Welcome to the future of media. The text that you have just clicked, tapped, downloaded, thumbed through, pinched open, printed, purchased, or otherwise activated is the result of extensive collaboration among Ontario’s creative media cluster, Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) at OCAD University, our project funder Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), and our corporate sponsors.
The purpose of 2020 Media Futures is to use open-source strategic foresight for the benefit of the creative cluster — the book, magazine, music, film, television and interactive digital media industries – to help organizations and individuals “future-proof” themselves and their creative livelihoods. These creative professionals include writers, filmmakers, producers, music label executives, game developers, programmers, and other media franchise specialists. To help them prepare for the future, we employed strategic foresight research methods and practices. Our process and project structure are detailed on page 31. But before recounting that material, we present the heart of the project, the narrative and contextual scenarios developed through this consultative, participatory process.