In Conversation with Lynda Brown, President NewMediaBC

When Lynda Brown, President of NewMediaBC was down in Singapore for the iX New Media Conference, we met her at the TDM forum where she was a panelist. We managed to get an interview with her, and who better to do it than a fellow female? Gwen engages Lynda in a conversation.

Gwen: Thank you, Lynda for accepting this email interview. First, can you tell us more about your background and what you are currently doing?

Lynda: My undergraduate degree is in Communications from Simon Fraser University and my graduate degree is in Educational Technology. I have been very lucky throughout my career. The Communications program at SFU is one of the best in the country, if not the world, and it really honed my thinking as related to media, audience, interactive technologies and meaning-making. My graduate degree allowed me to ‘play’ a bit more and test out some early ideas I had on the interactive potential of technology. Along the way, I have had a number of great work positions and mentors that have allowed me to apply concepts to practice. After 17 years in the industry, I’m enjoying my role as President of New Media BC and working to strengthen our fantastic cluster of digital media companies.

Gwen: How difficult was it to build and maintain the network that New Media BC currently has now?

Lynda: There are more than 1100 digital media companies in BC, with a majority based in Vancouver. Our cluster is very collaborative and community minded, so building the network within the sector has been relatively easy. Building a network across Canada has been a bit more challenging. Canada is a huge country with a diverse multicultural composition. I’m very proud of the work we have done to build bridges across the country to strengthen the digital media industry. We were a founding member of the Canadian Interactive Alliance/Alliance Interactive Canadienne and I’m very pleased with the work we have accomplished to date to speak with one voice for the national digital media industry.

Gwen: As a co-founder of the company GoBe Media, what made you decide to start up? What were the initial challenges and difficulties that you faced as an entrepreneur? And specifically, as a woman entrepreneur?

Lynda: I think being an entrepreneur is both a blessing and a curse. First off, if you’re a born entrepreneur there’s not much to do about it except follow your calling. Entrepreneurs are always looking for opportunities and ways to do things better. And they often see opportunities earlier than the general public. If your timing is right, this can be a blessing…if not, it’s a bit of a curse. With GoBe, we saw the opportunity to develop games that kids could play anywhere. Redeeming games that would help kids understand the world around them. We were focused on a heavy mobile component and in the end, we were just too early to market. At the time, no investor would believe that the uptake of cellphones with 10-12 year olds would be significant. Many years later, I think we’re seeing a different trend and in a way, we were right about our idea, just much too early to market. It’s hard to be an entrepreneur. You work 24/7 with little if any support. You’re in constant building mode which means that most of the time you’re trying to figure out how to do things you have never done before. I was lucky to have a brilliant, great business partner, Dr. Alissa Antle, another woman who does us proud on the digital media front. I think there are still many challenges for women to overcome in the business world but I must say that as a woman entrepreneur, I found wonderful support and mentors off all shapes, sizes and genders.

Gwen: Apart from being an entrepreneur, we understand that New Media BC is a non-profit organization and you were also awarded the 2003 Canadian New Media ‘Volunteer of the Year’ title. Are you first a for-profit person or a volunteer?

Lynda: I don’t like to distinguish between the two. I think if what you’re doing comes from a place of service, a place of love and passion for your work, then rewards will follow, whether monetary or other. Throughout my career, I have swung between non-profit and profit positions. I like the business thinking I can bring to the non-profit world, and I like the sense of purpose and vision I can bring to the profit world.

Gwen: GoBe Media is understandably a startup, and yet you’ve been involved in organizations that seek to connect many (New Media BC and MobileMuse), which do you prefer? To do a startup or to connect people?

Lynda: Great question! Ideally both – I love social architecture and program/product strategy, so with New Media BC I have been able to do both. It’s a lot of fun!

Gwen: How sensitive are you of your presence in male-dominated industries and situations? Do you feel that people (men especially) react differently to you than to other men?

Lynda: Most definitely. We cannot avoid gender differences and they can, when respectfully and properly nurtured, create better teams, products and in fact, better worlds. I truly believe that the more we can understand each other, across all genders, races and orientations, the better the world will be. That said, it hasn’t been easy to be a woman in a predominantly male sector. I have had to do a lot of coaching and championing for developing more inclusive workplaces. Sometimes, you get tired of having to do this extra work. You just want to get on with your job and work without having to be political and challenge the system. However, if I don’t stand up, who will? I’m incredibly privileged. I live in a tolerant company that believes in equality. If I don’t stand up for someone who is being discriminated against or if I don’t stick my neck out then who will? It’s my responsibility. So many women around the world are not in this position. So many women around the world don’t even have access to education or work. We need to remember that we have a duty, a responsibility, to further the rights of all people, including women, so that those who cannot stand up for themselves might benefit from our actions.

Gwen: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Lynda: Yes, and it troubles me that young women seem to have abandoned this collective thought. I don’t march in the streets but I certainly believe in standing up for equity and human rights for everyone, women included.

Gwen: You used to be the National President of Wired Women Association. How useful is such an organization for the women involved? How about for society in general, for eg, has business environments changed because of what WWA does?

Lynda: I joined Wired Woman when I started working more in videogames…and found myself very lonely. I thought, hey, there must be some other women, somewhere, that I can connect with. Wired Woman was that organization for me. It is an incredibly valuable organization that is completely volunteer-run. It helps women connect with other women in technology through networking, education and mentoring events. I think the business environment has changed in part because of groups like Wired Woman, but we still have much more to do, especially in the digital media sector.

Gwen: New Media BC was started in 1998, and you joined the board in 2004, how has the new media landscape changed since the inception of the organization and since you joined?

Lynda: In 2004 there was no Facebook, the iPhone wasn’t around and the Wii was in deep development. The landscape has changed hugely. I’m very hopeful about Web 2.0 and the reclaiming of the online world for social interaction. Sometimes it boggles my mind. I think back to 2004 and it was only 3 years ago. I can only imagine what will be happening in 2010 (besides the Winter Olympics in Vancouver:)

Gwen: Some thoughts for the future of new media?

Lynda: As with any technology, it is developed by people and as such, it has an inherent bias in its design, purpose and usability. I’m excited to see what emerges from the digital media world as design teams, visionaries and entrepreneurs start collaborating across countries, genders, races and what global minded applications will emerge.

Gwen: Some words for the women?

Lynda: Digital media is an exciting, sometimes lucrative career. You might be the only woman sitting at the table but don’t let that stop you from forging forward. Go girl!

Gwen: Thank you, Lynda!

Links:

• SGE, Liveblogging from TDM’s event: The Next Generation of Digital Convergence
• TDM-iX

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