10133191Digital Entertainment BrandClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThe film, television, and TV advertising industries are currently facing a significant crisis due to a substantial decline in the production of TV dramas, non-scripted TV, and TV commercials throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024\. According to Bectu, over 4,000 film and TV freelancers are unemployed (UK Film and TV Industry in Crisis, February 2024, Bectu). As TV production dwindles, social media entertainment is experiencing a surge. This is primarily due to social media usership exceeding 5 billion and platforms rapidly evolving to support longer video content. This shift is facilitating the creation of social-specific dramas, entertainment, and documentaries. YouTube has now become the most-watched streaming platform globally, surpassing giants like Netflix and Disney+ (Mashable, Top Streamers of 2023, 20 February 2024). Our proposed project aims to address these challenges by innovating our business model and technology. We plan to develop a new digital media entertainment brand in the luxury property niche, targeting global millennial social media audiences across YouTube, TikTok Instagram and Facebook. The brand, "This Way In," will entertain by making the inaccessible, accessible - providing a window into global living that few will ever see. We will use our state-of-the-art content model, including the latest technology in 360 video, live streaming, drone and photography, to give the audience a novel virtual user experience beyond what global competitors offer. In order to maximise content output, save time and ultimately give us a competitive edge, we use our own AI production process utilising open-source AI software. We have access to these remarkable homes through our portfolio of exclusive shoot locations, our expertise as Location Agents, and our network from being on the Board of the Location Managers Guild International. As our audience, advertising, and revenues grow, we'll employ regional, ex-TV freelancers, aiding the current unemployment crisis in the industry. We'll leverage their expertise to train new local talent and attract global audiences to a UK-based creative business. This project will transform and innovate our current business model, creating significant new income streams. It will open up a vast global market, facilitating exponential growth and aligning with our ambition of becoming a multi-million-pound revenue company. By attracting global audiences to a UK creative industry the project will also support the UK Government's plans to continue to be a European and global leader in the Entertainment and Media market.