beaming, llc.

July 10, 1999

CONFIDENTIAL

This plan is dedicated to Leonardo’s Founder, Frank Malina, whose creative virus has survived for over thirty years. It is a tiny strain in the scheme of things but its hosts seem to stand out among its peers. It is known to be active in at least 44 different countries, and so it clearly survives in even the most obscure cultures. Recent evidence suggests that it contains even more dynamic properties than once believed, especially when members of its community connect to each other in a singular host community. While it has not surfaced in dramatic fashion the way other viruses have in recent years, one thing is certain, this virus is alive-

Leonardo Lives!

mark beam

beaming, llc.

7.10.99

Executive Summary 4

I. Background 6

II. Leonardo Today 7

B. Awards Program

C. Major Current Projects

D. Collaborations

E. Audience

III. The Reorganized Leonardo 12

B. Brand

C.Leonardo’s Target Audiences

Level 2 Leonardo Learns

Level 3 Leonardo Collaborates

Level 4 Leonardo Consults

Level 5 Leonardo Creates

Level 6 Leonardo New Minds

B. Journal Redesign

V. Competition/Partners 39

B. Print Publications

C. On-Line

D. Consulting Organizations

E. Incubators

VII. Marketing Plan 50

VIII. Timeline 53

IX. Endowment 54

X. Management Team 56

XI. Risks 57

XII. Financial Statements 59

Appendix 66

The dominant, fundamental human need driving "the Information Age" is one which has driven all major human endeavors, throughout history- the need to communicate with each other; the need to share our understandings and feelings about the ever-complex environments we live in, with the hope that we can improve our situation. Our scientific discoveries and new technologies allow us to connect in ways that were incomprehensible even five years ago. The challenge with any new media is to stretch their potential in conveying meaning and feeling. Whether its is a word, a sound, a picture or a Webcast, the nature of those communications directly impact and empower human action.

As never before, the merging of art, culture, science and business is defining our global system of wealth creation. In the "language of new media" this deep seated human need is being translated into an insatiable global demand for broadband network communications and the content that makes such networks valuable. Given its position within the academic and scholarly community it currently serves, Leonardo has the platform for becoming the premier art and technology filter and aesthetic guide for a wide audience of creators, funders and shapers of international culture. The advantage of the model set out below, if fully implemented, lies in its compatibility to the long-term cultural and economic trends in the global marketplace. Leonardo’s mission is:

• to make visible and intelligible the work of artists involved with science and technology for a broad international audience
• to foster collaboration between artists, scientists, and technologists by creating and supporting venues for exchange, demonstration and practical application of their work.
• to become the premier collaborative filter and aesthetic guide to the art and technology universe

While Leonardo will strive to present its products and services in a way that is intelligible to a broad universe of people, the core constituency to whom it will direct its services are:

• the international body of artists, scientists, technologists who use science and technology in creative ways,
• the funders and shapers of culture- business and cultural organizations
• the university body of faculty, students and researchers focused on the creative application of science and technology.

The primary vehicle for reaching these audiences will be the Web. Leonardo’s strategy revolves around the creation of a thriving virtual community that becomes a dynamic channel and repository of intelligence around the creative use of science and technology. Leonardo currently has 35-45,000 monthly visitors to its Website. It will strive to increase that audience to 500,000 monthly visitors by 2004. Over the next five years, the following products and services will be available to selected audiences:

• the premier source for art & technology media via e-commerce
• streamed audio and video content- the Leonardo Channel
• searchable database of people, resources, projects and artworks
• talent and skill finding and matching
• high end consulting services focusing on creativity in application of science and technology
• project incubation and funding

Over the next two years Leonardo will make many favorable alliances with partners while supporting a related community of developers, providers and users. By providing core products and services that liberate powerful capabilities within its community, it is possible stimulate a profusion of allied activity with Leonardo at the center. In concert with these products and services is a unified branding strategy aimed at the audiences above. If successful, Leonardo will become a financially independent, well-endowed organization and a dynamic resource for the community it serves. It will serve as the premier link between art, technology, culture and business communities and an international gateway to the entire art and technology universe.

