Digital Vision – Interview with Tishna Molla
As part of the assessment of projects submitted to the experimental stream, the CMF calls upon highly renowned international experts. In the Digital Vision series, we present interviews with members of our past juries with the simple objective of letting ourselves be inspired by the talented minds that shape our industry. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our jury members as well as to those who kindly answered our questions. Moreover, you can consult the list of all jury members since the inception of the experimental stream.
In this interview, Tishna Molla shares her thoughts with us. Mrs Molla is the COO of Power to the Pixel (PttP) and has a keen interest in finding new ways for content creators and businesses to create, finance and distribute stories that engage with audiences across multiple platforms. She also produces PttP’s internationally renowned annual Cross-Media Forum held in London (view Tishna Molla's bio)
Mrs Molla, when you think about your work as COO of Power to the Pixel, what would you say ...
Is the best / most amazing thing that happened in your field in the last 3 years?
That’s a difficult question to answer because the media landscape has evolved so rapidly in that timeframe. So I’m going to cheat a little and mention more than one thing:
I find the integration of technology in storytelling really exciting because it has led to the democratization of media. I studied mathematics in university and have worked in creative industries ever since, so the merging of science and creativity is of particular interest to me. But possibly the best thing of all has come about because of the landscape changing so rapidly. It has created an experimental landscape where the rules are constantly changing, where no single person has the answer to everything, where making mistakes is increasingly perceived as a positive step forward and where new perspectives can be championed.
Keeps you awake at night?
The million and one things that run through your head when you’re managing a small business. It’s hard to turn the switch off!
Describes the future of your profession in 140 words or less?
Exciting and difficult. There will be increased collaboration between industries. Companies will need to be lithe in their thinking and practice.
Are the changes that you would like to see happening in your field within the next year?
I’d like to see more opportunities offered to underprivileged sectors within communities, the acknowledgement of the existence of a digital divide and that this will prevent certain segments of society from seizing future opportunities. For example, the assumption that everyone owns an iPad or has access to a tablet is misplaced. In reality, many people simply can’t afford one or don’t have access to one. Certain regions such as Odder in Denmark or Winnipeg in Canada now provide free iPads to school children because they recognize that these new platforms—that not all parents can afford—may be used as important learning tools. In certain schools in the UK and many other countries, parents are being forced to pay these often prohibitive costs themselves. In the longer term, I hope that this leads to a far better representation of social diversity within the media industry (particularly in the UK).
Are the 3 things that make your job (or field) absolutely awesome?
- Working with and learning from people who are inquisitive, fearless and who enjoy pushing boundaries.
- Working across such a range of industries—from both creative and business angles—makes my job worthwhile.
- Having the opportunity to travel to places I’d never normally think about visiting and being able to experience things from different cultural viewpoints make me feel really lucky!
Finally, from a more global perspective, what inspired you recently? What was the most inspiring project / book / article / presentation / idea you were exposed to?
I was invited to attend the Punkt music festival in Kristiansand, Norway at the end of the summer by Kristian Mosvold, a lovely producer who’s based there. The festival is curated and programmed by world-class musicians Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, and its core concept is live remix. Members of the audience were so respectful of the musicians playing that they spoke in whispers, if at all, and refrained from using their phones to take pictures or film until the end of each piece. Everyone in the audience was there to listen to the music and immerse themselves in the experience while it was played. It was incredibly inspiring just to be ‘in the now.’
Tishna MollaLondon, UK
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Tishna is the COO of Power to the Pixel (PttP) and has a keen interest in finding new ways for content creators and businesses to create, finance and distribute stories that engage with audiences across multiple platforms. She also produces PttP’s internationally renowned annual Cross-Media Forum held in London, and produces and mentors The Pixel Lab, the company’s European cross-media initiative that develops business strategies and encourages innovation through project-driven work. She is regularly invited to speak at international festivals and events including CPH:Dox, Future Media 2.0, Transform@Lab and Women in Digital Publishing in 2012 and is a guest lecturer at Royal Holloway - University of London and Central St. Martin’s - University of the Arts. She produces her own projects through Bandit HQ and her most recent production is titled Dummy Jim (Tiger Nominee, Rotterdam Film Festival 2013 and EIFF 2013 nominee). She also received a nomination for the Best British Feature Film (Michael Powell Award). |
