Today we are happy to announce that Kamelia Fattahi has been chosen from a myriad of girl IT geeks and coders, to take part in next month’s London iPhone Boot Camp from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th September 2010.
Kamelia is our fourth scholarship winner and she will take part in the three day intensive course learning everything from the fundamentals and advance techniques of iPhone development. Participants will aim to produce enough material that after the workshop they should be able to develop their own iPhone application and upload it to the AppStore!
Orginally from Iran, Kamelia got her masters in Advanced Software Engineering at The University of Sheffield and is currently a software developer at Line Communication based in Sheffield.
We wish her best of luck on the course and can’t wait to see her apptastic apps on your iphones and ipads in the near future!
If you want to join Kamelia at the workshop next September then see here for more details.
Last week, Bev Wilkinson and I attended Melbourne’s Mobile Monday event.It was an interesting panel discussion with 5 guest speakers. You can watch my video report and read Bev’s write up of the event below!
Please excuse the quality of this video; the lighting wasn’t the greatest that night and it was packed to the rafters. Who would’ve thought mobile game developers were so popular?
If you are in Melbourne and have any tech-related events coming up please don’t hesitate to get in touch via Twitter.
The common goal to succeed within the mobile games industry is what bonds these five entrepreneurs together at the latest Mo Mo Melbourne event.
With experience in small and major companies this posse had the crowd pumping to know more about the industry and how they can rise from struggle town to success on an international level.
Wil Monte, Owner of Millipede
Imagine getting paid to slash a Goblin’s head open- sounds like the ultimate job huh?
This is one Wil Monte owner of Millipede gets to do on a regular basis as head honcho of Melbourne’s leading development studio which specialises in building games, iPhone applications, website and e- learning resources.
While Wil now battles Goblin’s frequently the path to success was a bumpy one with the start of the business blossoming from a lounge room.
“I spent six months freelancing out in the lounge room and where ever I can get a computer,” he says.
“It is tough but there are good times starting off on your own bat really hurts.”
Wil smiles and shares a favorite quote saying any game which is way over budget and schedule is from the ideas people who want to make cool shit and cool shit costs money.
“You can put a stop to that by knowing what you are going to do,” he says
“If you have got a brilliant idea keep in mind that you have to be realistic and don’t send yourself broke at the same time.”
Daniel Visser, Owner of Wicked Witch Software
The desire to cackle his way into the gaming world is what sparked the beginning of this successful development studio.
With a lot of determination owner of Wicked Witch Soft wear Daniel Visser stared as a sole trader then expanded his business to include his friends.
Daniel says he started off by having no idea how to run his own company.
“I was always interested in making game consoles I did that not really knowing where it would lead me in the end,” he says
“Through my studies a high school friend of mine was a great 3D artist and I teamed up with him as well.”
Inevitably the team soon expanded to four employees who bundled into a unit together sometimes working 30 hour days and sleeping on the floor.
“We took over one bedroom then the lounge room –then the whole unit was dedicated to building the games,” he says.
“We made a bunch and we found a lot of distribution partners all over the world,”
“We were lucky to fall into mobile games which was fairly new back then it was just being introduced and we did a couple of them.”
All that determination to succeed has paid off with Wicked Witch escaping out of the confines of a unit to enjoy an office where they have released around 50 titles on PC, handheld and mobile platforms.
In addition to working on a range of successful projects for game consoles Xbox360, Play Station 2 and Wii.
Simon Joslin, Game Designer at Voxel Agents
BANG POP KAPOW!……is the sound of excited players swarming over the latest games by these Melbourne developers.
This is exactly what Voxel Agents game designer Simon Joslin loves to hear especially since he migrated from Brisbane to make his mark on the Melbourne games industry.
Simon says he met his team while studying at QUT in Brisbane and started out with two programmers.
“We all studied with each other and worked in different games studios, we finally got our act together and moved down here to do it,” he says.
“Without any marketing we found it was hard to get our first game sold, we sold about 300 copies at $1 each in six weeks,”
“The games took about eight weeks to make and you could imagine us killing ourselves.”
The team of three soon found themselves on the streets of Melbourne trying to promote games to the public.
“We got one tweet from it but I don’t know if we got any sales it was a really good experience trying to learn how to demo a game and talk the game up in a friendly way,” he says
Simon says it was a struggle to get Voxel Agents established but if you are willing to live off noodles and VB then anything is possible.
“There are plenty of opportunities but it is hard work sacrificing things for goals,” he says.
“If I did it again I would spend more time in the planning stages, we brought on interns who made everything insanely cheap.”
George Parthimos, CEO of miRoamer
The rocking beat pumping from an internet radio channel is just one element behind the success of this diverse media platform.
George Parthimos is the chief executive officer of miRoamer which is a company specialising in the world’s largest collection of internet radio content.
George had a few golden tips for those wanting to start their own business or fight their way to the top of a huge organisation.