The journal Leonardo was founded in 1968 in Paris by kinetic artist and astronomical pioneer Frank Malina. Malina saw the need for a journal that would serve as an international channel of communications between artist, with an emphasis on the writings of artists who use science and developing technologies in their work.

In his work as a scientist and engineer, Malina had access to an abundance of scholarly periodicals that enabled peers in any given field to stay abreast of the each other’s work and to monitor important news developments. There was no equivalent publication for artists, so he decided to start one. The concept was a simple one- a publication by serious artists with subject integrity by the same kind of peer review of articles that is common in scientific journals. Malina felt that the demystification of modern art could in part be accomplished by the free exchange of information regarding artistic disciplines.

Today Leonardo is the leading journal for readers interested in the application of contemporary science and technology to the arts and music. In addition to peer-reviewed articles by artists, Leonardo includes discussions of new concepts, materials and techniques, and covers subjects of general artistic interest on a variety of topics. Past special issues have included The Archive of Holography; Visual Mathematics; Connectivity: Art & Interactive Telecommunications; New Foundations: Classroom Lessons in Art/Science/Technology for the 1990’s.

Leonardo and its non-profit organizing body ISAST(the International Society for the Arts, Sciences & Technology) is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It has a modest staff whose primary focus is the production of its flagship product the Leonardo Journal and its companion Websites. In total, its extended network includes some 10,000 people in 44 countries.

The core assets of Leonardo are striking:

• A 31 year history and a 31 Volume Journal Archive that includes nearly 160 issues
• A Website that draws 35,000 to 45,000 visitors per month
• An International network of contributors and subscribers in over 44 different countries
• Over 500 institutional subscribers in libraries, museums, research facilities and companies around the world
• A prestigious publisher in the MIT Press
• A reputation as the premier publication vehicle for artists and scholars working at the intersection of art, science and technology

Despite these attributes, there are serious challenges to its future:

• Subscription levels have remained remarkably stagnant over the past five years
• Leonardo currently operates at an annual average deficit of around $30,000.
• With limited resources, it has been unable to leverage numerous opportunities.

The following analysis then, will focus on leveraging the assets outlined above in new ways, increasing sales of its existing publications and increasing the funds it has available for investment.

Leonardo publishes an amazing amount of content and is involved with numerous collaborative projects given its modest human and monetary resources. This section provides an overview of these publications and projects, with relevant discussions and recommendations outlined in Section IV (A) - Web Functionality, and Section IV. (B) -Journal Redesign. A discussion of the awards program, the book series and collaborations is found in the Marketing Plan- Section VII.

The Leonardo Journal was founded in 1967 to serve as an international channel of communication between artists and those interested in the application of contemporary science and technology to the arts and music. In addition to peer reviewed articles it features reviews of books, recordings, software, conferences, festivals and shows. It was published by Permagon Press until 1993, when MIT Press began publishing the Journal. A one year subscription includes four regular issues, the Digital Salon issue published in coordination with the New York School of Visual Arts, and the Music Journal, which is accompanied by a music CD. Subscription prices are $72 for individual and $310 for institutions. (A full pricing list can be found in Appendix A ).

Circulation has declined by nearly 40 percent since 1993, mostly due to a 62 percent decline in trade sales. While institutional subscriptions have remained very consistent, individual subscriptions declined by 25 percent. (See Appendix B). The Journal is carried by at least 18 bookstores. (See Appendix C). For a discussion of these statistics see Section IV. B.- Journal Redesign.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/lmj/lmjCDs.html

The Leonardo Music Journal publishes writings and sounds by artists from diverse areas of the world who are inventing media, implementing developing technologies and experimenting with musical boundaries. In addition to peer reviewed articles it features reviews of books, recordings, software, conferences, festivals and shows. Like the Journal, the audience is primarily the scholarly community. The Music Journal is one of six issues that comprise the Journal’s subscription. As of April, 1999, the Music Journal as a stand alone publication had 39 subscribers made up almost exclusively of institutional subscribers. (See Appendix D). This year LMJ will be bundled with the Computer Music Journal in a special promotion.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/leobooks.html

The Leonardo Book Series began in 1994. Its books focus on art, twentieth century media and technology. There are currently 7 books in print, with plans for an average of 4 per year. Under its arrangement with MIT Press, Leonardo receives a 10 percent override on the face value of every book sold. Recommendations can be found in the Marketing Plan Section of this plan.

