Internet opens up our creativity to the world
THE TYPES of business that have always fascinated me are the ones that create value out of next to nothing, sometimes immense value, franchises in fact. I’m talking about the Walt Disneys of this world, the J K Rowlings, the people behind the Ben 10 franchise and many other examples.
The example of turning a caricature of a mouse or a duck or a novel about a schoolkid into multibillion-dollar industries has to be immensely appealing to us here in New Zealand, but we appear to be unable to recognise that the kinds of people who do this probably are not coming out of business or law schools. They might be, but such expertise will not necessarily give them any advantage in the market.
Increasingly, these people are people who can code, because the development of mobile and tablet applications is an emerging field for what is essentially a creative endeavour. Once again, that does not mean they have spent years doing programming courses.
Instead they might be artists or storytellers.
Hawke’s Bay-based David Frampton, for instance, last week scored his second big success on the global iPhone charts with his new game The Blockheads. Frampton has no formal IT training and spent many years painting landscapes.
Could this be the new formula for business success?
Our own Peter Jackson, a high school drop-out, is up there, too, of course. Successive governments have totally bought into the Weta dream, but still act as if it is some kind of fluke.
All around the country broad humanities and arts courses are being run down in favour of others that supposedly fill skills gaps and answer the needs of employers. Courses have to be vocational, turning out exactly the sets of skills employers need.
Rowling, who features in the Forbes Rich List, has a BA in French and classics. Jackson dropped out and charted his own course. Walt Disney graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
There are now, courtesy of the internet, more opportunities than ever for such creative types to earn a living outside of formal employment, indeed such employment could be to their and our detriment.
Or they could find a home in one of the many creative businesses emerging in New Zealand, businesses such as Colenso BBDO (next page) which essentially exports New Zealand creativity to the world.
The value of pure creativity can not be underestimated and can and is being expressed in dollars. Creativity is a big business and one that suits New Zealand, helping overcome the tyrannies of distance and scale we face.