Featuring archival video of “Footlight Technology and Linked Digital Future”, a keynote presentation by Tammy Lee, Gregory Saumier-Finch (Co-Founders, Culture Creates, Montreal) and Fredéric Julien (Director Research and Development CAPACOA, Ottawa) on March 20, 2019 at the Digital Arts Services Symposium 2019 (DASSAN19) in Toronto. They share emerging strategies and technologies for performing arts events to claim metadata and improve discoverability in a digital world. The keynote presentation is followed by a Q&A hosted by Akoulina Connell (Corporate Agility Consultant).
Tammy Lee is a career arts manager turned entrepreneur dedicated to taking on ambitious projects that help the arts thrive. She is co-founder and CEO of Culture Creates. Culture Creates makes information on what’s happening in the performing arts compatible with an AI-powered world – making this information easier to find, share, collect and disseminate. Their goal is to work with cultural organizations to build the world’s most trusted data source on what’s happening in the arts. Tammy and her co-founder Gregory Saumier-Finch seek to position the arts sector as a world leader in leveraging linked open data and in adopting a collective data governance model.
Gregory Saumier-Finch is an engineer with decades of experience building internet solutions. Over the years, he co-founded several tech startups in industries like retail, media, health, and most recently, the arts sector, with Culture Creates. This latest venture allows him to combine his love of the arts, his technological skills and his belief in the need to empower smaller organization with their own data, rather than seeing it exploited by internet giants. Gregory has worked directly with international partners to execute strategies across multiple channels and with numerous stakeholders. He has also led diverse R&D teams in building innovative solutions. With Culture Creates, Gregory is using the semantic web and artificial intelligence to bolster discoverability of performing arts.
Frédéric Julien has been active in the performing arts for several years as an artist, an arts administrator, a consultant, an advocate, and a divergent thinker. Frédéric currently leads research and development activities at the Canadian Arts Presenting Association. As part of the Digital Innovation Council for the Performing Arts, he co-authored with Inga Petri the seminal research report “Digitizing the Performing Arts” and he recently launched the Linked Digital Future initiative. Other research contributions include “The Value of Presenting” (2013), an analysis of “Trends Among Recipients of the Canada Arts Presentation Fund” (2015), “Pathways in Audience Research” (2016), “Vital Signs: Arts and Belonging” (2017), and “Vitality and Impact of Arts Presenting” (2019). Volunteer engagements include: Co-Chair of the Canadian Arts Coalition, board member of Arts Health Network Canada, and Chair of his neighbourhood association in Gatineau.
Akoulina Connell is an arts advocate and culture sector executive who catalyzes systems transformation through co-creation and data innovation strategies to increase corporate agility improve transparency, and deepen public engagement. She has worked in both the public and private sectors; she has led two provincial funding agencies, worked for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Statistics Canada, Service Canada, and Transport Canada, was managing editor of a literary press, and worked IT sector for a project management software developer and an e-learning module developer.
DASSAN19 was co-produced by ArtsPond and Agilo Arts in association with BeMused Network in Toronto, Canada between March 15-20, 2019. DASSAN19 was generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Strategy Fund and Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding.
