Creative Entrepreneurs: Peter Hansen
Posted by Roger Darnell · 21 Comments
I recently reconnected with my close friend and business colleague Peter Hansen. Over the past several years, Peter has been closely involved with Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, AB Canada. Having served as the institution’s Chair, Digital Media Design, since 2002, then as Chair Digital Media and IT, since 2009, earlier this year he returned to his private consultancy, Plasmechanica Media Design. I peppered him with some questions about his experiences with NAIT, which he kindly anwers below.
Q. Briefly, what do you feel that interested students should know about NAITl, and the Digital Media and IT program?
NAIT is a very large institution. Established in 1960, principally as a trades college, it has expanded considerably and remains Canada’s largest apprenticeship institution. Notable in its expansion was the School of Applied Media and Information Technology, of which Digital Media and IT is the single largest program. During my tenure as Chair, we successfully navigated the “convergence” years, walking in lock step with the media design industries’ digital reformation. That success was measured by industry’s receptivity to our ability to turn on a dime, so to speak. Remember, we came from a standardized, traditional media world unaccustomed to rapid change and suddenly found ourselves having to increase our own agility as educators, while anticipating emerging trends in technology and society.
Q. What exciting developments in the media design and IT industries are being explored within the DMIT curriculum?
To be honest, the most exciting development in digital media and IT is the fact that we have a program that accommodates the mindsets of both.
As much as they share commonalities and that they are both engaged in what is ultimately a common pursuit, the practical philosophies of media designers and information technologists can be radically different. Harmonizing those views in ways that build synergies rather than destabilizing tensions will be a lasting legacy to what we’ve accomplished over the past decade. It’s not a simple question of replacing Web 1.0 with Web 2.0; after all, information technology predates the Web altogether. Rather, it’s the ability to take standards-rich development methodologies and using them to temper the risks inherent in the agile, open standards of our contemporary practice. This ability serves us tremendously in areas that involve cross-platform development, as found in properties delivering as TV/Web/Mobile hybrids, for example. It also helps us train for game and simulation studio realities that have programmers working alongside visual designers and storytellers, having to serve within complex production pipelines. You may also be interested in techlife, NAIT’s technology lifestyle magazine, and the 2010 DMIT studio portfoios: www.dimd.nait.ca/galleries.
Q. What did you enjoy most about your experiences with NAIT?
The most enjoyable part was going for the ride. Everything was new at every turn. One cannot understate the vitality one derives from speculating on and exploring the possible. It is only in exploring that one innovates, and we continue to live in a world that values innovation.
NAIT Board of Governors chair Doug Goss shares his video inviting Edmontonians to a dialogue about the future. Retaining our best and brightest is just as important as attracting new people. Edmonton 2030 explores Edmonton's future. The video links the ideas of the leaders of its major organizations and institutions with the hopes, dreams, and imagination of Edmonton's youth. Video supplied by Aquila.
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