George says to always read a business card especially since they may be important contacts.
“I was at a consumer electronics show and one of the guys from the Creative show sat next to me and shook my hand,” he says
“I came back to Australia and checked out the website and found out the guy I was chatting to was the founding CEO of Creative and I did not look at his card. From now on every time someone gives me a business card I read it.”
George says when pitching a business proposal make sure it is checked by a third party before hand.
“Get them to scrutinise your business plan and tell you what they think,” he says
“Most people will look at the presenter and think will this person deliver and what can this person bring down the line,”
“A lot of the times they understand the risk of the adventure, if you start talking in lingo you will lose them straight away. They want to know what you do and what you are.”
George Tsigounis, Product Manager at Telstra – Tribe
The mind set behind the simple clicks of a mobile phone is of great interest to this telecommunications giant.
Even though it may sound simple- the way people interact with the mobile phone involves a lot of customer research especially with the team at Telstra.
Product manager of Telstra George Tsigounis says they are making an emphasis on customer research.
“I highly recommend user testing, one of the key things is it does take time, effort and cost,” he says
“You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money or time if there is quick and simple testing.”
George says it is important to provide a product which appeals to the customer and the best way to find out is by research.
“With Telstra we have access to specific testing services we sit behind a one way mirror and watch customers use the product,” he says.
“Sometimes the customer does things that I would never imagine in a million years,”
“Even if you do not have the resources there is nothing wrong with finding friends or colleagues that can help.”
Since the The Social Network trailer came out (aka Facebook The Movie) the YouTubers have started making spoofs… first there was the MySpace one and now… Twitter The Movie: I have to admit, I lol-ed!
We’re happy to announce that in late September this year, Techfluff.tv’s Hermione Way will be speaking at Econsultancy’s Social Media & Online PR 2010 Survey Launch – sponsored by everyone’s favourite S.E.O. experts BigMouthMedia and digital gurus LBI.
For the second year running, the survey will delve into the use of Social Media and Online PR and will provide detailed data on the extent to which UK companies have embraced social media, the methods of engagement currently employed and the value being derived from such activities.
You also have the opportunity to tweet your question suggestions using the hashtag #bmmec But you better be quick – as the call-out for suggestions ends today, Tuesday 10 August!
To find out more click here. To apply for tickets for the launch click here.
We can’t wait to hear what the results reveal and check back here after the conference for a full video report of the day!
The Techfluff.tv /Newspepper.com team have spent lots of time building up a high caliber network of entrepreneurs, investors and people who work in the technology industry from London to Melbourne, Silicon Valley and across Europe.
We get invited to speak and produce content for many of these great events and now we are giving you, your companies and clients the opportunity to get exposure to our audience by sponsoring the video content at the event.
As a video sponsor here’s what you get:
Your company branding at the beginning, middle and end of the video.
On camera announcement eg. ‘Thanks to Viadeo we are here at the London Social Media Media Summit’
Promotion of the final cut of the video to the event’s networks and embedded on event’s website.
Promotional of the video to Techfluff.tv networks and social media channels on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook/Vimeo.
You will also receive a high copy version of the video you can put on your website/YouTube channel.
This is a great opportunity top get your name and branding in front of the right people and will also give you a great piece of marketing collateral.
Here are some up and coming events that don’t yet have sponsors:
Name: Entrepreneurs Live Exhibition
Url: http://www.thee2live.com/
About: Held at London Olympia, The E2 (Entrepreneur’s Exhibition) is a bespoke event designed to engage with entrepreneurs from all backgrounds, with businesses at all stages of development, from Start-up to Growing business or even just an idea.
About: After the success of online/offline eco-tourism project TribeWanted in Fiji, British entrepreneur Ben Keene is about to launch TribeWanted Sierra Leone. Tribewanted Sierra Leone has formed a partnership with the government, landowners and the local John Obey community in Sierra Leone to create an eco village community over the coming years to support sustainable development in the area.
Date: Oct 2010
Dubai Social Media Conference
url: http://www.iirme.com/totalmarketing
About: Five events over one week, Social Media experts from around the world are traveling to Dubai to share their words of wisdom on SEO, Social Media, Branding and PR.
Date: 1-2nd November
If you are interested in sponsoring please email chloe.nicholls.newspepper@gmail.com
Festivals Edinburgh, the umbrella organisation that represents and works on behalf of Edinburgh’s twelve major festivals, has been awarded £300,000 from Creative Scotland’s National Lottery Fund to set up the Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab, a two year initiative to lead the digital development of Edinburgh’s Festivals.
The Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will enable Festivals to work with leading thinkers, technologists, artists, audiences and digital communities to develop and prototype ideas that improve and inspire the audience experience. It will tackle themes such as helping festival go-ers make the most of their experiences, new ways of distributing festival content and making the festivals greener.
