Spring is a time of renewal. A time of transitions, and a time to look ahead.

First, I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to former film commissioner Jenell Leonard, for her passion and commitment to making the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office (MFDMO) a proactive and visionary office that is dedicated to residents working in the creative industries.

As the incoming MFDMO Interim Director, I am committed to continuing and building momentum on this established path.

I look forward to hearing from you, and learning about your concerns, challenges and views about the role and direction of our office. Please know we are committed to working on your behalf, and being your voice when it comes to the role of film, digital arts and creative industries in our communities and public lives.

Since the end of film incentives several years ago, the film office has a broader scope. Our mission is to be a catalytic force and advocate for creatives in the ongoing transformation of the Michigan economy.

How do we do that?

• By supporting entrepreneurs in the creative industries who seek opportunities in Michigan.
• By promoting Michigan as a great place to live, work and play along with the relative low cost for film, digital and creative companies to conduct business in the state.
• Working with our local, public and private partners in the Creative Chambers initiative, and others, such as the Detroit Film Initiative and Google Computer Science First program.

Today, there are 32 clusters and nearly 90,000 people working in Michigan’s creative industries, including film, creative technology, advertising, architecture, music, design, visual arts, fashion, literary, publishing and the communication arts, according to Michigan Bureau of Labor Statistics

We are strong, and growing stronger.

Making sure there is a central role for creatives in the Michigan economy is our mission, and the path to a prosperous future.

-Selam Ghirmai

Q:  Skot, first congratulations on your recent appointment to the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council.  Can you let folks know a bit about your professional background?

A:  I am the Principal/Founder of Global Bridgebuilders (GBB) A firm focusing on Organizational Development, Cultural Transformation and Inclusion. Global Bridgebuilders is an international team providing services to enterprises across the globe. GBB bases its work in the core belief that inclusion is a business discipline and that it should be leveraged across all that the enterprise does. To gain this leverage, the firm applies a continuous improvement model, anchored in metrics.

I've been a global bridge builder long before I founded the company in 2006. Growing up in a military family gave me a unique perspective on diversity that I still carry and a passion for helping organizations tap into the vast experiences of their employees to create stronger businesses.

Currently, Global Bridgebuilders serves a wide range of clients in the U.S. and in 7 other countries. I have worked in International business and Diversity/Inclusion Management for nearly 20 years and have developed an in-depth knowledge of diversity, inclusion and workforce development that brings together and maximizes the perfect blend of people and process.

Prior to the launch of Global Bridgebuilders, I served as Vice President of Business Development and Benchmarking Services for DiversityInc magazine in New Jersey, where I worked with many of the Fortune 500’s biggest global brands across a broad range of industries.

Q:  At the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office, we’ve become familiar with the Mosaic Film Experience in recent years.  Could you please explain Mosaic to our subscribers, including your role and any future plans you have for the program?

A:  It’s all about storytelling.

The Mosaic Film Experience began with the conviction that tomorrow’s storytellers were right in our midst, in our classrooms. These were the overlooked, the urban students, the students of color, and each had their own unique story to tell. Mosaic uses the platform of digital media to help students tell those stories, and to equip them with the critical thinking, collaborative, and creative skills that fuel careers.

Mosaic Film Experience employs a variety of programs to build these storytellers, but the capstone is the Mosaic Event. At the start, this was a half-day program for students attached to a longer weekend film festival. Since then, the Mosaic Event has evolved so that students now attend a full-day program, featuring key-note discussions from industry professionals, opportunities to learn more about digital media production, and a time to celebrate the work of their classmates.

Looking forward, Mosaic Film Experience faces the challenge of space at its current location. Theatre size caps total numbers, while the modest supplemental space limits workshop opportunities for students. A larger venue remains a crucial step in growing the Mosaic Event to reach and motivate more of tomorrow’s storytellers. However, we are not letting that prevent a different kind of expansion. The Mosaic Film Experience is reaching across the waters and through a collaboration with member of the Kenyan film community will be offering its first Mosaic Mobile event in Nairobi, Kenya in the Fall of 2018. 

Q:  A good deal of your time at Mosaic is spent working with students.  What inspires you the most from connecting our young people with creative technology?

