Digital Inspiration: Strategy for Scotland's Digital Media Industry

A couple of days ago, Stuart Cosgrove and the Digital Media Advisory Group released a Report entitled Digital Inspiration: Strategy for Scotland's Digital Media Industry, that went some lengths in outlining a framework for the sector's future. The report reflected on the Scottish industry's potential, but also paid homage to leading organisations from the gaming, creative and digital sectors. We were pleased to be mentioned amongst our peers:

We welcome this ambitious report, and are delighted to identify similarities between the Group's imperative to meet and 'illustrate the velocity of change' that characterises the digital industry as we enter 2010, and Storm ID's own practices, specifically our early adoption of emerging technologies and our ambitions as a modern, 21st century business.

The range of skills, innovative projects encapsulated under the broad 'digital' umbrella serves to remind us that Scotland does boast an impressive heritage in terms of its creative output and that we should recognise this in promoting our country's successes - or "innovation quotient" - at home as well as internationally.

What does come through in Stuart Cosgrove's document is the need to treat and perceive our industry with the rightful confidence that, despite some shining examples of ambitious, forward-thinking digital organisations, our region collectively lacks to a degree:

"Sometimes Scotland can be too shy and can be hyper-critical about its own achievements, it's a luxury we can't afford going forward and there are too many good stories to only tell them to ourselves."

What should this inspire agencies and digital producers and publisher to actually do then? Well, we passionately believe that there has never been a better time for small groups of people to effect global exposure and change - there is no reason why Scotland should not be able to achieve what has previously been the domain of Silicon Valley.

Over the last few years, we have seen hundreds of examples of talented individuals and teams creating highly successful applications on a global and domestic scale. These Start Ups are succeeding on a level that many large companies would be pleased with. With cloud hosting offering competitive costing models based on usage, rapid development tools readily available and a plethora of free services to weave into your offering, the opportunity to launch a new service has never been so good and Scotland must take advantage of this.

While this report articulates a blueprint for the future of the Scottish Digital Media Industry with commendable energy and verve, it is crucial that this energy translates into affirmative action and this document was not entirely prescriptive in that respect. Hopefully, the companies and individuals reading this will take on board the need to vociferously support areas where Scotland excels - like our budding digital industry - with more than just words.