HPA Creative Tech UK: The Event London Has Been Waiting For
By Barney MacDonald
What are you up to on Wednesday 27th June?
I’ll be at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, and I really think you should join me. HPA is hosting an event for folks just like you in the M&E industry, who love storytelling on the big and the small screen, and have more than a passing curiosity for the tech that makes it possible.
Folks including me and a not insignificant number of fellow Brits fly into Palm Springs every February for the incomparable HPA Tech Retreat, immersing ourselves in the collective mindset of the most experienced, and yet most innovative and disruptive people in our community, including around 450 of the industry’s top creative and technology leaders and consultants and up and coming young talent. It’s a little glimpse of what’s to come, like a private screening 6 months before the movie comes out.
Not long ago, it became clear that since London plays one of the most important roles in the global industry, maybe they should return the favour and fly over to see us, and shake things up over here too – and thus was born HPA Creative Tech UK. They’ve put together a programme of talks and demonstrations that will both educate and entertain, and at the same time you will meet some of the most influential and disruptive companies and individuals who are in the process of changing the way stories are told forever. Those rare folks who seem to know what the future holds and whose ideas shape it for the rest of us.
What they’re not going to do is tell you how great the cloud is, or how blockchain will change your life. They’re going to give you a live demo of how ex-hackers have helped us develop some of the finest security systems on the planet, and how some creatively minded individuals took a 20 year old mobile phone technology and did something completely new with it. You’ll be introduced to the guy who edited Baby Driver and his brilliant and innovative mind, and also a group of women who have some fascinating perspectives on AI and how it will shape the way we tell stories in the future. There’s an insightful review of this year’s CES in Vegas and how consumer tech and the demands made on it are shaping our professional equipment and workflows. There’s also some important information about the new cornerstone of our industry, IMF, and a how we are overcoming the challenges that HDR is bringing to the world of production.
Once they’ve finished sharing, there will be drinks and some excellent food, and the opportunity to meet the folks you’ve just been listening to, as well all the other brilliant folks who are there alongside you. In the US, the HPA Tech Retreat is regarded as both the most enjoyable and the most useful event in the industry’s calendar. It’s only a matter of time before the UK feels the same way about HPA Creative Tech UK.
Register now! Walk-ins are also welcome.