A:  Our overarching belief is that our young people have so much more capacity than we give them credit for. We believe that in order for our society, workforce and workplace to continue to improve we have to give our young people the tools they need to become better problem solvers which positions us for a future where we can all thrive and The Mosaic Film Experience wants to play a part in that. 

Q:  How has the creative class evolved in the Greater Grand Rapids region in the years you’ve resided there? 

A:  The creative class continues to evolve in many ways but the one upon which I am most focused is the increased diversity of that population and how we are moving past theory and into impactful and meaningful application. And that is happening.

Q:  What are your aspirations for your term serving on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council?

A:  My goals of service for my term on the MFOAC is to bring a broader and more inclusive voice to the conversation that grounds itself in representing communities that may not have been at the table. I’d also like to convey some of the thoughts and conversations that I have with our young people especially those in the public school system and through our collective efforts as an advisory board to find more ways to serve them in a manner that fosters more innovation and critical skills for a successful future. 

Read: Gov. Rick Snyder makes appointment to Michigan Film Office Advisory Council

The first meeting of the Ann Arbor (A2 for short) Game Developers Meetup was held on January 19th, 2017 at SPARK East in Ypsilanti. Larry Kuperman, Director of Business Development for Nightdive Studios and a Co-Founder, said of that first meeting “It was a leap of faith for the team at SPARK to agree to sponsor our gathering. We weren’t sure that anyone would actually come. We knew that there were companies in the area creating computer games and we knew that there were students at the local universities learning how to design and program games. But we were asking people to come out in the evening, in January, to attend a meeting. The weather could have provided a reasonable excuse not to come.”

What happened that evening came as a pleasant surprise for everyone involved. People began coming in. The room began to fill up. Soon the available seats were all taken and additional seating had to be brought in. More than 50 students, game development professionals and those that were just interested in learning about the industry attended that meeting. Speakers talked about the business of game development and how the industry has grown to have worldwide sales exceeding $115 billion annually (more than double that of Hollywood). The challenges of starting and launching a game development company in Michigan were discussed by entrepreneurs that have overcome those challenges. At the end of the evening’s program everyone stayed to exchange business cards and to chat.

Since that first session, the A2 Game Developers group has met every month. Membership has grown to over 400 participants with up to 60 people attending each months’ sessions. Some of the key measures of the group’s success have been:

●     ·         Affiliation with the local colleges, including Eastern Michigan University, Lawrence Technological University, the University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College and Michigan State University.

●     ·         Attracting speakers and industry professionals from the companies developing games in the Southeastern Michigan area such as Stardock Systems, Revival Productions, Alchemie, Gaudium, Heart Shaped Games, Dreaming Door Games, and many others.

●     ·         Recognition from professional associations. The International Games Developer Association has recognized the group as the official branch for the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area. Recently, Unity Technology has also recognized the team as an official community user group.

●     ·         Inclusion of companies that are using game-developed technologies in non-traditional ways. Group member Dreamgate VR, for example, hosts a shared, multiplayer virtual reality experience at Briarwood Mall and has plans to expand beyond this area. Gwydion’s Arthea software provides a shared, centralized platform for academic and professional 3D content and is used at both the University of Michigan and Stanford University. SpellBound, based in Ann Arbor, develops Augmented Reality solutions for use in healthcare settings, such as Mott Children’s Hospital. All of these companies have presented at the Meetup.

Austin Yarger, an Instructor at the University of Michigan and a Co-Founder of the IGDA Ann Arbor Chapter, sees a growing demand for game development skills in the marketplace, “While game development and visualization have long been of interest to our community members, these skills-- skills to visualize data and create engaging user experiences-- have never been more valuable to 21st century companies. Our community jobs website currently lists over 150 game development openings, with a number of them being local, Southeastern-Michigan businesses.”

Mars Ashton, Director/Assistant Professor of Game Art and Co-Founder of the IGDA Ann Arbor Chapter, "Connecting is the biggest key to success in the game's industry and we have done just that. Splintered and isolated groups of game developers and companies in the area have a place to bridge the networking gap, find contacts and make connections that lead to employment and leadership opportunities."

