamboo found online...

Computer Vision lecture

Study Adelaide will host a lecture on "Computer Graphics, Computer Vision and Image Processing" by: Prof. David Suter (University of Adelaide - Computer Science) who is doing cutting-edge research on computer vision. List of Publications.

18 April 2009, 3pm
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, KL.

The lecture will highlight how current trends in research and technology could change our lives.
FREE admission. Email booking or call Brian 012-2975613 to register.

Tintoy's hip-hop ghostbusting cartoon Wins 1st Prize!

12 Apr 2009 - Tintoy Chuo & Actiontintoy Studio's quirky creative east-meets-west cartoon entry "Ghoul Smashing Quarter or GSQ" took the top prize (animation category) at the MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge 2008 final judging event at Palace of the Golden Horses, Sri Kembangan, K. L. today carried Live on AstroRia.

The event was the culmination of an intense 8 months of creative development work while also being made subjects of a new realityTV programme by Astro. The creative pitch involved 5 different finalist teams hoping to create the next big hit animated series. Personally, I can't wait to watch the RealityTV show.

Congrats to all the winners and good luck with the follow-up negotiations for a bite of that RM850k bank of grant money! To infinity & beyond!

Next, the stakes are raised for the MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge 2009 which offers grants totalling RM1m.
Closing date: 02 July 2009.

So - can you do animation? write/illustrate a digital interactive comics? have ideas for a computer casual game? or mobile phone game apps? Get cracking then!
More info: MDEC website

About the competition
This is open to amateurs and professionals from the creative multimedia industry. Supplemented with a 'step-by-step' and 'how-to' workshops for the benefit of the participants. All four competitions run concurrently. RealityTV show filming only for Animation category, so far. Judges are selected from among the best in the industry. At the end of the competition, winners will receive a sum of money, a development lair at Cyberjaya, unlimited access to Creative Applications and Development Centre facilities and consultancy from experts in the field. MDeC reserves the right to showcase the product for promotion purposes while the intellectual property remains with the creator. Am told that Astro has exclusive 1st refusal rights to commercialise the final product.

BarCamp KL 2009

KL Design Week is almost over but this is no time to rest. If you're a design entrepreneur and fancy free this weekend, go check out BarCampKL at IntiCollege, Subang Jaya. It's jam-packed with workshops & talks with up to SIX parallel sessions going on simultaneously in different rooms so you must manage your own time.
SAT 04Apr - 8:00am-8:00pm (free T-shirts for earlybirds)
SUN 05Apr - 8:00am-5:00pm

Below is a sampling of some 30+ speakers and topics spread over the 2 days... Best of all, it's all FREE if you register online.

