Shoals Entrepreneurial Center will go digital

The Shoals Entrepreneurial Center will soon be offering digital arts businesses the means to create digital content in a setting that will serve as housing, incubation and education.

Within the next few months, the center will help launch "Digital Arts Shoals" at its Sheffield location.

"We want to touch on all sectors of the digital community that are here," said Shoals Entrepreneurial Center Executive Director Giles McDaniel. "It's open to anyone who is developing a business concept around the digital world."

McDaniel said the inspiration behind starting Digital Arts Shoals was largely from the local Film Commission of Northwest Alabama, which had a vision years ago to provide a place for the arts community to grow. The Shoals Entrepreneurial Center, he said, recognized the vision, decided to take it forward and will now oversee the companies coming through Digital Arts Shoals.

"It's a lot of different, positive things that led us to say now seems to be the right time (to start the center)," McDaniel said. "We're setting up something here that will get national attention."

At least five individuals have already expressed interest and want to be a part of it, and groups all across the community have been supportive in the vision for the center, which will be able to house close to 10 digital arts businesses, McDaniel said.

Steve Richerson, CEO of Concrete Dream Inc., said his company will be housed in the center and is looking forward to the opportunity to come together with other digital arts businesses.

"The notion is to give really competitive rates on office space and allow these digital creators the ability to have a space to meet with clients, in a way to synergize with other content creators," Richerson said.

Businesses likely to be at the center, he said, would include Web masters, movie makers, still photographers, video editors and graphic artists.

Richerson said the center's main purpose will be to help grow digital entertainment businesses in north Alabama through training, advocacy and office and production space support.

"We're putting the word out there to see what the interest has been," McDaniel said, and so far the reaction has been positive.

Richerson said the businesses in the center will all have to be "for profit" and working to build a business.

"Part of what's going to make this work is that we grow businesses that are national in scope," he said.

After the center is officially opened, an important facet of its success will be encouraging young artistic talents in the Shoals to keep their home in the area and to promote the state as a player in the digital arts world, Richerson said.

"Right now, (young talents) actually have to move away because they cannot make a living in the Shoals doing these things. I think it harms the quality of life we have in the Shoals," he said. "The contribution I can make is to build a business

and hire people and showcase the Shoals, but I'm also interested in showcasing Alabama positively."

After the center is officially established within the next few months, Richerson said he is anticipating the multiple, promising opportunities it will

bring the area and is thankful to the Shoals Entrepreneurial Center and film commission for their foresight in the project.

"They've seen the need for this and how it would positively influence workforce development," he said. "If the Shoals rallies around this Digital Arts Center and helps us grow our businesses, it will help everybody."

TimesDaily Staff Writer Kenda Williams can be reached at 740-5720 or kenda.williams@timesdaily.com.