F.Y.I.

The Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology has launched

The Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology – CAST – has launched for the betterment of entertainment-centric startups and scaleups, and traditional entertainment businesses.

The announcement:

CAST (Centre for Arts, Sports and Technology), celebrates its launch today. CAST is a new organisation, platform and community for the “buyers” (traditional entertainment businesses) and “builders” (startups and scaleups) of entertainment innovation. The first organisation of its kind in Australia, CAST bridges the gap between arts, sport, and technology, leveraging deep entertainment industry knowledge, extensive networks, and proven success to establish itself as a national leader and global force in entertainment.

CAST’s mission is to drive sustainable growth and success by fostering collaboration between the technology sector and entertainment businesses, alongside a vision to drive a resilient and prosperous entertainment industry, driven by innovation and empowered by technology adoption. The organisation is led by Gav Parry, general manager, and Ella Petite, marketing & memberships, who collectively hold around 25 years of experience across the music, entertainment and tech startup sectors having worked across Mushroom Group, Surreal, Positive Feedback, Innovation Bay and Entain/Ennovate.

“For over a decade, I’ve witnessed the power of collaboration firsthand,” says Parry. “In music, it fuels the rise of artists and projects. Seeing this dynamic in startups, I recognised the need for change in entertainment. While leading Entain’s Australian innovation strategy, I saw many startups struggle to connect with corporations. It became pretty obvious without a bridge between the industry and innovators, the industry was going to be left behind.” he states.

The entertainment industry has faced some of its toughest years ever. Changing consumer behaviours, cost of living, and inflationary pressure are pushing the live entertainment sector to adapt or risk obsolescence. Since the COVID pandemic, 1300+ venues have closed, nightclub numbers have nearly halved and in the last 12 months some of our most iconic festivals have been cancelled (Splendour in the Grass, Groovin’ the Moo, Falls Festival), with Bluesfest announcing recently that their final festival will be next year.

“We were part of the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into the Live Music Industry and what stood out is that there’s very little new money and new ideas coming into the sector.” states Parry. “The answer can’t be moving around existing industry spend, it needs to be about new ideas, new experiences and new investment”

Though there’s always been a strong desire for innovation – venues, festivals, and stadiums operate in isolation from the tech sector, while entertainment tech startups often struggle to connect with industry networks. Innovation requires collaboration and without visibility and connection between the builders and buyers, evolution of an industry can be very difficult.

CAST’s lean but mighty team is supported by an Advisory Board who bring diverse experience, deep knowledge, and strong networks across the arts, sport, tech, and entertainment industries: Brad Moran, CitrusAd founder and ex-AFL player; Joel Edmondson, CEO of Venue Management Association, ex-CEO of QMusic and QMF; Nic Kelly, executive director QLD Gov. with experience in Innovation, Sports, Technology, and Events, and Allen Smith, co-founder and CIO DMCG Recruiting.

Brad Moran says of CAST: “Sports thrive because of fans. It’s not just about the game itself but the whole experience leading up to and following it. Building CitrusAd taught me a lot about creating tech that truly provides value to an industry. I’m excited to support CAST to unearth tech companies who drive the same value for the entertainment industry by enhancing the experience for the fans, especially as we approach the Olympics and Paralympics.”

CAST aims to foster collaboration through a membership community specifically designed for startups and scaleups within the “entertainment” and “fantech” space. CAST will act as a home base for companies building products that enhance fan experience, improve efficiencies for entities (venues, festivals, infrastructure providers), or that support artists, musicians, and athletes. Startups and scaleups building in the entertainment and fantech space are invited to create a free profile via the CAST website for first chance access to showcase opportunities, visibility to the sector, and a growing community of passionate founders.

“Similar to the way triple j Unearthed works, our community showcases startups across the entertainment spectrum through publicly viewable profiles. The biggest barrier to innovation is discovering products and platforms that can support growth,” says Parry. These profiles will empower the industry to discover solutions that enhance fan experiences, improve business operations, and unlock new revenue streams. “Our focus with the community,” says Parry, “is about making entertainment and fantech innovation more visible.”

CAST will also cultivate connections hosting in-person, quarterly “Future Of” events. The inaugural event, held in May this year, focused on The Future of Venues in collaboration with Entain Venues. Seven startups and scaleups presented to over 500 venues, resulting in a $10,000 award for Sunflower AI (live captioning platform) and sales support for Wirely (financial management system) across Entain’s 2,000+ venues. “The showcase was an incredible way to get Wirely in front of key buyers in a new way,” says Wirely Founding Member Simon Etchells. “ Six months down the track we’re still getting interest from venues who saw us at the showcase.”

Adding momentum to its launch, CAST has announced a Meetup at SXSW Sydney this October. The Future of Events, is a collaborative meet up between CAST and Michael Brown, VP of innovation at SXSW. The event will bring together industry leaders – from founders, tech providers, event organisers, and promoters – to drive awareness of emerging technologies and connect founders with decision-makers who can empower their adoption. Founders who create their profile via CAST between now and the 17 September deadline, will be considered to showcase their business and products at the Future of Events Meetup this October at SXSW Sydney.

With the Australian entertainment landscape poised for significant growth, particularly in Queensland with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, CAST is establishing itself as a vital resource for the future. By fostering innovation and collaboration, CAST aims to ensure a thriving entertainment industry for fans, creators, and businesses alike.

Source: So Great

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