Panel, Conference Presentation
LIVE 11/08: Tech or Bust: Maintaining California's Edge in the Workforce #CALeading
- Technicolor aims to complete its transition from film celluloid to digital media over the next five years, moving into visual effects and gaming while managing over 8,000 artists globally, including 1,500 in Los Angeles.
- The company expects linear 3D artists to struggle transitioning to interactive game engine workflows, prompting plans to educate current staff on new tools and system training to bridge the skills gap.
- To maximize value, Technicolor may relocate developer operations out of California if the state fails to match cash incentives offered by other regions, risking the retention of the current workforce.
- Sony anticipates the next generation of gaming innovation will remain centered in California and Silicon Valley due to historical hardware and internet roots, despite a projected decline in California's share of video game companies from 38 percent six years ago to 30 percent currently.
- The convergence of video gaming and traditional film industries is expected to intensify competition for talent, driven by a finite and fixed labor supply that encourages continued staff poaching.
- Technicolor plans to open an esports incubator on the first floor of its Las Vegas facility to support pathways in the rapidly expanding sector, while California's status as the North American esports capital faces competition from Korea and China.
- Infrastructure challenges include the necessity of high-speed broadband and Wi-Fi comparable to utilities, with 5G technology expected to eventually surpass wired speeds for mobile entertainment.
- Economic pressures in California, particularly high housing costs, threaten the workforce as essential community members cannot afford to live in the towns they serve, alongside a persistent digital divide where 40 percent of low-income populations lack internet access.
- Educational strategies focus on shifting from teaching specific obsolete skills to teaching "how to learn," with EY committing to hiring 65,000 people annually and spending $500 million on learning initiatives.
- Future talent acquisition will require scouting mechanisms in middle and high schools, diversity initiatives targeting the 50 percent of the population not currently represented in coding, and a shift toward multidisciplinary skills like storytelling and problem-solving.
- Industry evolution includes the integration of virtual reality, augmented reality, and haptic feedback for sophisticated storytelling, as well as a potential future shift where physical athletics are replaced or supplemented by VR athletics.
- Risks include the "old guard" of Hollywood failing to embrace gaming intellectual property, which could cause opportunities like the e-league studio in Los Angeles to move to Atlanta.
- Proposals for the future include a "Video Game Academy" combining tech and management skills in Southern California, programs to teach social responsibility and etiquette to combat online harassment, and partnerships to create subsidized internships for underserved communities.
- AI for All and other organizations plan to launch diversity and readiness initiatives at the junior high school level to ensure students possess necessary skills and cultural awareness before entering university.
- Sony expects console businesses to maintain a stable platform for a target span of five, seven, or ten years to allow developers to build effectively against a consistent environment.