One of the discussion points that has recently come up is the role of technology that was originally developed for the games industry, now being applied for autonomous driving. Artificial Intelligence that was originally created for gameplay and video technology developed to create immersive gaming experiences are both being employed in the mobility sector.

Now that the group is in its second year and has established a presence in Southeast Michigan area, the opportunities for expansion seem unlimited.

Q:  Hi Diane.  Could you please share a bit about your professional background and how you came to be working for the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber (A2Y)?

I began working as the Director of the Ypsilanti Area Visitors and Convention Bureau in the 80’s. I went into the private sector and worked in public relations for Fountain Communications and eventually opened a PR Firm, Ferrari-Keller Communications. I ran the firm until the birth of my twins in 1999 at which time I stepped out of the workforce.  In 2003, I became the Director of Education for the Ypsilanti Area Chamber of Commerce and was promoted in 2008 to President of the Ypsilanti Chamber. In 2010, I was selected to lead the merger of the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Chambers into what is now the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber (A2Y Chamber).

Q:  Can you give our readers a sense of the current creative climate in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti region?

Washtenaw County has a progressive creative climate. The community is thriving not only with visual, performing and educational arts organizations, but numerous technology and private sector businesses that help build a vibrate culture of creativity. The hub of information and creativity surrounding Autonomous Vehicles and the Center for Mobility is amazing. Bridging the talent gap between traditional sector and the tech sector is of utmost importance to our community. The Creative Chambers initiative has us looking deeper into issues such as our workforce development, talent, job creation and quality of life issues.

Q:  Please explain your initial take on the Creative Chamber initiative and what benefits it can bring to the creative industries in Ann Arbor/Ypsi?

Cultivating a positive creative state and progressive community is crucial to retaining the talent we need to succeed not only across the US, but across the globe.  Jobs cultivation is a critical component of an advanced creative sector. Fortunately, Washtenaw County is blessed with several major hospitals including the University of Michigan, Mott Children’s Hospital, and St. Joseph Mercy Health Systems. There also three University’s, a community college and numerous automotive hubs.  As such, talent and jobs creation has become a focal point particularly in the tech sector along with quality of life issues such as the arts, transportation, and housing affordability.

The Creative Chamber initiative helped us to understand and promote across both traditional business sectors and creatives to better understand the needs of our community and how to address critical components such as talent and training while at the same time galvanize our partner organizations who will assist us in initiating creative sector projects, jobs and prosperity towards sustainability.

The sense of place is what that the creative sector has done extremely well in Washtenaw County. Artisans, museums, theaters, music venues and designers have all created this atmosphere where talent wishes to work and relax. Attracting and growing this sector is vital to the entire community.

Q:  Are there any specific initiatives or goals that the A2Y Chamber has for the Creative Chamber program as we head into year two?

The A2Y Chamber is developing several programs including the expansion of an arts center venue to host musicians, businesses, Ted Talks, film festivals and the development of talent through mentorships with local high schools and colleges in the field of Sound Engineering.

Plans are also underway to develop a Creative Crawl. The concept is still in the development phase and we look forward to hosting seminars, meet-ups and events for creatives in conjunction with this project.

Q:  Can you share something about the Ann Arbor/Ypsi region creative industries that our readers might not be aware of?

The Ypsilanti area is an amazing hub of artistic talent and venues. Both Depot Town and Down Town have venues like the Riverside Arts Center, Cultivate Coffee and Tap House,  and the Eyrie as well as events such as the DIYpsi Indie Art Fair, First Fridays Ypsilanti, and the Ton-Up Motorcycle and Music Festival. There are also numerous events in the summer such as antique car shows, Brewers Fest, Elvis Fest and the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival…. Just to name a few. 

The Italian Film Festival USA returns to the Metro Detroit region for a run from April 5-30.  The Metro Detroit edition is the largest in the country. This year we will feature 18 screenings, including a shorts and a children's program. Moreover, we will have numerous director visits, panel discussions, and after glows. Best of all, all the screenings are shown FREE of charge to the general public. These films are contemporary award-winning or nominated local premiers. Here is a link to the website:

http://www.italianfilmfests.org/