BizArt is a Weatherhead School of
Management based community dedicated to developing the synergies that exist
between the worlds of business and art. Along with many area development
leaders and professionals, this initiative is exploring the value of the creative
class in this community, and breaking down walls found in traditional economies
and organizations – everyone is creative – everyone has entrepreneurial
instincts – everyone should learn to leverage both sides of the equation. It is
exciting to see this free forum provided to students from both Case and the
Cleveland Institute of Art, allowing for sharing of knowledge and perspectives
among NEO’s emerging economic drivers.

It seemed
the scores of attendees included art and business students and professionals –
a very dynamic mix. The presenters were decidedly professional, consisting of
Sarah Antonetti, Director of Marketing at Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates,
Jurgen Faust, Dean of Integrated Media at Cleveland Institute of Art and an
arts entrepreneur, Marc Wyse, President of Wyse Advertising, and Steve Cencula,
President of Form, and interactive media development company. The topic was
Creative Careers and Emerging Business Opportunities.

I arrived
late and missed the presentation by Sarah and part of Jurgen’s talk, if anyone
has insight to share (submit below as comment to this posting).

Jurgen
spoke extensively about the CIA TIIME program he leads. This offers specialized
education and outside connections – unique, exceptional, world class program. Growing
concentration on evolving multimedia arts, including game design, film,
broadcasting, and interactive media – field requires complex, sophisticated
skills with diverse technologies and applications, and strong critiquing
skills.

Most important,
program participants must be team players. Jurgen stressed he spends two
minutes reviewing applicants portfolios and an hour to see if they are a team
player. And the program leads graduates to the world’s best teams – Industrial
Arts and other global design leaders are on their Board.

Of
graduates, 1/3 found lobs with firms here, 1/3 found best in class jobs in NY
and LA, and 1/3 started new companies.

In 2005
they start offering an MFA degree. Professional Partnership program is part of
the curriculum. In response to old approaches with traditional internships,
where students were required to work with old technologies and often were not
paid, his program manages the partnership programs and requires payment. They
seek thereby to integrate management experience into the program so graduates
become industry leaders.

Jurgen
introduced a new program he and CIA President David Deming have instituted
called the Design and Technology Transfer Center – designed to bring CIA
student and faculty invented products and innovations to market. As an out of
box example, Jurgen recounted seeing a laser prototype developed at the Case
School of Engineering that CIA may have an opportunity to help put into the
marketplace for prototyping. More direct expectations include:

• Establish
  design gallery for CIA and Case innovations
• Create
  design incubator – institutionalize the commercialization process – give
  designers grants and link-ups with management faculty and staff and other
  business resources
• Host
  in-house production crew – help with in-house and outside product modeling and
  instruct on prototyping and packaging projects
• CIA PPP –
  Professional Partnership Program – mentioned above
• UCI IR –
  Linking CIA program and other University Circle Incorporated resources

This is
getting great response from industry contacts.

Marc Wyse
is President of Wyse Advertising. Stresses there is history of great
inventiveness in Cleveland region. Also, he has found you can have a creative
career that makes money and is enjoyable.

He
educates us on his viewpoints on the advertising industry – and he is a veteran
expert. He says an ad agency is a voice for a company – try to do this in an
honest, ethical way. No one can run a business without “selling�, so the ad
industry is important.

He talks
of helping grow Smuckers in the early days. The founder told him all ad people
were crooks, but the son disagreed and befriended Marc. Marc proved himself by
helping Smuckers grow their business outside Ohio – took their product to
California and sold it store to store until they had enough business lined up
to expand their production – creativity and selling are what it’s all about.
They still handle the Smuckers account – leader in their industry.

They
handle Sherwin Williams, where they differentiate the brand from other sold in
diverse outlets (which sell other Sherwin Williams owned brands) by keeping the
Sherwin Williams name in their own outlets – “Paint is what we do� – effective
marketing increased store sales 50%. Wyse tries to make ads entertaining –
sticky – versus the 90% of ads out there that are plain stupid.

Marc
points out we are very lucky to have CIA in our community.