Leonardo has was an early adopter on the Web producing its first Website in 1994. It now has multiple sites with a maize of content including the following:

http:mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo

Leonardo On-Line (LOL) is the gateway to all of the Leonardo Websites. It has its own editorial focus separate but related to the print Journal. It includes features, special projects, news, events and bibliographies,

MIT provides a total visitor number for the site as a whole each month. Under the current web statistic system, Leonardo On-Line's number of visitors ranged from 35,000 to 45,000 per month during the period of January--November 1998. (Leonardo On-Line has the most visitors of any of the MIT journal web sites.) The number of visits to MIT's Leonardo order page ranged from 48 to 78 per month, and the visits to MIT's LMJ order page ranged from 1 to 16 per month.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/LEA

(LEA) has its own editorial focus and serves as an electronic archive. It includes profiles of institutions and projects in the field, profiles of artists, feature articles, a gallery, reviews of publications, events and exhibitions, announcements and job/educational opportunities. LEA is a subscription based site. As of April, 1999 it had a total of 39 stand alone subscribers at an annual subscription rate of $25 for individuals and $50 for Institutions. Certain areas of LEA are free to any site visitors and all content may be accessible on a trial basis for a period of one year.

Beginning this year, electronic copies of the print version of Leonardo will also be accessible. In addition, LEA has also been designated as the access point for the digital archive of the print Journal going back 30 years (See discussion of archive Section IV.(A) Level 2: Leonardo Learns).

Leonardo Digital Reviews

http: mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/ldr.html

Leonardo Digital Reviews (LDR) is a free search-based referral and recommendation service of LEA. It provides reviews organized by media type (i.e.books, software, CD’s etc..) bibliographies, editorial etc.. The database is backed by an Excite search engine.

http:www.cyberworkers.com/Leonardo/

OLATS is Leonardo’s French language Website with its own French-European editorial focus. It includes projects such as Virtual Africa and Pioneers and Pathbreakers that chronicles some of the historically important French contributors to the field.

http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/home.html.

As part of our mission of encouraging the innovative presentation of technology-based arts, Leonardo/ISAST recognizes artists and organizations interested in the use of new media in contemporary artistic expression through cash awards given via the Leonardo Awards Program.

Leonardo/ISAST's newest award is designed to recognize organizations and artists'

groups that have increased public awareness of art forms involving science and technology, particularly through the sponsoring or curating of exhibitions.

The Leonardo New Horizons Award for Innovation was begun to recognize new and emerging artists for innovation in new media.

The Frank J. Malina Leonardo Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes eminent artists who, through a lifetime of work, have achieved a synthesis of contemporary art, science and technology.

The Leonardo Award for Excellence recognizes excellence in an article published in the journal Leonardo. Excellence is defined as originality, rigor of thought, clarity of expression and effective presentation.

http:www.cyberworkers.com/Leonardo/africa/

A project organized in France to collaborate with various African artists and to document the cultural activities in the field on the continent.

http:www.cyberworkers.com/Leonardo/OLATS/pionniers

The aim of this project is to establish reliable, selected, on-line documentation about the artists of the twentieth century whose works and thoughts have been seminal for technological art. i.e. artists who have opened new directions, sometimes even before the technology was available.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/spaceart/space.html

A series of workshops on themes such as "The Artist as Space Explorer" (1997) and "Space Art, Earth Art" (1998).: "Living in Space," (1999). The workshops address cultural issues surrounding the increasing presence of humans and machines in space.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/spec.projects/art+bio.html

