Introducing: Imran Ali

Photo by Cubic Garden / Ian Forrester

In the latest of our 'Introducing' series, we check in with one of our favourite creative thinkers: Imran Ali. Imran has an amazing story which started at Freeserve back in the day. He is currently doing some really intersting things with CARBON:Imagineering and hosting cool events like LSx and TEDxLeeds. We sat down and talked to Imran about careers, creativity, events and cities.

Imran graduated from Leeds Met in 1997 in Computing and Software Engineering. By his own admission that "sounds kind of dorky" but his graduation happened at the perfect time: the beginning of the 'multimedia' age. During the early stages of his career Imran was involved in some of the most exciting media companies around as he explains...

"The first jobs I had were as a hybrid interactive designer/developer creating websites and CDROM (remember those!) at Leeds' now defunct Creative Convergence agency. After moving up into being a producer, our entire team resigned on the same day to join Freeserve at the dawn of the dotcom era in 1999…great timing huh ;) 

Freeserve, became Wanadoo and Wanadoo became Orange. I ended up as a deputy director for Orange's disruptive innovations team, travelling between MIT, Silicon Valley, London, Leeds and Paris scouting for bleeding edge people and projects that'd scare the poop outta our executives!"

We have got to know Imran well over the past year. He is one of those people who seems to have an involvement in lots of the cool stuff going on in and around the city. It is probably best for Imran to explain himself what he is up to at the moment: 

"After working alongside so many startups, our team wanted to go it alone with some of our own ventures. We had great relationships with investors and media, so decided to setup an emerging technologies think-tank, CARBON:imagineering."

"Most of our work is involves helping clients ask questions about the future and prepare themselves for technological, political and cultural shifts - from creating conceptual products and services, to architecting visions and scenarios that help clients to explore and experience future developments. In parallel to this, I've been a board advisor to various startups and conferences, as well as founding the LSx festival and joining Manchester's FutureEverything festival team as conference programme director"

We have attended some of the LSx events including TEDxLeeds and Open Coffee. Our very own Shang Ting is a keynote speaker at the Girl Geek Dinner tonight (blog post to follow after event) and Imran is hoping to take the festival to new levels in 2011:

"LSx is a group of people interested in nurturing Leeds' technology scene to put it on the map nationally and globally. LSx isn't about gadgets and code, but the culture of technology - what does digital tech do to music, politics, fashion, publishing, films and education that's interesting?

LSx has largely been a shorthand for all the events, meetups and conferences we host throughout the year to bring together creatives, entrepreneurs, technologists, publishers and media people. LSx runs year-round events such as OpenCoffee, Girl Geek Dinners, WePublish and TED, but we also run an annual festival every Spring that includes the city's first unconference - BarCamp Leeds, as well as guest speakers from Google, Twitter, Creative Commons and other major technology brands like Carsonified.

Our mission is to bring the planet's best tech thinkers to Leeds to share their insights. This year, we're moving up a gear with a our inaugural Conference of Emerging Tech; a large outdoor zombie game (!); the launch of an open government project and a super-secret film project."

We often talk with Imran about Leeds as a city. We approach from the fashion / music / art angles and Imran from what may be refered to as the 'tech' angle but the bottom line is, both of these are creative angles. Instead of looking at the city as 'lacking' in certain areas, we often talk about a 'blank canvass' and of the potential to do something special here. Imran expands further:

"Leeds has always been a vibrant creative and tech hub - from being part of the Industrial Revolution's Silicon Valley, to the dotcom era and now the Web 2.0 era. Leeds keeps inventing. A university that spins out the most ventures of any in the UK; entrepreneurs that created Freeserve, Sportal and Ananova and now home to cultural hackers tinkering with social software, mobility, and 'maker' culture.

However, Leeds is terrible at sharing those extraordinary parts of its heritage - we want to change that with LSx. To showcase the city's past, but also provide a path to the future by bringing powerful ideas to the city.

