Velocity will organize four virtual picnics that provide a relaxed and fun setting for lab members to meet each other via video conferencing. These picnics will take place two hours prior to the four London broadcasts. Because of time zone differences, London acts as the base of a pendulum that swings both East and West.
Two London broadcasts will occur at 1 PM. The picnics run from 11:00 AM to 12.30 PM. While London members enjoy brunch, Hong Kong and Singapore members dine on an evening meal.
The situation reverses when London broadcasts twice at 8 PM. Two hours prior to broadcast, Los Angeles and New York members enjoy a meal with the London hub. Night owls in Hong Kong and Singapore are welcome to join in the gathering!
Among the objectives of these cross-border picnics are to promote cultural exchange on an intimate level and to create a casual environment for professional networking.
The significant advantage of a round-the-world development lab is the opportunity to meet colleagues in other regions. Artists can expand their reach, so to speak. A larger network increases job opportunities as well as access to resources for regional and/or overseas transitions. Artists can tap colleagues in foreign locales to get the nitty-gritty on flat rentals and the best eats – e.g., a macho burrito in LA, a slice of pie in the Big Apple or a cool pub in Blighty.
When we conducted our first transatlantic creative lab in Spring 2011, we realized that we had not provided enough opportunities for artists to meet each other across borders. We were too focused on getting the technology up to speed and the development of material. Artists and audiences from different cultures craved more interaction with each other.
In Spring 2011, emerging British actors had the chance to introduce themselves to Zoanne Clack, a senior writer on Grey’s Anatomy via a projected Skype screen. It was exciting for Zoanne and British talent to meet each other in Internet time without having to jump through hoops.