- Devigners in Action: "Ma, look! No codes" _Daqing & Kok Chiann.
- 3 Really Cool Wordpress Tricks _James Yeang.
- Travel 2.0 - Sharing travel tricks - Using blog and social networks to get free food/stay/friendship/lots of love and have fun. _Preetam Rai.
- Social Networking: Is it just a hype or for real, my journey to become a social networks & how to start a social networking site for below 1K _Edwin Wang.
- Do you have what it takes to be interviewed? Do you get tongue-tied when you face the media...or worse, suffer from verbal diarrhoea? Get the basics right if you want to be a media success _Freda Liu.
- 360° Persuasion - How To Get Anything you Want. The Psychology behind Getting People to Give You just about ANYTHING _Michael Reyes.
- Open Travel Culture: Wikitravel Press (looking for Malaysian editors!) and OpenFlights.org _Jani Patokallio.
- MAD over Mobile Apps!!! _Gerard KM Lim.
- Cradle Fund Entrepreneurs Experience _James Chen & Uncle Bugs.
- Let's Open Socially - an introduction to OpenSocial _Nazroll & Marvin Lee.
- Get Your Dream Job: Ditch School and Get a Library Card _James Lee.
- Advertising/PR, Bloggers/Integrity: Make money, thru honesty _Colin Charles.
- Your Office is everywhere - Mobile Office _Ikhwan Nazri
- Project Revitalise: Remedy to global economic downturn _Janet Tan.
- Photo mosaics with Ruby and Yahoo! BOSS _Chang Sau Sheong.
- Connect with Rural folks: Opportunity for you to get connected to rural folks in Malaysia through Internet to make $ or to spread your love by sharing your knowledge, skills, or services _Azul.
- Sex & Business - Why these Two share the same rules _Brandon Liew.
- Google Calendar for Dummies - marvelous for time management! _James Lee.
- The Art of Pitching - 60 second elevator pitch to inivestors _Michelle Chia.
- Get Lotsa Freebies here!! (Free Business Inspiration. Entrepreneur Secrets) And Tools to get you started _Joanna Tong.
- "Why and how to get your kids interested in programming" - Introducing Scratch, a visual tool by MIT to teach programming to kids _Preetam Rai.
- Building robust democracy using the internet _Khairil Zhafri.
- Art of Making Espresso: Chemistry of Creativity+Constraints _Azim Pawanchik.
- Fashion, Interactivity, Alternative Marketing: Exploring ideas of alternative marketing/management of fashion in relation to interactivity between designers/audience _Bea.
- 10 Sins of Advertising: An insightful look from the eyes of a youth advertiser from Penang _Jackson Teoh.
- The Entrepreneurs Algorithm _Daniel Cerventus.
- The Secret to start a Global Travel business with RM2500 _Alvis Loo.
- What I can do if I am Jobless...? _Michael Tan.
- Why some Mutations are Awesome for Your Company? _Jackson Teoh.
- Interactive social experiments and simulations. Learn how you are your best weapon of change or destruction _Ellynita Lamin.
- Silverlight Vs. Flex : Silverlight > Flex _TC Wu.
- Deep impact of Network Theory in Social Networks: N Level Up for Algorithmic Intelligence _Syed Talat Fakhri.
- Casual Game Development: Tips and Tricks _TC Wu.
- The Stingy Startup - grant money is great, what happens after? _Kengyew.
- Contributing to the Starbucks Economy _Aizat Faiz.
- PHP Fuzzing in Action: 20 Ways to Fuzzing PHP Source Code _Ahmad Siddiq.
- From Geek to Chic: True story of a geek saved his own social life. How to enhance your social life, and look good while you at it! _Khalid Hilaby.
- The Earth Saviours - Journey of a Crazy Social Eco-preneur _Aidan A Chew.
- You Can Start Small: Where each things in life where in business or life it is not a must that u have to start big .. it is okay for you if want to start small to reduce your risk _Fareez Shahfiqar.
- Communicate to success! _Dave J.
- Buzz Your Brand! (BYB) Insights by a youth from Penang about Buzz-ing a new brand. _Jackson Teoh.
- Corporate brands in social media: Win win for everyone? _Derrick Koh.
- Pecha Kucha
- Open Social Hackathon

Full list & details of sessions/topics.
Online registration is FREE.

BarCamp is basically a very open, participant-driven workshop event where people share knowledge and ideas and expand their social and business network. There is usually no particular theme. Those people who want to share ideas and knowledge - of any subject, in any field - could register for time and room to host their session. Then, the rest of the people could come to event for free and join any session that they are interested in. If they find that the session un-interesting, they could just leave and go to the next one.
Links: Website. Facebook Group. Facebook Event.

There has been a lot of interesting topics in the past barcamp events. Check out the topics at the first BarCamp KL, StartupCamp KL and the recent BarCamp JB.

+ + Not to be missed - PARTY + +
04Apr - SAT
4:00pm - 11:00pm
KL Design Week Gala Closing & Arty Party at Cap Square, KL.

DESIGN + CULTURE

kakireka smalltalk 12.0
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ms. Hua Project
- character design for branding
by: Jay Lim, Tsubaki Studio

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Culture + Identity = Icon?
- toys & character merchandising
by: Chun Woei, Urban Cr3atures

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hip-hop Taoist Project
- conceptual design for animation
by: TinToy Chuo, ActionTintoy Studio

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Versatility
- commercial graphic design
by: Muid Latif, Moedlatif


21 Mar 2009 - SATURDAY
1:00 - 4:00pm
Cobra Club House, 2nd Floor, Sports Complex, 7 Lorong Utara B, Jalan Utara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
(behind Armada Hotel, next to Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital).
> Google map

FREE & open to public. come early to mingle & chat. limited seats.

For designers interested to find out more or to join wREGA, come earlier for the wREGA members luncheon & wREGA Annual General Meeting which starts at 11:30am.

Creative Economy and Industries Programme

Today, the creative industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy and provide new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.