The aim in this project is to (1) make visible the work of artists and others interested in the connections between art, biology and genetics by publishing articles, galleries, bibliographies and reviews, publishing texts by scientists and biotechnology researchers on current developments; and fostering collaboration and contact between artists and researchers in biology and genetics.

http:mitpress.mit.edu/ejournals/Leonardo/isast/spec.projects/Leowomen/women.html

The project focuses on women artists and their works in articles published in Leonardo publications. A new book on the book series will also soon be published on the topic.

http:www.emf.org/guidetotheworld/index.html

A web-based calendar, database and monthly e-mail newsletter produced in association with the Electronic Music Foundation. It focuses on what's happening at the cutting edge of new music, electronic music, media art, and related artforms ... anywhere in the world.

http:www.comm.uquam.ca/~Gram/Accueil.html

In conjunction with creator of the Dictionary of Media Art Louisse Poissant and a translation company, Leonardo hopes to host a multilingual new media dictionary on-line at its LOL Website. This could also be syndicated to other content providers on a fee basis.

Invencao Conference- Brazil http://www.itaucultural.org.br/invencao/invencao.htm

A conference held in Rio for those working at the creative edge of the arts, sciences and technology with attention to questions about the constraints of nature and the part that can be played by artificial intelligence and post-biological systems in the construction of reality.

The Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts is an international, interdisciplinary member organization with an annual symposium to foster a structured approach towards the problems and potentials of electronic art.

http:www.newminds.org

Leonardo co-sponsors the production of New Minds, a lecture/performance series that focuses on the social impact of technology on society and culture.

A research center of the University of Wales College, Newport offering Mphil and PhD research programs in the Interactive Arts. Caiia and Leonardo co-sponsor an annual conference that explores consciousness called Consciousness Reframed.

http:www.schoolof visualarts.edu

Each year Leonardo produces one of its issues in collaboration with School of Visual Arts and its Digital Salon Exhibition. The Exhibition has become an important venue for international computer art.

There is a limited amount of current data that describes the Leonardo audience. Past surveys have provided little or no demographic information. The greatest characterizations that can be supported are as follows:

• Approximately half of all subscribers are institutions- 586 at last count. (A sample list of institutional subscribers is found in Appendix E.).
• Institutional subscriber base is prestigious- universities libraries dominate the list (304). The rest are museums, research facilities, and corporations.
• Thirty six percent of institutional audience is from outside the United States representing as many as fort-four different countries. Sixty four percent of institutional audience is from within the United States.

• Approximately half of all subscribers are individuals
• Substantial number of individual subscribers have academic addresses
• Subscribers in as many as fort-four different countries

1) Numbers of visitors ranged from 35,000 to 45,000 per month during January - November 1998.

2) LOL has most number of visitors of any MIT Journal Website

3) Visits to LOL order page ranged from 48 to 78 per month- on average, this is two tenths of one percent of the number of visitors per month

Leonardo has in many ways become the brand name for a cultural phenomenon dating back to the Renaissance. That cultural phenomenon is the merging of art, science and the humanities into a view of the universe as a whole. From the outset, the cultural icon of this movement has been Leonardo da Vinci.

Since the late 1960’s the Leonardo Journal has played an important role in documenting the work of many modern founders of this extended cultural phenomenon, primarily by applying the language and structure of science to an interdisciplinary, international community of artists. At the time of its founding, the audience for the Journal was a small one. However, dramatic increases in computer processing speed and telecommunication bandwidth, especially in the past five years, has had a global impact on the way art, science and technology figure into our daily lives. Evidence that this cultural movement had reached the mainstream was perhaps best exemplified by the founding of Wired magazine in 1993.

There is clear evidence for the existence of a broader audience for art, science and technology. The rapid penetration of PC’s into the home itself has brought with it a whole belief system centered on creative use of art and technology. In a preface he wrote for a book published by the Seattle Art Museum on the occasion of an exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester, Bill Gates wrote:

As a medium of exchange , the computer demands an interactive relationship with the user and interfaces that effectively communicate on psychological, visual, behavioral and logical levels. Mark Anderson, author of the Strategic News Service, a weekly newsletter read by Bill Gates, Michael Dell and many leading venture capital firms said this in a recent e-mail:

Whether its web design software, palm pilots, GPS based car maps, or CAD systems to design an addition to the house, the makers of these new tools must have a deep understanding of human behavior in addition to technical prowess. This requires multi-disciplinary approaches to design and creative thinking, which makes Leonardo and its community all the more relevant.

