Challenging the status quo

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Challenging the status quo --

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 11:01

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Bridget Scarr, a founding partner and managing director of The Hummingbird Group which houses the industry-awarded design, animation and post-production company Pollen Creative Media, believes there are vast opportunities in Africa in the film, television and digital sectors.

The entertainment industry worldwide is rapidly evolving; traditional business and economic models are changing and new economic models in the film and TV industries are beginning to show their power. The opportunities that exist in First World countries for content production, distribution and licensing are very much tangible opportunities in South Africa, but as a developing economy, the range and diversity of opportunities are different, says Scarr.

She believes that in order to meet this opportunity, it is critical that the industry is adequately equipped with the right talent to accommodate the terrain change. While there is much development in entrepreneurism within the creative space, the industry is still facing serious skills shortages. The time is now for producers and creatives to learn as much as possible about the business of film and TV in order to take advantage of current and coming opportunities.

With a media and entertainment focus, sitting at the confluence point of content, advertising and technology, The Hummingbird Group houses other companies including Hey!Fever, a content production company that not only shoots and edits but which has a talent for storytelling across platforms. Apiary a digital company offering bespoke digital and technology solutions, Hive, the group s content development, management & licensing arm, and Brave, a company focused only on African content solutions.

Pollen Creative Media was established as the first company in The Hummingbird Group s stable and today, Scarr and her business partner Graeme Carr have grown Pollen Creative Media into one of the industries most respected and evolving creative media offerings. The partners are a formidable pair, with Scarr s strategic aptitude for business development and Graeme s award-winning creative eye, both are uncompromising when it comes to the quality of work produced and together they are always searching for the best possible creative and affordable solutions for clients.

Scarr is an industry force to be reckoned with. At 25 she had established herself as South Africa s first female Managing Director in the animation space and now at 31, Scarr is carving a name for the group in the content space, locally and abroad.

She also shows a desire for openness and collaboration, an unusual attribute in the media business. Two of The Hummingbird Group s companies, Hey!Fever and Brave have both been born with the core desire of nurturing creative talent in the business.

In both cases the opportunity, the talent and the timing was right , comments Scarr. These are creative people that I really believe in and with whom together I believe we can achieve great things .

Scarr attributes much of the group s success to constantly challenging the status quo. Where other businesses may prefer to stick to a more traditional approach either through providing a single service offering or a particular style, for Pollen, problem solving is always at the heart of the business, this has lead them to push the boundaries in all areas of the business, this means they frequently step out of what can be termed as an industry comfort zone. This solutions oriented approach can be found in all the group s companies.

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