On March 29, 2016, Marlon Quintero, founder and managing director of the Miami-based media production firm Center for Innovation and Creativity in Media (CIC Media), spoke to the members of the Media Management Association about the creative and innovative process in the media industry.
Quintero discussed three pillars that contribute to creative success: strategy, creativity, and innovation. He argued that creative individuals should define their objectives, execute goals effectively, and find a balance between their intuition and analytical facts. With this skill set, Quintero claimed, one can establish a clear creative identity. He drew from Lady Gaga as an example–an artist that combines multiple facets of art, fashion, and music to create a unique identity.
Quintero defined creativity as “a cultural phenomenon that brings novel work to life.” He contended that the creative process ought to be a collaborative effort, drawing upon ideas from people of different backgrounds. Traditionally, a distributor of creative content first required validation within the person’s specific field, then by the industry at large, and finally by consumers.
However, social media have disrupted this chain, making it easy for individuals to fast-track their content directly to the consumer. For instance, Justin Bieber reached millions of fans on YouTube before being recognized by Usher and then eventually being discovered by the industry, at which point he was already a superstar.
In addition, Quintero explained the importance of innovation, defined as a new experience or business model that opens up the market and “provides a new utilitarian experience” for an audience. Once an individual has created an idea, it must be endorsed by the market to become an innovation. Then when that innovation begins to be imitated by other companies, the individual has accomplished innovative success.
He also described two primary types of innovation. First, incremental innovation refers to an improvement upon an already existing product. Second, radical innovation produces something that fulfills a need that no one but an innovator has recognized (e.g., Netflix’s release of a full season of episodes at once).
Quintero’s company, CIC Media, will host the Fourth Innovation for Media Content Creation seminar at the University of Miami’s Bill Cosford Cinema on April 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring panels of industry professionals from Hulu, Univision, Viacom, and other media companies. The event is free and open to all students. Send a copy of your Cane Card to mkowalski@cicmedia.tv then click here to get your ticket.
