The ‘Made in NY’ Media Center by IFP, operated by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) officially started in October 2013. It saw fruition in little over a year. The Mayor’s office announced the starting of a media center that will act as a hub for the media industry.
As the concept of ‘media’ is changing rapidly, it was intended to bring together the professionals as well as students and enthusiasts, to come up with ideas and concepts as well as to form a community of creative minds that complement each other and grow at the same time.
The Media Center is now attracting content creators and entrepreneurs working in the such areas as film, design, tech, application development, television and advertising. Professionals and students in these fields are also encouraged to be a part of this new and improved version of the ‘incubator’.
The center
The Media Center is located in the corner of Jay and John Streets in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Spread over 20,000 square feet, it has a screening room, media arts gallery, conference rooms, library and a cafe with a view. The building has housed various businesses since the late 1800’s. It is a split level space with the lower half acting as an incubator and the upper part acting as the open workspace.
The Media Center is among the few spaces that encourage artists, technicians and creators of media to work in the same space. By doing this, the thought process that goes into innovation and design is streamlined making it much faster than it would be otherwise.
The IFP and technology
The Independent Filmmakers Project was chosen by the Mayor’s office amongst a barrage of applications as it has the needed experience and a big number of ‘story tellers’ working in different fields. The introduction of technology into their working style is new. In this day and age of rapidly growing social media and other application-oriented platforms, it is imperative that every industry gets to work with the other seamlessly.
Telling stories, as it is, should be moved off the traditional platforms and merged into more technology- oriented forms like games and applications. People are constantly connecting and interacting with each other all over the globe and the opportunities that lay before the creators are massive.
Subscription
Both the public and private workspaces are open for applications and membership. The private space, the incubator and a dedicated work space is application-based and will cost between $400 and $500 a month. There is a community shared work space also available for membership for $150 a month.
The cafe and media arts gallery, are however, open to the public and anyone can walk in and get a tour of the facility while taking in the latest gallery exhibition in the space. Members will gain access to the public, community workspace and will also get invitations to attend lectures as well as conferences along with discounted rates for classes.
Perks for Members
Not only accessing the work space, members enjoy more perks, such as private accesses to members-only contest, such as the Face to Face with Success.
The Media Center will launch a month-long celebration for their first anniversary, which feature tech gurus who will share valuable insight on creating a successful company.
The event will kick-off by featuring Jon Miller, digital entrepreneur and former AOL/Time Warner chairman.
For winning an opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with Jon Miller, apply by October 17th using this code: FACESUCCESS14.
Takeaway
A collaborative environment can take your business far. An immense power lies in community, and taking a part will only do your business good.
You will certainly see more centers like the Media Center in the near future, and this only means a good thing for SMEs.
To learn more, please visit the Media Center.
Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by Media Center, but the opinion expressed is entirely mine.