CG Spectrum is constantly evolving to ensure its film and games training courses keep our students abreast of industry standards. With a growing number of creatives looking to futureproof their careers by developing compatible business skills, we noticed a lot of business courses don’t completely translate to the creative industries.
To help bridge the gap between the creative and business aspects of the film and games industry, and to fortify a bright future, we are proud to the Diploma of Business.
Our two new accredited courses will empower aspiring creators and practitioners to reach their potential through a world-class curriculum, practical experience, industry lecturers, and a connection to the creative workplace.
We spoke with the Academic Director (Business), Baden U'Ren, to find out more about the institute and its creative industry business courses.
About Baden
Baden is an internationally recognized entrepreneurship educator and innovation professional, a multiple company founder, and has a background in investment banking and private equity. He works with organizations to develop and deliver on an innovation-based strategy and with educational institutions to design entrepreneurship education courses and develop internal capability.
Connect with Baden via LinkedIn.
As Academic Director at CG Spectrum Institute, what are you responsible for?
I have been gifted the opportunity to design and deliver the ultimate business courses for the creative industries.
I have been searching the globe for the world’s most progressive educators who are passionate about teaching a modern degree targeted squarely at forging skilled graduates for the animation, visual effects, and game design industries.
You’re a disruptor in the educational space. What is lacking in the way many institutions and courses are run? What is a better approach?
The world has changed, and our education system has not. We are faced with significant challenges, and we must harness the uniquely human advantages of creativity, compassion, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Educational institutions must disenthrall themselves from the status quo and reimagine education to drive the next era of human potential.
CG Spectrum is reimagining education for the modern world. We wanted to create courses that accommodate people's busy lives and different learning styles. There is more than one way to seek and gain knowledge. Things like two-hour lectures are often not a practical use of one's time, and the examination process is a very blunt tool to assess student learning, which doesn't always translate to real-world skills. Our assessments give students a lot of agency in how they apply their knowledge so they can tailor their work to align with their career goals.
What are 3 of the most important skills entrepreneurs should nurture to be successful in business?
Entrepreneurship comprises complex ways of thinking, reasoning, and acting. The attributes we focus on developing include:
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Creative confidence
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Transdisciplinary collaboration
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Entrepreneurial self-efficacy
What do you see for the future of work?
Everything is moving into the virtual space. The fundamental relationship between employer and employee is changing rapidly. Modern workers hold more agency in deciding what, where, and with whom they will work, and this is changing the workplace dynamic.
I see adaptive-learning workers holding a portfolio of work-like positions, collaborating within and across teams and organizations to deliver on projects that hold meaning and impact. This demands fundamental innovation in the organization of economic activity.
You’ve referenced Frank Knight’s 1920’s saying: “Entrepreneurs are the Masters of Uncertainty”. Can you elaborate and share how to thrive in business in uncertain or changing times?
Entrepreneurs are the creators of the business world — they imagine what could be done and do something about it.
Uncertainty is a form of risk where the attributes of the risk themselves are unknown. This undermines the assumptions of basic business operations and renders impotent the strategic planning processes of prediction and risk management. Rather, creation becomes the strategic priority, along with all of the capabilities needed to sense, seize, and transform opportunity. This is the superpower of the entrepreneur and the reason we must develop entrepreneurial capability in our workforce.
The advancement of exponential technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing will continue to drive increased uncertainty, further undermining traditional business practices and giving the advantage to entrepreneurial organizations.
Tell us about The Diploma of Business and why there is a need for business courses specifically tailored to creative industries.
Two factors demand progressive business education for the creative industries: (1) a strategic need to build management and entrepreneurship capability in film and game studios; and (2) the booming creative industries demanding all types of workers to fuel its growth.
We are delivering modern business courses targeted squarely at students looking to enter and advance within the vibrant creative industries. Our courses:
- Are reimagining business education — what a business degree should look like
- Create an intersection for the business space and creative spaces to meet
- Break free of the shackles of a traditional business degree
- Help students feel empowered by what their industry should look like
- Maintain a job focus
- Are accredited by TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency)
Who are the ideal candidates for this course?
Our business courses have been designed with three kinds of students in mind:
- A business-oriented student wanting to take advantage of the booming creative industries with entrepreneurship and management training
- A creative person wanting to develop business acumen, including creative workers already in the industry, looking to advance their career into positions like Studio Manager, Supervisor, and Production Manager
- Forward-looking people who want to be part of the virtual space/future
What types of career paths do the courses prepare graduates for?
The Diploma and Bachelor of Business (Management) for Creative Industries prepare students for many options and offer a lot of transferrable skills.
Students gain an understanding of business law, finances, marketing, etc., which can be applied to numerous scenarios, whether you want to work for yourself as a freelancer or contractor, or for a studio or other creative organization.
We’ve also taken into account that not all jobs in the creative/technological sphere exist yet. Our courses will still be relevant to these new career pathways because we are looking toward the future as well as in the virtual space.
CG Spectrum Institute’s creative business courses cater to three main groups:
- Entrepreneurs: People with innovative ideas who want to start their own studio or creative business. Our courses provide solid foundations for these types of entrepreneurs to build thriving and sustainable businesses.
- Artists or production staff seeking career progression/enhancement: Graduates will gain the skills to advance into leadership/management roles sooner by demonstrating a solid understanding of business law, finances, marketing, and so on. Our courses are great for people already in production roles (production coordinators and junior producers) who want to advance into producer, studio/production manager, and supervisor roles. There’s currently not a lot of support and quality education for these roles, and we hope to change this.
- Sole proprietors: Many creatives become a gun for hire going from job to job, and a lot of artists end up competing and having to price themselves. Our courses help students learn how to manage themselves in the industry and navigate the business side of it.
What can students expect to learn?
Film and games studios are organizations comprising functions like marketing, human resources, and financial management. Workers advancing into more senior positions increasingly need general business skills in order to succeed, and that is what our courses delivers.
Students will learn the fundamentals of how a business works, empowering them to make better decisions for the success of their organization. Importantly, this is all delivered with the creative industries in focus, meaning the skills learned are directly transferable to your workplace.
We offer a Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree to help students work towards their goals. Some of the things they will learn include:
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- Accounting for decision making
- Professional business communication skills
- Principles of management
- Understanding the business environment
- Using Data for Decision Making
- Marketing foundations
- Foundations of entrepreneurship
- Business law
The courses cover Australian law — are these courses only for those wishing to conduct business in Australia? Or can others apply?
As with other CG Spectrum courses, the creative business courses are available internationally. They include an examination of the legal implications of operating in the creative industries. The fundamentals are globally translatable, while the subject includes elements specific to common-law legal systems. For students located in non-common-law jurisdictions, we will recognize comparable subjects as exemptions to qualify for completing our course.
Your creative business career starts here! Join the first intake in January, 2023.
Rapidly evolving technology has propelled the creative industry into new territory. The door is wide open for innovation. While the creative industry enjoys limitless possibilities, it’s a competitive landscape, and not all creatives possess the business acumen to launch, grow and sustain a thriving business.
With a focus on the creative industries, CG Spectrum’s TEQSA-accredited courses are designed to help shape the next generation of creative leaders. Students gain confidence in areas such as business law, finance, management, and digital marketing while developing essential entrepreneurial skills such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication.
Learn what it takes to grow and sustain a successful creative business and drive the creative sector into new territories. Intake starts January 2023 — secure your spot now!