Opera house puts mockers on Digital Sydney

Beverley Head
Monday, 30 May 2011 21:25

IT Industry - Market

The Sydney Opera House made a mockery of the launch of the Digital Sydney initiative on Monday night, suffering what one organiser described as a technical meltdown, and leaving the NSW Deputy Premier and assembled throng cooling their heels in a queue for over half an hour. On a night that was supposed to celebrate Sydney's technical prowess, there was a distinctly analogue flavour.

When the launch finally did start it was without any whizz bang technical displays of the digital content that was being trumpeted. To have the founders of Fuel - the creative and technical masterminds behind the special effects used in Thor and the soon to be released Marvel film, Captain America, the First Avenger - forced to speak off the cuff rather than show any of their creative output must have been excruciating for the organisers.

Digital Sydney is nevertheless a well-intended industry led initiative intended to promote Sydney as a regional centre of excellence in the global digital economy. An eponymous web site has also been unveiled which is intended to help ICT and creative industries forge initial links.

 

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said the initiative was intended to establish; 'Sydney as the premier digital investment location in Australia and Asia Pacific.' He said the NSW Government would work with industry to market and promote Sydney and the State as a logical location for collaborations between the ICT and creative sectors.

He said that the State Government would also support the development of 20 new digital media projects as part of the initiative.

However Dean McEvoy ceo of local group buying site Spreets warned the audience attending the launch of Digital Sydney that in his experience; 'Doing a start up in Australia is like trying to grow a plant in a cupboard.'

He said that while Australians had good ideas the environment needed to allow that idea to grow and become a successful business had been lacking. He said however that when Australian businesses 'are taken out of the cupboard and grown in sunlight and given nutrients then they can really grow.'

Also speaking at the launch event were Google Australia head of engineering Alan Noble; Oliver Palmer ceo of TigerSpike; and Mick Liubinskas Pollenizer founder.