Any successful endeavor requires clarity about its mission and the means to articulate it in a way that engenders enthusiasm and support. The Leonardo mission has, up to this point, been the following:

• to make visible the work of artists involved with science and technology
• to foster collaboration between artists, scientists, engineers and scholars

A parallel goal was defined in 1982 when Leonardo created its parent organization ISAST, (the International Society for the Arts, Sciences & Technology):

• to serve the international art community by providing channels of communication for artists, scholars, technologists, scientists, educators, students and others

By 1970’s and even 1980’s standards, Leonardo has clearly been successful at its first objective. The rigor of the scientific method as applied to the arts in the way founder Frank Malina set out was enormously important in getting the world to take this new type of art and artist seriously.

As to the second stated goal articulated above; other than the limited autonomous efforts of the subscribing community, most of the collaboration within the Leonardo community has been fostered by the direct efforts of one person- Roger Malina. While these efforts have been remarkable, this "one to many" approach is extremely limiting and fails to take full advantage of the community and the tools that make it possible for "many to intact with many."

The world has changed drastically since Leonardo’s inception. The dominant paradigms driving change in the world today center around globalization, market economies and democratization. The symbolic metaphor and medium for this paradigm shift is the Internet. While the Internet is the result of a combination of computer and telecommunications technologies, its success as a revolutionary medium of exchange is due in large part to its interface- the Web. The Web is perhaps the most dynamic artistic medium of all time, and it involves anyone with access to a computer and a telephone. The Internet changes everything. All of this has one profound implication for Leonardo: The creative application of art, science and technology has gone mainstream.

The Web puts copies of anyone’s work or ideas in the hands of anyone who can find them, at any time they need. This accessibility is inspiring a contemporary renaissance- a rethinking of world views at grass roots levels. Traditional hierarchies of knowledge and expertise are falling by the wayside in favor of filters that connect an individual's demand for knowledge and experience in the timeframe they desire.

This has forever altered Leonardo’s unique position, and more than any other reason necessitates Leonardo’s reorganization. While Leonardo was an early adopter on the Web, has sponsored a numerous events and has worked with artists around the world, it remains outside the purview of many. The role the Journal has played as historical archivist puts Leonardo in a great position to the extent it can leverage that prestigious role in current activities. The market for historical archives is valuable but narrow. The market for contemporary insights and experiences, which are grounded along recognizable and decipherable lines, is very high. To place knowledge and experience in the context of an individual’s own social, physical and psychological environment is the most powerfully liberating thing one can do. Herein lies one of the real potential services of Leonardo as a virtual community- that is, the role of trustworthy guide, interpreter and filter, wherever art and technology intersect.

Warren Bennis, Author of Organizing Genius

While computer processing speed is generating exponential levels of information in every category of thought and experience, comparable advances in the means for extracting meaning from this onslaught of data have been slow. Those that have surfaced have been extraordinarily successful- i.e. search engines. Another important developing technology along these lines is collaborative filters.

In a UC Berkeley conference on collaborative filtering held in 1996, Paul Resnick of ATT Public Policy Research defined the term as:

Guiding people’s choices of what to read, what to look at, what to watch, what to listen to (the filtering part) and doing that guidance based on information gathered from some other people (the collaborative part).

Up to now, in the print Journal Leonardo has acted as a filter for the creative application of art, science and technology. Leonardo adds value by filtering what it learns from its community of artists, scholars and researchers and publishing its results. This is a service that deepens the relationship it has to this same community. As a result of this thirty year process it has accumulated a remarkable body of knowledge and a network of interdisciplinary experts. Yet it lacks dynamism. The potential for a deeper relationship is there, it just requires nurturing.

