I’ve been wondering what would have happened had I moved to Manchester at the time that I instead chose to come to Nottingham. Given that Manchester has a strong media economy, with plenty of tv production companies and lots of multimedia happening, there’s every chance I’d be further on now than I actually am. But, being Nottingham based has introduced me to some wonderful people — playwright and writing tutor Jon Wood, without whose encouragement I might not have written the short play that became a treatment I entered in a Times competition which won me a meeting with Working Title’s Tim Bevan. And Andy Tudor, a highly talented illustrator and designer with whom I’m developing a project aimed at children.

It’s this project that I’ve just taken to Manchester, for a workshop organised and partly delivered by Mel Norman of Media-Sauce. The day was all about familiarising a varied group of aspiring media tycoons with the intricacies involved in realising profit from multi media intellectual property. Just what Andy and I need at this point, basically: we’re confident about the quality of what we’re doing creatively, and the feedback from people who’ve seen it is great…but we’re two creative dudes, not high-rolling negotiators.

Fortunately, help was at hand. As well as Mel’s invaluable contributions, there was a great group of fellow students whose input was gratefully received over the course of the day, and whose varied experience of animation, production, collaboration and the general business of Making Stuff Happen was a core part of what I brought home. Plus, there were two guest speakers — Amy Chandler, a multimedia IP expert from Pannone LLP, whose common-sense approach to the nuts and bolts of copyright and trademarks was very welcome. And Andrew Sparrow, acknowledged as one of the heavyweights of IP law and the internet, whose lively and engaging style derives from a wealth of experience in the trenches, and who incorporated questions from the group into his informal and instructive talk.

Mel is very much engaged in what she’s speaking about too, drawing on experience as a producer in tv and film. Her description of the bewildered reaction of former colleagues baffled by her choice to move to this odd little fad called online is a sadly familiar one. I’m sure dinosaurs had similar conversations about the fleet-footed hominids scurrying around them once upon a time. Reality check: every form of media is converging, and sooner or later all will emerge from a portal that transmits 3 minute songs and 90 minute films equally well (regardless of whether you or a recognised name created them), can send them to other people just like that, and the very technology of which mitigates against old-fashioned notions of ownership. That’s the reality of the 21st century, and the legal system is a horse and buggy compared to its sleek supersonic styling. Neither are there definitive business models about how to make a success from this new reality. Which is tremendously exciting.

Have a look online. There’s a world of freaks and geeks out there, and some of them are making a living from being on the internet purely through doing their thing, whatever that may be. Some of them are cartoonists who’ve realised that you can make more money from merchandising your own products than being syndicated in newspapers. Some are experts in one or another domain, and have established an authority that attracts advertisers. Others are selling their artwork to an international audience. Others still have realised that the ubiquity of free content means that, if anything, fans value limited edition versions of their fave creators’ work even more than what’s readily available: supporting a creator this way is the crowdsourced version of having a patron.

Understanding new media possibilities puts creators in a better position to reach old media goals, too. All of which has got me thinking, and looking forward to the next time Andy and I put our heads together, with renewed energy for a project that we want to be as rewarding financially as it is creatively, and to reach the biggest audience possible. Watch this space.