‘What does it mean to be an entrepreneur in the media and communications industry?’

An individual’s role in the industry of media and communication can take many forms, however it is the rise in enterprise, innovation and creativity that allows contemporary media workers to develop their ideas into practise. As Mark Deuze explains, “…in the field of cultural production, managers and employers increasingly stress the importance of ‘enterprise’ as an individual rather than organization or firm-based attribute. Shifting the notion of enterprise … from the company to the individual employee, it becomes part of the professional identity of each and every worker” (Deuze 2009). Put simply, companies are moving to present the innovation and entrepreneurial traits in their workers, rather than themselves as an organisation. This article will attempt to explore the term ‘entrepreneurism’ in the lens of a media and communications worker, and how this scope of thinking is stimulating creativity and innovation in the industry, with reference to a case study of my introductory experience in the industry.

To consider this overarching term ‘entrepreneurism’, it is important to contextualise this thinking to the context of creative industries, that being “…those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent which have a potential for job and wealth creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property” (Hartley et al, 2012). Creative industries hold the key to adapting to the technological and social age of innovation in our society, and at the forefront of this development, are the individuals, stakeholders, entrepreneurs, who can act.

Several traditional understandings of entrepreneurship have ruled organisation and gained pejorative connotations due to its alternative, almost dangerous systematic approach. These traditionalist notions include the role of organisation in the value creation process, an alertness to opportunity to create more competition and introducing new ideas to the economic order in the face of uncertainty and the pursuit of profit. However, as mentioned previously, the onus of entrepreneurism is not focused on the organisation as a way of being innovative and taking risks any longer, but rather lies with the actions of the agent: the one who will seize the opportunity to go out on a limb and back innovation over certainty. Entrepreneurs “are key agents in the creative industries…of doing new things in the market context of uncertainty with respect to existing value-seeking to create and realise new value. The entrepreneur seeks to discover new sources of value by uncovering contradictions in extant value structures or by proposing new value structures.” (Hartley et al, 2012). Thus, it important to realise the individualisation of entrepreneurism in modern society, and especially in the context of creative industries, such as media and communication, where work is limited and gaining an abundance of resources and support is rare. This is not to say that entrepreneurs must work separately from others, however entrepreneurism, especially in media and communications today, stresses the importance of individual ideas to stimulate innovation. Media workers must take it on themselves to produce and stand apart of their peers at first, then use this growth by bringing others along, together creating a thriving workplace.

Similarly, it is important to note that entrepreneurs are context- and industry-specific. Matthew Marvel (2012) says that there is nuanced role of entrepreneurs in the media: “…for media entrepreneurs the rationales for starting an entrepreneurial venture might differ from those for “typical” ventures in other industries” (p.155). Entrepreneurs must target different aspects of their field in order to achieve, and for media and communications workers, this may be a more ideological, literary approach, compared to a statistical, business-orientated approach of, say, a commerce worker. “This double ambition of founding a commercially feasible venture and pursuing some additional, non-commercial goal characterizes much media entrepreneurship, especially in the traditional media sectors of print, radio, and television” (Marvel 2012, p.155). This hits to the crux of many media ventures that rely on a more social entrepreneurship, for example, online journalism or public relations for creative industries. The overlaying goal is for profit, as a vast majority of organisations prioritise, however to be seen as ‘attractive’ or ‘market-leading’ as an organisation holds much more, and much different, value.

This reputation, one could argue, of media entrepreneurism in society, is helped through the rise of social media and how organisations harness the interactivity of consumers in an innovative way. Online platforms allow for creative conversation and ideas to flow, and an ability to grasp these tools is imperative in gaining an edge as a media worker in today’s society. As Kirschenhofer and Lechner (2012) state, “entrepreneurial experience needs to be related to issues of employee motivation, hiring and integration of new resources, and the anticipation of resource needs” (p.322). The latter issue highlights the main point of social media, as a tool of anticipation and pre-emptive thinking in a chaotic connected society. It is a media entrepreneur’s job to participate, converse and produce a solid understanding of the social media environment and sustain trust in these platforms to lead their innovative though processes and subsequent forms of action. Social media is also apparent, as “…many entrepreneurs have founded social media- based ventures, and, beyond attracting a sufficient customer base, a major challenge lies in designing a sustainable revenue model.” (Marvel 2012, p. 156). In a similar way, Mehta and Anand (2012) explain that “the advent of social media has made it possible for the entrepreneurs connect directly with buyers in real time on one to one basis and address their needs and apprehensions” (p. 47). Hence, it is not feasible to develop a sustainable entrepreneurial business simply on traditionalist models of profit-based reaction, rather it is reliant on consumer feedback, interactivity and adaptability.

I would like to take the case study of Buzinga App Development to illustrate the thoughts presented above, as this company is sitting at the forefront of mobile media development, using innovation and creativity to develop a business plan. Having gained some experience in the marketing and communications side of Buzinga Apps, this company delivers an entrepreneurial approach to a booming technological industry. Co-founder Logan Merrick uses an entrepreneurial approach “to create a thriving ecosystem of tech innovation within Australia, propelling Australia onto the global stage for building influential mobile applications” (IdeasHoist 2015). His interview with IdeasHoist late last year pinpoints how he believes social change will be the driving factor behind innovative enterprises to have rapid growth in the coming years. “We can’t rely on the government to affect social change, they’re just too slow. Technology is the driving force that will solve the world’s biggest problems, and innovative enterprises as well as driven startups will be the ones that actually use technology to make a lasting difference on this planet” (IdeasHoist 2015). What this says to me, and what I have experienced in the recent weeks working with Logan and his team, is that industry-specific technologies and hyper-connectivity between business and consumer is paramount when it comes to developing innovation in today’s world.

So, with all of that said, where does the ‘entrepreneur’ fit? Logan Merrick is the entrepreneur. He has the qualities needed as an agent in the ideation phase, of gaining traction with his ideas and trusting his ability to begin a way of entrepreneurial thinking. Then, it is surrounding the entrepreneurial approach with like-minded individuals to continue the creativity and use their own agency, as well as consumer response (like social media), to develop ideas and keep the process rolling. “Entrepreneurship seeks to perceive opportunities and bring them to reality, aiming to capture a share of the value created”, and this value created, although introduced by individual thinking, must be shared to gain traction and develop a sustainable business venture (Hartley et al 2012).