What is Culture Tech?

“Culture tech”, “digital culture”, “cultural technologies” – we didn’t invent these phrases (well, we don’t think so) but they’re a pretty good way of explaining something that Derry does pretty well.

For a city of its size, Derry has always been great at exporting its culture to the world. From Nobel Laureates to Girls Aloud and visual arts to Teenage Kicks, we certainly punch above our weight. But digital technology has the potential to take us even further.

Culture Tech is where digital technologies meet the creative and cultural industries.

Film, TV, animation, games development, digital publishing, music tech and digital arts all fit this bill nicely – and we’ve got interesting things going on in all of the above.

• 360 Production and their fantastic series with James May
• Dog Ears and Miss Rosie Red – from storybook to app and hopefully to TV
• Smalltown America Records and their new projects in independentmusic.com and BandHack
• Troll Inc, Black Market Games, Beep Blip and new kids on the block, Zombiesaurus Games
• And continuing the theme, Uproar Comics, the team behind Zombies Hi

And there are tons more.

We think that Culture Tech has enormous potential and can help define Derry’s place in the digital landscape. So, we’re putting our efforts (and some money) where our mouths are to find out.

Our Culture Tech fund pilot programme will be the first fund devoted purely to Culture Tech and will kick-off in January 2012. SeedComp II, the University of Ulster’s ICE module and our recently announced accelerator programme will all have culture tech angles.

And then, of course, is our major new festival event – devoted solely to Digital Culture and Technology – which will take place in 2012 and 2013, as part of the city’s tenure as UK City of Culture 2013.

If you think you’ve got some ideas for a new culture tech project or business – or would like to work with us to help develop this idea and industry further, please get in touch.