Everything from special developer tech events and webtools that transparently “crowdsource” ideas from the public, to a brand-new “geek-in-residence” position working across the Edinburgh Festivals, will be developed. The Lab will also support improvements to core infrastructure, enable the digital distribution of content and support the exploration of digital programming.
Festivals Edinburgh is the high-level organisation created and managed by the directors of Edinburgh’s 12 major Festivals to lead on their joint strategic development. Festivals Edinburgh enables, facilitates and delivers new, significant projects in a number of key areas: joint marketing, programming, sponsorship, innovation, environmental sustainability and professional development.
The position of geek-in residence is being recruited -If you are interested look here
Edinburgh’s 12 major festivals are:
Edinburgh International Science Festival
Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Edinburgh Art Festival
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh Mela Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Scottish International Storytelling Festival
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay
Last week Moo.com held its 4th annual Summer Party at 93 Feet East in Brick Lane, with many familiar faces from London’s tech and digital scene milking the opportunity to get together and enjoy a drink under the British ‘sun’. Our camera crew – from our sister site Newspepper.com – were there to capture all the action and we asked, in this digital age of social networking, is the business card here to stay? To which Moo.com said ‘this was udderly ridiculous!’
You can watch all the action from the video report below:
If you’re aged 16-30 and have been running your own business for more than 3 months but less than 18 months, then this is the competition for you! By applying with your bright idea you could win a £10,000 cash injection plus support from top PR agency Blue Rubicon at the Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! award final taking place in London on 13th October 2010.
Running since 1982, Shell LiveWIRE Awards has supported over 600,000 new and aspiring young entrepreneurs. Last year’s winner was Robert Matthams, founder of Shiply.com.
This year there is a prestigious line-up of judges, including our very own Hermione Way, founder of Newspepper.com our sister video production website.
Last Tuesday night Bev and I attended The Hive’s latest event held at The Order of Melbourne. That evening restaurateur-turned-businessman Hatem Saleh was guest speaking. Hatem has worked in the hospitality industry since his teenage years and is now the Managing Director of the Atlantic Group [v], a multi-million restaurant and function catering business here in Melbourne. You can watch my video and read Bev’s awesome write up below!
If you are in Melbourne and have any entrepreneurial-related events coming up please don’t hesitate to get in touch via Twitter.
The buzzing of excitement and passion from an entrepreneur within the hospitality industry is what got the crowd pumping to hear more at the latest Hive networking event.
With a successful empire of function venues and prestigious awards it is hard to imagine managing director of the Atlantic Group Hatem Saleh breaking into the industry as a humble 16-year-old wanting to help his family.
Hatem says at the time his mother fell ill and his father was struggling to support the family.
“Our whole world changed, my parents did not have health insurance and needed to pay the mortgage so I decided to go and find a job,” he says.
This is the decision which sparked the beginnings of a vibrant career within the hospitality industry even though Hatem had to be very persistent to break in.
Hatem says he approached a gentleman working at the local function centre and asked him for work.
“He was trying to fob me off and I did not give up. I came back months later and they gave me a job, after six months I became in charge of 50 staff,” he says.
Fast forward to 1999 when Hatem and his business partner Chris Maziotis came up with the idea to convert the neglected sheds at South Wharf on the outskirts of Melbourne’s CDB into event spaces.
Hatem says the venture was one of his biggest learning experiences especially since his accountant held grave concerns.
“He said to me if you do this then you are setting yourself up for commercial suicide, “he says.
“I started to think whether he was right or wrong, he said if you do this then I’m not going to be your accountant- he was gone that afternoon.”
The important lesson Hatem gained from this experience was to follow his gut instincts with his decision sparking the very successful venue Atlantic which expanded to establishing ventures Sumac and Alumbra in 2002.
It was not always smooth sailing and in 2006, Hatem was faced with the huge challenge of negotiating with the Victorian Government.
“I got a letter from the State Government saying we would like to acquire your company at South Wharf,” he says.
“This means that the three businesses were going to be taken over the government,
“They had a massive market plan for the new Melbourne Exhibition Centre and the Hilton Hotel and there was no room for our venues in that scheme.”
To add further stress the process of tendering for Central Pier was being kicked off and negotiations needed to be made with the bank to secure capital needed for the 20 -million developments of four new event spaces.
Additionally Hatem was dealing with worried staff and customers who wanted reassurances that the businesses would not be shut down.
“I negotiated a nine month exit this gave me the opportunity to do around 75 percent of the events, in the meantime we won the tender of Central Pier and rolled out a market plan,” he says.
Now in 2010 Hatem established the restaurant brand The Atlantic and is planning to open a seafood restaurant at the Crown Entertainment precinct in January 2011.
Looking out at the crowd Hatem smiles and says the key ingredients to his success is being passionate about his career.
“Make sure you love what you do, if you have not found out what your passion is, find something that will,” he says.
