This week’s creative roundup is like a whirlwind, rolling around the movie and entertainment industries, as well as grant updates, to cover all that happened within the week. With the layoff news arising since 2022, it goes without saying that a lot of creatives doubt their level of job security. Will high numbers of workers continually lose their jobs? There is no definite answer yet, but like they say, only time will tell when it all ends. In the meantime, let’s read this week’s roundup.
1. Disney lays off 7,000 Employees As Streaming Rate Declines
Disney plans to lay off 7,000 workers to cut costs across the company. CEO Bob Iger announced the news in an earnings call on Wednesday, stating that the move is “necessary to address the challenges we’re facing today.”
Despite the layoffs of workers and financial challenges, Iger still has his sights set on streaming despite a slowdown in subscriber growth.
Source: The Verge
2. Beyonce Breaks Record, Emerges Most Awarded Grammy Artist In Historic Ceremony
Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in Grammys history during a historic evening in Los Angeles. The singer won for best R&B song, best dance/electronic recording, best dance/electronic album and best traditional R&B performance. She has now won 32 Grammy awards.
The award-winning star also paid tribute to both her “beautiful husband” and the “queer community for their love and for inventing the genre”.
Source: The Guardian
3. Nigeria Becomes First African Country To Recieve Satellite Internet “Starlink”
Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, is now available for customers in Nigeria. In a post on its Twitter page, it said, “Starlink is now available in Nigeria – the first African country to receive service,” the tweet reads.
The company had said customers interested could preorder the starter kits at $600 for the hardware and $43 per month for subscriptions to its services. Starlink internet sends information through the vacuum of space, where it travels much faster than in the fibre-optic cable.
Source: The Cable
4. Eventhive NG In Partnership With OctaFX To Host Lagos Tech Fest 2023
Nigeria’s leading B2B2C event servicing company, Eventhive NG, in partnership with OctaFX, a leading global broker, has announced plans to host the third edition of the Lagos Tech Fest. The event seeks to gather public and private sector stakeholders across the Nigerian tech ecosystem, stressing that it would feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, exhibitions, and fireside chats
The theme is ‘Collaborative approach towards strengthening the growth of Nigeria’s Tech ecosystem’, which will be coming up on the 15th of February at Landmark Event Center Lagos. Event registration is currently ongoing.
Source: Independence
5. Photographers Without Borders’ Revolutionary Storyteller Grant Is Open
The revolutionary Storyteller grant is open for talented and creative photographers. The programme will select five photography projects with a solid call to action for land or water protection. Selected projects will receive a US$5,000 grant.
The grant has set that photographers from all over the world can apply for the grant. The deadline for the submission of the application is 11:59 pm WAT, February 21, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.
Source: ICIR
Conclusion
A lot of employee layoffs going on now in different industries; in the same vein, there are also provisions for opportunities and networking amongst creatives that we can key into, which in a way, brings in balance; all it takes is to keep applying, creating and networking to ensure a fulfilling career.
Till next time, stay creatively informed.
