Tom Hostler

Deepend offers high-end creative digital media services across web development, multimedia and games development, 3D visualisation, interactive TV and convergent media including broadband and handheld. Tom Hostler, director of Deepend, London, is optimistic that the web really can deliver... When we look back on our industry in a few years time, I wonder what we'll remember about 2001. Aside from the universal disappointment that we're not using rocket packs or hover-boards to get to work, or taking pleasure flights to the moon, what will we remember about this first year of the new millennium?

Undoubtedly, there will be memories of the economic downturn, the associated fallout of the dot-com sector and the inevitable downsizing that some agencies have, sadly, had to implement. But alongside these negative recollections, I wonder if we'll remember 2001 as the year that broadband access finally pushed the nation's online habits into the next gear.

The term 'broadband' has prompted varying reactions in the UK, and much like its companion, interactive TV, it is in danger of being still-born due to apathy and disinterest from the public. We have waited for it for so long it had better be damn good now it's finally daring to show its face round our way.

As an industry, we have all been guilty of building the hype surrounding broadband, to the point where the technology just couldn't deliver on all of our promises. The mantra of 'high speed consumer connections coming soon!' has often been chanted as the justification for over-ambitious design decisions.

Initially, we must resist the temptation to use the new capabilities to simply turn up the volume on what we do already, and should instead set our creative minds to developing the next online 'killer application' that's born with broadband in mind. We've seen them arrive one by one in the narrowband world, first it was e-mail, then the browser followed by instant messaging, and most recently peer-to-peer file sharing with applications like Napster. This constant renewal and rebirth of the Internet has been fuelled by technological innovation at each step of the way.

It has also been the source of ongoing economic and social changes - forcing the commercial world to adapt as the public embraces the new capabilities we (or more likely, smart kids in their bedrooms) invent. However, until the 'next great thing' emerges, we've all got to run commercially viable businesses and pay the bills. So how should we, as agencies, seize the opportunity of broadband, but still operate successfully?

Such content development uses many of the skills and technologies we already have, but in order to do it to a sufficient standard we need to broaden our skill sets and probably our equipment levels too. A host of new requirements such as script writing and character development through to sound design and video editing are required. Video, in particular, is an expensive area in which to invest, and despite what Steve Jobs' adverts may tell you, a broadcast quality video production chain, from capture to output, can be a six-figure investment.

Those who doubt the need to scale up to broadcast quality levels need only sit in a pitch with a traditional television production company and see their quality of output to understand why. It's not a question of either quality or quantity - both are required! And on top of production costs, we need to factor in the sales channels we'll need - either in the form of in-house teams or specialist third-parties that can 'hyper-syndicate' our wares around the world. Adding it all up, it represents a significant investment for any of us who haven't taken the plunge already.

Surely, you may ask, if the demand is there then won't the investment be repaid? Unfortunately, the case isn't that clear. It's taken time for these portals to realise that they need to fund content development in much the same way as the television industry does now - in the form of advances on royalties. At a time of economic squeeze where we can't all justify taking a punt quite so readily as we might have done, this is a welcome sign from the portals. Where the situation could be improved is in the terms and periods of exclusivity they currently demand, because we are only likely to make any profit on syndicated sales.

Now, as much as ever, the onus is on agencies to structure their businesses in the most agile ways, so that we can quickly adapt our offers and maximise each opportunity while the medium and markets mutate and morph into whatever they (and we) become in the next few years. It's worth noting though, that such a notion flies in the face of what we currently accept an agency to be or provide. But therein lies a whole other discussion.

PS - anyone reading this in the future, who has a working prototype of a hover-board that needs beta testing, should contact me at tom@deepend.com. Sadly, I fear that this revolution in personal transport will fare no better than those pesky micro-scooters, which now sit abandoned in the corners of all our creative studios….