Welcome inside our Media Lab!

Thanks for dropping by.

Critical Distance is the name of the company founded in 2003 by media "insultant" Jonathan Marks, building on more than 20 years in the broadcasting business. Now entering its sixth year of existence, Critical Distance is going from strength to strength. Jonathan currently resides in The Netherlands, but travels the world. He is also part of a consortium doing more work in Asia from a base in Singapore.

Click on the bloglinks to the right to catch-up with his current news and videos. Read on for the general overview.

For news on what I am doing today, including news and musings I would like to share, check out the Critical Distance Weblog. In recent months I have been busy with invitation only conferences and some large projects covered by NDA's. This explains why news of my activities has been less in volume than earlier in the year. However, I still believe in sharing ideas and information with those in the business. I am also working on (social media) projects to share media expertise in Sub-Saharan Africa "Africa Professional Media", as well as maintaining an interest in useful equipment for those in the vodcasting and podcasting business. Check out "What Caught My Eye". Bookmark these blogs (or sign-up to the RSS feeds) and seize the opportunity to share your thoughts too.

Impact of the Crunch....

Looking back on 2009, the economic downtown has meant several big shake-outs in the global media industry, especially commercial companies. Frankly, I think the major shakeouts will continue as some reorganisations I have studied have only been propped up by temporary injections of cash. However, remember that there will be winners as well as losers. I am fortunate to be working with the winners!

In the previous dot-domb era just after September 11th 2001, several great media companies did very well. Why? They understood the needs of their audience and had a clear, sustainable focus on what they wanted to do. They learned to prosper in difficult conditions. It is no different now.

My most recent commissions have been helping companies restructure their ways of being creative.

So what else is Jonathan Marks up to now?

Others say I know how to use a relevant mix of traditional and emerging media to share ideas across cultural borders. I use a relevant mix of video, audio and text.

I really enjoy being a good bridge between technologists, management and creatives, having wide experience in these fields. I focus on the edge of broadcast and mobile, examining emerging technology and asking how this could enhance the effectiveness of digital storytelling. I have been excited about completing a media lab in Benin in 2009. We continue to test all kinds of relevant technology and media business models in Africa. A lot of this data is available for others to use, upon specific request.

I do a lot of keynote speaking, host panel discussions and moderate groups. Increasingly this is during invitation-only events.

I'm working with small teams, either leading them or contributing to them. We work on new concepts and pilot projects. For news organisations I have also done specific consultancy on re-designing the work-flow and inspiring those teams to be more creative.

I have been fortunate to meet incredibly inspiring people on my recent travels to Accra, Athens, Prague, Buenos Aires, Tome, Cotonou, Doha, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Bucharest, Geneva, Bonn, Paris, Singapore, London and Barcelona. Photos of the expeditions are on my Flickr account (see the panel on the right).

But enough of me....

How can we collaborate?

Together with partners, we're examing ways media can empower women, prepare regions of Africa and Latin America for climate change, and new forms of energy and light generation. That means the development of sustainable business models. We understand why it is so important to abandon preconceived ideas.

Rates - What's it going cost?

Our company believes in talking money up front, not after the event when there is huge room for misunderstandings. We know our own capabilities to deliver to a deadline - so that's why we often charge per project - and link that to an agreed delivery date.

The rates depend on the type of work, repeat business opportunities and the level of specialization that is needed. Give us a call and let's discuss your needs in strictest confidence. To avoid spambots, which scrape e-mail address from websites in order to spam you for life, we are using a simple system called retaggr. For contact information, simply click on the badge below to send a message. Thanks for reading this far and I hope you'll be in touch.