Digital Media
Resources
CHRC has numerous resources to assist you in your career as a new media content creator. In addition to the links below, be sure to check out the research section of our web site.
On this page:
- Resources
- Compendium of Hubs for Digital Media Content Creation
- Context Paper for Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry
- Digital Media Content Creation Technology Roadmap
Resources
 | The Art of Managing Your Career in DIGITAL MEDIA (2013)This enhancement of The Art of Managing Your Career offers information, resources, tips & pitfalls and links to relevant Web sites. Learn about the business of digital media. |
 | Starting a Digital Media Business: A Guide for Digital Media Entrepreneurs (2013)This handy, practical resource can save you time, money and frustration. Starting a Digital Media Business: A Guide for Digital Media Entrepreneurs This handy, practical resource can save you time, money and frustration. With the assurance that "There is no better time to be an entrepreneur, especially in the digital media industry", CHRC's "Starting a Digital Media Business" guides you through the thinking and steps of that exciting undertaking. From an insightful self-assessment about "being your own boss"; to practical steps on things like "how to best leverage social media" and "what you need to track, report, measure"; to reflections on "when times get rough - where to find inspiration and overcoming the fear of failure", you will find this to be a trusty guide in the good times and the not-so-good times. Written by Lynda Brown, who has years of experience in the DM industry starting her own business and coaching others along that path, this latest CHRC offering is landing right where the need is greatest: among the start-ups that feed the multi-billion dollar industry at the heart of Canada's digital economy.
Starting a DM Business is one of a suite of products to help the DM industry, including a competency chart and profile for an interactive DM Team in our Digital Media HR Toolkit, and the recently revised Interactive Zone (for young people seeking careers in the DM industry). Check out these valuable resources and let your friends and colleagues know about them too! Table of Contents
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 | Digital Media HR Toolkit (2013)
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 | Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry: Where Creativity Meets Technology in the Digital Economy (2012)A Context Paper for a Labour Market Information Project on Digital Content Creators |
 | New Media Freelance Content Creators (2004) |
 | Careers in Digital MediaFor those interested in a career path in Digital Media, explore CHRC's Careers in Digital Media site. |
Compendium of Hubs for Digital Media Content Creation
The Compendium of Hubs for Digital Media Content Creation was created as a follow up to a recommendation in CHRC's Technology Roadmap for Digital Media Content Creation which called for support of "collaborative environments for content creation."
The Compendium is a database allowing users to search through the compendium's list of digital media content creation hubs in Canada. CHRC will be updating it on an ongoing basis, as we are informed of changes, additions and deletions from the industry. A small Advisory Committee assists with vetting new information.
In Spring 2010 a snapshot of the Compendium was created and is available in PDF form.
This project is funded by Industry Canada.
| Compendium of Hubs for Digital Media Content Creation |
Compendium Terms
Hubs: The term 'hub' was used to define a significant and observable cluster of activity. They have a stated mandate or "focus of activity" that include supporting the digital media sector. They also needed to demonstrate some tangible delivery of services to the sector, be they wireless testing labs or annual conferences. Hubs include both for profit and not-for-profit entities, and sometimes include private facilities as long as there is some form of access for the sector overall. They are found in physical and online spaces and in groups of people.
People Hubs: Clusters of activity that help people gain the skills, knowledge and attributes required to produce digital media products, services and applications.
These were considered to include:
- Credit and non-credit post-secondary programs,
- Formalized mentoring programs,
- Regular organized knowledge sharing events, such as demo camps, workshops,
- Non-profit associations, industry-related professional associations,
- Regularly held annual conferences.
Process Hubs: Clusters of activity that provide the structured processes required to produce digital media products, services and applications.
These were considered to include:
- Testing facilities, such as wireless testing labs, rendering farms,
- Hardware rental facilities, such as motion capture studios, editing suites,
- Online virtual development spaces and programs,
- Incubators, Research and Accelerator types of programs.
Product Hubs: Clusters of activity that help commercialize and market digital media products, services and applications.
These were considered to include:
- Commercialization centres and technology parks,
- Business matchmaking services, events,
- Regularly held trade shows, export programs,
- Venture Forums, Venture Funds,
- Marketing Alliances, Consortiums.
Context Paper for Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry
Where Creativity Meets Technology in the Digital Economy
A Context Paper for Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry
With these arresting words, the authors of CHRC's newly released Context Paper on Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry, set the stage for a compelling analysis of the DM industry and its central role in our country's digital economy.
This research was commissioned by CHRC to highlight how digital content is having a pervasive influence in shaping economic development in Canada; and to understand the DM industry's pressing need for greater access to talent with the right skills.
"Recognized the world over, Canada's interactive digital media content creation industry is an innovation powerhouse fuelled by the sector's unique fusion of creative and technology skills."
"Canada must keep pace with evolving labour needs in an industry where artistic, technological and business skills are converging around innovative new products and services, and the adoption of new business models and markets.... Working professionals must have access to ongoing training opportunities to enhance their business, creative and technology skills."
What emerges in terms of training is the importance of a new "hybrid worker" who encompasses "a convergence of skills once deemed to be separate... a confluence of artistic ability, technological invention and business acumen".
The Context Paper is a foundation piece of research for CHRC as the Council undertakes an analysis of skills needed by DM workers in a competency chart for a "Digital Media Team".
Recognizing that job titles and descriptions are elusive in this industry, the DM experts who developed the competency chart decided to group competencies by "functions": creation, project management and business. This unique approach will provide employers with a means of assessing the skills gaps of their DM teams; educators with a map for curriculum development for aspiring DM content creators, project managers and producers; and workers with an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses vis a vis their role on a DM team.
Explore this up to date snapshot of Canada's DM industry and follow CHRC's ground breaking related work on skillsets and training needs for DM workers in the Executive Director's blog as she and her colleagues hold focus groups across the country to validate the chart.
 | Where Creativity Meets Technology in the Digital EconomyFull report Table of Contents The Digital Economy and the Interactive Digital Media Industry
Towards an Understanding of the Economic Importance of Canada's Interactive Digital Media Industry
The Way Forward: Preparing the Workforce for Future Success
Concluding Observations |
Digital Media Content Creation Technology Roadmap
This comprehensive project began with a visioning meeting in February 2008 which brought together leaders in the Digital Media industry from across the country. Their goal was to imagine where Digital Media content creation would be in five years and what "technology" steps, and corresponding "skills development" steps, would need to happen to realize the vision.
The report identifies six major technology projects and potential collaborators, and corresponding skills development projects, which need to happen over the next five years for Canada's multi-billion dollar Digital Media industry to be competitive in the global market.
Technology Projects
- Open, fast, and affordable networks/access with quality of service;
- Tools for compression to optimize bandwidth use;
- Collaborative creation network environments and tools;
- Mobile network and device technologies to distribute, create and present content/services (Open network);
- Digital media usability research network;
- Centralized interoperable mechanism for micro-transactions
| Digital Media Content Creation Technology Roadmap (2009) |