In implementing its mandate, UNCTAD has been proactive in promoting international action in the area of the creative industries, and hence, the creative economy, emphasizing their development dimension. The creative industries are at the crossroads of the arts, culture, business and technology. All these activities are intensive in creative skills and can generate income through trade and intellectual property rights.

UNCTAD´s work
- Promoting the creative economy as a new source of growth
- Providing a platform for intergovernmental debates and consensus-building.
- Supporting government initiatives for concerted public policies and inter-ministerial action.
- Liaising with governments, institutions, artists, creators, academia and civil society to strengthen the creative economy in developing countries.
- Providing demand-driven policy advice and technical assistance to governments.
- Building synergies among the United Nations system: UNCTAD, set-up the United Nations Multi-Agency Informal Group on Creative Industries.
- Organizing and/or participating in international and national events.
- Promoting networking through our quarterly E-Newsletter "Creative Economy & Industries".
- Sharing knowledge and information through its research analysis, studies and statistics.

BENEFICIARIES

The creative economy deals with a wide range of stakeholders:
- Governments: economic development, culture, trade, tourism, finance, technology, communications, labour, foreign affairs, social affairs and education.
- Business sector: from independent artists and small business enterprises at one stream, to some of the world´s largest conglomerate at the other.
- Public cultural institutions: museums, galleries, public service broadcasting organizations, etc.
- Civil society: foundations, academia, artistic and creators, professional associations, sectoral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.
- International organizations and public opinion: UN family, other international organizations, press and media, etc.

Ms. Carolina Quintana
Creative Economy & Industries Programme Trade Analysis Branch
UNCTAD, Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
T: +41 22 917 55 51
E: Carolina.quintana@unctad.org

article source: UNCTAD website

Develop Creativity Into An Industry: Shabery

What a busy month March is... the KL Design Week is at the end of this month. Plus it seems there is a Creative Industry Conference organised by the Ministry of Information on the 16-17 MAR 2009 at Nikko Hotel, KL that will discuss matters of government policy, infrastructure to support & develop the creative industry. So... Malaysia finally jumps into the Creative Economy bandwagon right when the recession hits? Better late than never, right?

latest news from BERNAMA:

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 -- The creative industry should be restructured and expanded to make it a sector that can contribute to the country's economic growth, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said today. He said the industry had great potential to be developed because besides having people with natural creative talent Malaysia had also produced many graduates in this from its local institutions. "It is difficult to define this industry because it is different from the manufacturing and construction industry where we can see the physical results.

"The end product of human creativity can only be linked to the contribution it makes to the country's economic growth and the creation of job opportunities and income for those involved in the field. But if carefully structured and expanded, it can become a big industry. "This is what is lacking in our country. Our society is creative but this field has yet to become an industry," he said in a interview on TV3's "Malaysia Hari Ini" (MHI) programme on the Creative Industry Conference which the ministry is organising on March 15 and 16.

The conference is aimed, among others, at providing a channel for the sharing of information and ideas among those involved in the creative industry, technology providers and policy makers, both local and foreign, on the future of the industry in Malaysia. Themed "Creative Industry: A New Dimension for Economic Development", the inaugural conference is expected to be attended by about 500 participants, including tertiary students and suppliers of films and dramas.

Ahmad Shabery said the creative industry could follow the footsteps of the agricultural sector which, after its restructure, expansion and change of mindset, became a business entity and industry that made a big contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He said the creative industry in Malaysia was still lagging behind that in other countries which contributed up to nine per cent of their countries' GDP. "We don't know how much the creative industry in our country contributes to the GDP. Some say it's not even one per cent, so it's difficult for us to gauge. The potential's there but it's not being developed," he said.

Shabery hoped that the people and policy makers would see the importance of the creative industry not only from the aspect of job opportunities by also the products. He also said that the banks could help in the development of the industry by providing financial aid to the industry players to develop their talent and creativity to reach the global level. The RM20 million injection by the government through its second stimulus package was a fund that could be used to enhance the creative industry, he said. Besides that, Radio Televisyen Malaysia's (RTM) new 24-hour entertainment channel, Muzik Aktif, to be aired over 180 Astro from next Thursday could serve as a platform for creative practitioners to display their talents, including through video clips in its various programmes, he added.

Shabery said it was hoped that the conference would mould a new mindset in the society to better understand the Creative Economy (C-Economy). "We hope the word C-Economy will become a household word in the society. We will monitor the progress of the C-Economy in the country and this is a platform that we have built," he added.

source: BERNAMA