Attendee
asks how TEVO and XM radio and other communications evolutions will affect the
ad business. Marc believes some things will change, but products will always
need selling, and professionals will be needed for that.

Steve
Censula founded Kaleidoscope to make interactive media while still at CIA, because
no one was doing it here or at the CIA at the time and it is what interested
him. He since sold that company and just formed FORM to focus on specific
aspects for interactive, especially “games�. He is also on the Board of the CIA
and redesigning their extended education programs. He stresses everyone at the
conference has some connection to CIA and that it is globally important.

His new
company focuses on using browser based interactive media for learning and brand
enhancement. Sees untapped need for interactive/gaming media in web based
marketing and communications – way to teach people when they don’t even realize
they are learning.

Also sees
how his firm can demonstrate a product before building it, accelerating
development process and reducing costs – most firms don’t realize the power of
new information technologies, in the right hands. He points out a Peter Drucker
quote – “the best way to predict the future is to create it�.

After the
presentations and lunch there was a panel discussion on how individuals
successfully integrate artistic and creative ideas into business opportunities.

Jurgen
starts out with the downside reality that there are lots of scary changes on
the horizon. He points out how manufacturing has shifted away from America and
that trend is just beginning – considers how China will start dominating the
automotive industry so important to their graduates… in creative industries
work is already increasingly going to lower costs sources like India, Russia
and China. He points to the issues of healthcare costs escalation and shift to
knowledge society… only food industry seems beyond risk. He challenges audience
to figure out why we are here – at the meeting – in school – living.
Rationalize the need to be creative. My conclusion is if everything else in
life is becoming nothing, then being creative is the only chance to be
something – to be special – being authentic.

To this
line of reasoning, the business students in the audience appear seriously
disturbed. They begin to realize being in business is nothing and they ask how
they may become creative. The panel assures them everyone is creative, although
Jurgen admits he’s found that for some reason some students can’t express their
creativity. Very interesting interaction and dynamic at this stage, as suddenly
lowly artists appear in life to have the most important competitive advantage
for the future.

Marc
points out we in the US need to be creative and inventive – manufacturing is
gone – get creative in everything you do.

Jurgen
mentions development of a design management program with Case, so business
students can learn creative industry and skills and creatives can learn
management – can’t thrive with one side and not the other – example, Gehry
Studios hires architects with management skills/

Steve says
we each make our own lot and suggests we look for opportunities where we can
stand out – consistently create new ideas.

Artist in
the audience Steve Tater points out in the future no one is going to get a job,
work there for 40 years, and retire with a pension and watch. Believes first
job is time to learn how business works – develop people skills – see how
people are effective working together. Then you move on, and on. Ultimately, he
says ideas are a dime a dozen and what matters is what you do with them.

Jurgen
writes business plans for his ideas – same with Steve Cencula.

Jurgen
says TIIME could educate 3X the students they have – problem is finding
students with the right combination of left and right brain strength. He sees
plenty of opportunity in creative and interactive media for the right people in
creative industries – has a dozen ideas.

An MBA
attendee says he is creative – how does he break into design industry world.
Sarah says through networking. Marc says they are always looking for bright
people, including interns – he will see anyone who comes down to his office and
asks for an interview, but he stresses they must know how to stand out and sell
themselves (and prospect caked him cookies, which seemed to win points).

An
attendees observes that being young they are able to take risks, and that is a
recurring there in the creative class discussions… must take risks. In
response, Steve says risk is part of everyone’s business – he went into
business because he wanted to do things they didn’t do at school. Points out
with taking risk you need a healthy appreciation for failure – try lots of
ideas – keep eyes open for wow moments. Concludes creative skills are teachable
and most successful people find balance between creative and business sides of
life.

Jurgen
points out in life people must take risks, but he’s realized some people can’t
take risks. He also observes passion is critical.

An attendee
who is an artist working with East Cleveland student artists observes you
empower people to realize how big they are by empowering them through
creativity,

In
closing, the moderator asks each presenter to sum up the session with one word
on what is needed to succeed within this subject:

Steve:
Insight

Sarah:
Innovation

Marc:
Passion

Jurgen:
Understanding