I hear a lot of Leeds creatives complaining about how Leeds isn't Manchester or London. Blah, blah. If you want your city to be cool, then experiment, innovate, create connections, throw your pet projects out into the world and see if they flourish. Your city is your canvas, use it.

For me, Leeds is a great platform for experimentation and serendipity. Big enough to be diverse and exhilarating, but small enough to be accessible and human-scale. I can meet an undergrad with a great idea for a web app in the morning, then walk across the street and hang with the city's politicians to talk about how we reboot citizenship for a networked culture and in the evening listening to an evening of lightning talks" 

We are talking with Imran about a number of projects at the moment. One of these is bringing together some of the cities most interesting fashion, music, art and digital creatives. By getting a group of people together who may not usually work together on projects could generate some cool projects according to Imran

"I don't even know what we'll be working on, but I'm excited by the composition of the group. This kinda diversity brings creative frictions that are inventive and just plain cool. Already, Shang Ting's going to be contributing a keynote speech at the next Girl Geek Dinner that's got the LSx team super-excited.

I hit it off with Lee from our first conversation - we see the world the same way and that kinda chemistry can only lead to something awesome… like Lee switching allegiance from Leeds to Manchester United"  (Lee: NEVER going to happen!)

We are really excited to be working with Imran and know we can create some interesting stuff.  From the city's point of view, he is one of our most valuable assets, We often find ourselves saying to people "whatever Imran thinks we should do... just do it!" and we genuinely mean it.

We also encourage everyone to get involved as much as they can in LSx and it's year-round events. You can do so by signing up for girl Geek tonight here. And generally we encourage everyone to try and get involved in LSx which has events all year round, it really is one of the best things going on in Leeds at the moment!

The Hebe Week In Pics

Hyper Island launches in Manchester We visit iCALLSHOTGUN at their recording studio in YorkLee's new pimp Marvel bagNew projects coming...Shang Ting and I saw this in the Leeds Museum, which we think would be perfect for Lee with his new bagI catch up with Alex, and Dan from May I Play Martyr in the 02 Academy

Hyper Island Arrives In Manchester

We have been working with Hyper Island for more than a year now. One project we have had to keep under wraps is their launch of a new facility in the UK... in Manchester to be exact. We think the project is awesome (we would of course!) Here are some of the highlights of the press release issued today:

A golden ticket for young creative talent as Sweden’s “Digital Harvard” launches industry-led learning in UK 

Budding digital media students are today being offered the chance to take part in a cutting-edge new educational programme in the UK, backed by businesses such as Channel 4, Saatchi & Saatchi and Sony Games.

Applications open today for a British version of a tried and tested Swedish training model for people in the interactive media, communications and advertising industries. The ‘Interactive Media Design and Management’ programme, which will be run in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, is the first of its kind to be introduced by Hyper Island outside of Sweden and has already received the backing of leading brands such as MTV, McCann, Channel 4, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sony Games, Code Computerlove and Wieden + Kennedy. 

Hyper Island’s model offers a distinctive action-learning approach, with participants delivering solutions to real problems brought to them by businesses. This new programme has been designed in collaboration with leaders in the media and advertising industry from around the world, many of whom will help deliver it...

“It’s all about industry-ready people”, says Hyper Island’s David McCall, Director of the new programme, which opened for applications today. “Media and communication technologies have converged, and the industry needs talent that is unbound by disciplines, instinctively collaborative and able to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. Our first UK programme has been designed with industry, with exactly this kind of talent in mind.

Jon Kingsbury of NESTA says: “The digital media sector offers exciting growth potential for the UK if we can develop people with the right skills. NESTA is excited to be partnering with Hyper Island to understand how an industry-led approach to education might be a more effective way of giving talented young people a pathway into the digital media sector.”

There are 25 places available on the pilot for exceptionally talented young people, aged between 18 and 25 years old, who want an alternative start to their career in interactive media, communications and advertising.

Our View

We think the project has the potential to be a huge success. The students that leave Hyper Island are generally of a different mind-set and level when compared to their counter-parts from other backgrounds. Manchster and the UK in general will have some brilliant talent walking out of the northern quarter and into industry here which can only be a good thing.

