Aspiring producers and entrepreneurs will be equipped with the creative, business and legal skills needed to succeed in the thriving global entertainment industry through a new Queensland University of Technology (QUT) degree.
QUT will introduce a Bachelor of Entertainment Industries degree in 2012, which is the first university degree of its kind in the world. The three-year degree will combine expertise from QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty, QUT Business School and the Faculty of Law.
The Bachelor of Entertainment Industries will train leaders for a sector that is tipped to grow by 28 per cent within five years in Australia, with Australians spending $17 billion (or $756 per person) on entertainment in 2009.
The new degree will be promoted to students at QUT’s Open Day on Sunday, July 31 at the Creative Industries Precinct, Kelvin Grove campus.
Creative Industries Executive Dean Rod Wissler said the degree would focus on the ideas-side of the industry, rather than technical or performance skills, to prepare future entrepreneurs and producers for the digital economy, which is transforming traditional entertainment models.
“We see the typical graduate from the new Bachelor of Entertainment Industries being the kind of leader we need to drive industry development forward in the creative sector,” he said.
“Producers are the people who have the ideas, put the creative team together, run the projects and – vitally – know what the audience wants.
“These graduates will be the employers of the future, the impresarios and entrepreneurs who are as comfortable in the world of finance and legals as they are in the creative sector.”
Professor Wissler said the entertainment and media industry in Australia would increase to $36.2 billion and reach $1.7 trillion globally by 2014, creating an urgent need for people who can generate new forms of entertainment.
“Entertainment is a huge industry. The career opportunities are vast and growing in Australia and internationally,” he said. “When fast broadband is rolled out across Australia, the demand for content will be six times what it currently is by 2015.
“If Australia is not increasing the generation of novel format entertainment, we will be flooded with content from other countries such as the USA and UK. Our graduates will drive entertainment innovation.”
The three-year degree will build on QUT’s Bachelor of Creative Industries (Entertainment Industries) major, which was introduced in 2009 to appeal to graduates who want to be movers and shakers in fields including music, sport, live performances, theme parks and film and television production.
QUT student Hannah Roscoe will be among students applying to transfer to the new Bachelor of Entertainment Industries degree.
“I will definitely be applying to the new degree. The networking opportunities at QUT are really exciting. I’m hoping to make some good industry contacts,” she said.
The 19-year-old from the Gold Coast has worked as a model and instructor in the fashion industry for six years and on cruise ships as entertainment staff. Now she has her sights set on producing and hopes to work in Los Angeles.
“I have a fair bit of ambition. I’d like to work as a producer in the film and TV entertainment industry,” Ms Roscoe said.
The Bachelor of Entertainment Industries has developed strong industry partnerships, including with Movie World, NovaFM and the EKKA.
Professor Wissler said the first undergraduate degree introduced at QUT since 2007 would build on other Creative Industries programs including journalism, dance, music, drama and fashion.
He said honours and postgraduate studies would be available to students graduating from the Bachelor of Entertainment Industries.
“It’s a terrific addition to our suite of courses,” Professor Wissler said. “We’re opening up new horizons in a way that’s consistent with what we’ve done from day one in Creative Industries.”
More information about the Bachelor of Entertainment Industries can be found here.
Media contact:
Ian Eckersley, media manager, 3138 2361 or 0432 754 897, ian.eckersley@qut.edu.au
Stephanie Harrington, media officer, 3138 1150, stephanie.harrington@qut.edu.au
— —
http://www.qut.edu.au/about/news/news?news-id=36635
