In Attendance at Thinking Digital: Next Generation

Posted on March 16th, 2009 (1)

The Northeast of England is home to a growing and thriving digital sector. To invest in this evolutionary rebirth, Codeworks, a nonprofit organization, runs events around Newcastle to promote and engage audiences within the digital community. To promote to creative youths and young adults inspired to become involved in this digital market, Codeworks with support of Gateshead City Council, ran Thinking Digital: The Next Generation.

With booths set up to promote recruitment for locally digital businesses, the main event occurred in Hall 2. Herbet Kim, CEO of Codeworks, took the stage and introduced us to this new event to promote the digital sector to the creatively inspired youths and young adults. This event runs in conjunction with Codeworks: Thinking Digital, an event in May that brings together bright minds from the digital sector as well. As one anyonomous speaker said via video, “It’s the TED of England.”

At Next Generation, the speakers included:

• Mike Southon, Financial Times columnist
• Ian Forrester, BBC
• Paul Callaghan, founder of the Leighton Group
• Paul Campbell, founder of the Amazing Group
• Andy Buck, Eutechnyx
• Nick Imrie, 21 Century Media

The speakers talked about different websites, applications, showed amazing video productions, but one transcending commonality showed up in each presentation: passion and hunger. One presenter after the other stressed the importance of being passionate and showing the enthusiastic hunger to be driven towards success; so much so, most wished “passion” was taught in curriculum. After all, programming and video production can be taught.

Paul Callaghan, founder of the Leighton Group, and board member of OneNorthEast, said it best. You can do anything if you have the hunger and passion to be committed. Based in Sunderland, his company does the advertising for Australia; or, Keltie+Cochrane, based in Gateshead, are now working with Lucas Arts in California. You can really do anything, anywhere from anywhere, in what he dignified as the “weightless economy.”

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