Winter Lecture Series to discover what’s next for entertainment
University of Waikato alumnus and television presenter Jesse Mulligan will host a panel of entertainment experts to look
at the changes in our consumption of media, and what’s likely to come in the future, at the University of Waikato’s
annual Winter Lecture Series in August.
At a time when many of us grew up with the 6pm news as our main source of news for the day, the rise and rise of digital
culture means the entertainment landscape has changed dramatically. We can now get information anywhere, anytime and in
any format.
Winter Lecture Series
The University of Waikato Winter Lecture Series is an annual free public lecture series held every Wednesday in August.
It is a focused and relevant series designed to inspire robust discussion on topical issues. This year, each lecture
will have a forward-looking element as the University of Waikato celebrates its 50th News in a digital age
Also speaking at the lecture on 20 August, Megan Whelan, The Wireless’ Senior Producer, says news tends to now be
filtered through people’s social media networks.
“News now is about creating stories to fit different mediums. I wouldn’t want to watch a 40 minute documentary on my
phone, but I would happily scroll through Twitter for that long, while listening to a programme at the same time.”
The Wireless is an online news site designed for people who have grown up in the digital age, but it functions like any
other ‘traditional’ news outlet. “Our editorial process is much the same,” says Ms Whelan. “You still ask, is this a
story? How do I go about telling it?”
And that’s not to say people are skipping over online content either. “We’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by how
long people spend on individual stories. It’s nice, because it means we get to dispel that myth whenever we can.”
The future of reading and viewing
Twenty years ago, you wouldn’t have thought about publishing a book without a publishing agency behind you. But
Cambridge-based author Julie Thomas cut the middle-man out completely when she self-published her first novel ‘The
Keeper of Secrets’ online to purchase as an e-book. Ms Thomas will join the panel at the lecture on 20 August to talk
about her experience, and how HarperCollins US then picked up her book for publication as a paperback and commissioned a
follow up.
Associate Professor Geoff Lealand, Senior Lecturer in the University of Waikato’s Screen and Media Department, will be
taking a look at the future of film and film-going, and film’s relationship with the newly-proclaimed ‘Third Golden Age
of Television.’
Winter Lecture Series 2014
Remaining lectures in the series include:
• 13 August: Don’t Get Bit-ten: How Safe Are You Online?
• 27 August: The City of the Future: How Can Hamilton Learn From The Others?
ends