House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee visits Modern Jago
Modern Jago is Microsoft's new space in Shoreditch for designers, developers and artists. We run and host events and open the space for folks to come down and co-work. Want to find out more about the space? You can have a chat to us on Twitter or Facebook, or find us in a bunch of other places.
Modern Jago hosted a visit from five MPs on Thursday 7th February. We welcomed John Whittingdale OBE, Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw, Tracey Crouch, Steve Rotheram and Gerry Sutcliffe, who are all members of the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee. Their chief responsibility is to monitor the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on behalf of the House of Commons and the electorate.
The Committee launched an inquiry into the state of support for the creative industries in October 2012 and we connected up with them to discuss the ways we can work together to establish a strong skills base to support the creative industry. Modern Jago neatly highlights the importance and relevance of hubs and spaces in helping to fuel innovation and growth in the creative sector.
The Modern Jago team gave the MPs a tour of the creative space, including the fascinating Eureka Room where resident artist James Alliban demonstrated the groundbreaking ways Kinect is being used and adapted as a technology.
The boardroom played host to the sharing of App success stories and tales of brilliant collaborations both locally and further afield; much to the interest of the MPs who had an almost inexhaustible stream of questions about the space, the people and the opportunities for East London and beyond. The team were able to showcase how Microsoft is supporting growth and innovation in the creative sector through skills training.
There was also a great opportunity for the team to speak openly with the MPs about the ways in which government can help improve the opportunities for creatives, developers and the tech industry within not only London but more widely within the UK. Including how vital improvements to the way coding and web development are incorporated in education. Not to mention the impact that access to better internet connections can have on businesses.
These points will be taken back to the Creative Industries Council and other public bodies responsible for supporting the sector.
We have lots of app building activities and co-working opportunities at the space. If you have an idea and are looking to team up with other creatives to make it a reality why not book an event?