Digital content hub on Brisbane horizon - News - Business

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Digital content hub on Brisbane horizon

By David Hellaby, ZDNet Australia
March 22, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Digital-content-hub-on-Brisbane-horizon/0,139023166,120264190,00.htm

A major push is on to create an international centre for new media in Brisbane.

The move, headed by Griffith University, Brisbane City Council and Bene Factum P/L aims to position the city as a global centre of new media creative content production and distribution.

The partners have commissioned a feasibility study to investigate the establishment of an International Centre for New Media Content and a National Centre for Excellence in Animation in Brisbane.

Southeast Queensland, which encompasses Brisbane and the Gold Coast, is already the largest centre in Australia for computer and video game development with 14 active developers.

It is also one of the first places in the world to offer a choice of degree and diploma courses in game development and hosts one of the few Silicon Studio animation training centres outside of the United States.

The region has a major film and special effects industry and the new centres would provide additional opportunities for designers, animators, advertising agencies, film and television production, game developers and musicians using and creating digital content.

Lord Mayor Jim Soorley said the partners had been working to develop a new media platform that would enable Queensland and Australia's creative industries to create new content.

Griffith University Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said the proposed centres signalled a new and exciting era for the state's creative arts and would, significantly, complement the expertise already offered though the University's Queensland College of Art (QCA).

He said the collaboration between the university, local government and private enterprise would also go a long way to providing important synergies between the research, training and business sectors.

Bene Factum Company director Harold Weldon said Australia had the best creators of digital content in the world and a new media content facility would create a hub and distribution centre for any group creating digital content.