Each Friday in The Wrap, one of the North’s leading media and creative figures gives us their take on the week’s news covered by Prolific North. This week it’s the turn of Jack Mason, CEO of Dreamr.
This last week or so, things are beginning to feel distinctly more autumnal after such an incredible summer. September always has a feeling of new beginnings, as students go back to school after a long holiday, and businesses knuckle down for the final quarter of the year.
With education in mind, it’s interesting to see that a northern branding agency has been brought on board to re-design Lego Education’s brand identity. Lego Education can help to teach younger and older children STEM skills, and even the basics of coding, both of which are very much needed as technology continues to innovate and evolve at a rapid rate. As the CEO of a tech company, anything that we can do to inspire the next generation of coders and innovators is invaluable.
I was pleased to read that a group of Leeds creatives have joined forces to appeal to Channel 4 to make the West Yorkshire city its new home. As a Leeds man, I am always hugely proud of this wonderful city and it definitely seems to be forging ahead in many areas – including tech – at the moment. I’d be happy if Channel 4 opted for Leeds or Manchester, as it proves yet again that the north is the place to be! Additionally, Media City TV studio Dock 10 has invested an amazing £5 million in new tech, including AR and VR – more exciting news for Manchester’s burgeoning media industry. AR is one to watch, and I predict that it will become a much bigger part of our everyday lives over the next few years.
The BBC has apparently come up with a solution to the problem of “streaming lag”, which is crucial when watching live events such as football matches. UK consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and demanding when it comes to their tech, and this desire for excellence is driving the industry and driving creative solutions. More people watch TV via streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, rather than traditional TV nowadays, so it’s important that they evolve and listen to consumer feedback.
Technology should make our lives easier, so it’s frustrating to see that Manchester’s commuters have been experiencing problems with the Get Me There app, for train, bus and tram users. A ticketing platform such as this must be robust, and it’s a shame to see that the app is experiencing technical faults. London’s Oyster system proves that moving travel tickers to an app-based platform can work well, so I hope that Manchester’s version can resolve its issues quickly.