There are some amazing brands involved including Amaze, BBC, Channel 4, Code Computerlove, Dare, Glue Isobar, Love, McCann Eriksson, MTV, Poke, Profero, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sony Games, Stardotstar, The Neighborhood, TBWA and Wieden + Kennedy. The project has all the right backing and input to do something special.

We will try to keep you up to date on the progress of the project in the coming months. If you want any more information about Hyper Island in Manchester click here or follow on Twitter here.

The Hebe Week In Pics

Simon's week has been all Hyper Hyper Hyper!And he has still found time to smileMaybe it was the funny videos or the beer?Friday afternoon creative session aftermathLee and Shang Ting hit Harvey Nichols for a meal and caught the lovely Tessa Smith singingWhile Marcus and Simon hit the Ryther ArmsWhere Marcus (The Pap) has a T-Bone steak...... and makes short work of it!We've got to have Lee's shoes of the week on the weekly picsThe Pap has been papped again!And so has LeeI check out some street rappers outside the St Johns Centre, Leeds

English First Impressions

This is not the first encounter I have had with English culture (obviously) or the English mentality, but it’s the first time I’ve had the chance to live “normal” everyday life and whatever comes with that. This experience is what also inspired me to write a blog about what I’ve so far felt is the English outlook on social life. 

I want to start by mentioning a couple of things that almost have become cliche’s in how myself as a Swede perceive you, the English. We always talk about - the politeness, the hospitality, and the sarcastic humour. Characteristics like these are probably also the most important “brand values” for the English, and personally it’s also what makes it so easy to get along with everyone while I’m here.

Anyway, from my personal point of view one of the most interesting parts of the English mentality that I’ve seen so far, is the way strangers or new acquaintances are being approached. I think that the English approach in general is very positive and straight forward, which is nice, but what I also like is that it usually shows vulnerability.

And I’m going to explain, since it might seem strange that being vulnerable would be a good thing. To dare give some of yourself, smile and be friendly is in many situations also basically leaving yourself out and open for “attacks” from the surroundings.  

And since we all care, in one way or another, about what people think about us, I think that it’s brave to make yourself fragile to the world. It’s also a sign of good will to approach someone with positivity towards a new potential relation. 

So in essence, I think it’s a sign of character and strength to engage in a conversation with a stranger “arms down”. 

Another perk with this English polite, open and vulnerable approach, is that it’s a great way to get instant feedback, or get a good “read” on what the person you approach feel about you. Will that person answer me back with the same manner? Yes, then good, we’ll get along just fine. If no, they don’t, it’s an instant feedback that I can use to decide where the baseline with that person will be and if we will get along well or not. 

Obviously it’s not a great idea to try to judge someone on this first impression, but that is something we all often do. And since we do that - approach by thinking positive about people, and instead let them prove you wrong - rather then assume they are nasty boring losers before even speaking to them, - is just so much more rewarding and fun in the long run. 

Another thing that I think characterise the English, is their way of showing affection. It’s totally ok to give a compliment about a strangers shoes, or jacket or whatever. This is also completely in line with what I’ve said about showing vulnerability, you never really know what the reaction will be when you basically tell them you admire something about them.  

The last characteristic that I wanted to highlight is something that happens when you reach the friendship status with someone. There is nothing that proves your friend relation more than a couple of mean jokes on your behalf. That someone would crack a really mean joke about your new haircut, with a really nasty tone - thats basically confirmation that they consider you a good friend. In fact, the harsher the comments the closer the friendship. 

If you’re bald, a bit overweight or have a funny looking nose, as soon as you starting hearing jokes about that, then you know that you are amongst good friends. 

What I personally find really nice about the English way of communicating is that it’s really obviously really unpretentious. But as well, transparency is the real winner in the long run, that facade that people like to put on when they go out always comes down in the end, so why not just keep it down from the start? 

Marcus Carlsson