With the development of collaborative filtering software and other networking technologies and applications, Leonardo is now in a position to serve as an important link in the cross-disciplinary efforts of artists, scientists and technologists in fulfilling their natural need to find each other, support each other and work together. As they do this, they will provide information about what each other views as valuable- something that has heretofore been untraceable. Understanding what is valuable to a community is enormously empowering- individually and collectively. It is an instantaneous reinforcement system that informs you of what is going on with the rest of "your body." This allows you as an individual to adapt in a way that strengthens your own resolve and thus, that of the community to which you belong. It is literally a higher intelligence, and it breeds creativity. Here is where the law of networks kicks in:

Bob Metcalfe, inventor of Ethernet, is also known for his proposition known as "Metcalfe’s Law":

Where ‘n’ is a member of the Leonardo community with shared interests in art and technology, the value proposition rises dramatically. Think about accessing Leonardo’s book recommendation service where the community doing the recommending includes, people like Michael Naimark, Marvin Minsky, Esther Dyson, Ray Bradbury, Bruce Sterling, Sherry Turkle, the Leonardo Board, and thousands of others in multiple disciplines and geographies. If you start receiving insightful feedback on your own behavior, you’re going to want to check in often. Yet the real power of virtual communities like this one lies in their own self-productive behaviors. People are inventing their own content in ways they couldn’t have before. The most intriguing and profitable ventures are likely not included in this proposal. Rather they will evolve on their own accord as collaborative experiments. This may be part of the reason Yahoo! is claiming ownership of the individual content produced by Geocity community members as part of its acquisition of Geocities. As Denise Caruso of the NY Times likes to say:

Collaborative filtering software that learns the personal preferences and habits of a growing Leonardo community could completely re-shape the art and technology landscape. It has the potential to place Leonardo at the center of a movement already headed to the mainstream. At the same time it offers the potential for new revenue streams that could ensure its long-term viability.

Leonardo should continue to serve as a publishing vehicle of great import to the community of artists, scholars, and researchers. It should also become the leading collaborative filter for the greater art and technology universe by:

• pointing to resources
• interpreting data
• discerning critical patterns of development
• assessing, and in some cases, creating tools for comprehending and visualizing complex problems
• Setting the aesthetic standards of the contemporary renaissance

The challenge is to develop a broader audience that leverages the foundational work and interests of Leonardo’s core membership. One logical way to appeal to a broader audience is to employ streaming technologies.

Former NBC News President Lawerence Grossman:

If the past six months of mega-merger activity could be described in one word it would be this: bandwidth. Those without high bandwidth are acquiring those who have it. Those with high bandwidth are acquiring those who can employ it. Period. The US market is poised to benefit from all of this activity in the next year to eighteen months. As evidence of this trend, note the skyrocketing demand for DSL lines and cable modems. The issue then is how that bandwidth will be used.

Just as on-line publishing changed the nature of print journalism, so will on-line Webcasts change the nature of broadcast television. Micro-channels with agents that search the web for specialized content will appear. Producers of high quality content, from trustworthy, grassroots sources will offer new dimensions to the way news entertainment and information are distributed. The revolution will be televised. In fact it already is. Just ask companies like Real Networks, Broadcast.com and any x-rated Website producer.

The first to have use of these new broadband networks are businesses and universities. Major communications portals will be eager to demonstrate their new capabilities to these audiences by gearing up for delivery of broadcast quality Web content via broadband connections to the Internet. Here is where Leonardo may leverage its strength as both a filter and broadcaster- i.e. by choosing people and content from within its knowledge and experience base that would appeal to a broader audience and then turning it into audio and video Webcasts. If it can mobilize a network of experts for this effort from among its international community, Leonardo has a chance to draw investment funds from infrastructure partners for necessary development costs.

In light of the discussion above, the original mission of the Journal should be amended as follows:

• to make visible and intelligible the work of artists involved with science and technology for a broad international audience
• to foster collaboration between artists, scientists, and technologists by creating and supporting venues for exchange, demonstration and practical application of their work.
• to become the premier collaborative filter and aesthetic guide to the art and technology universe

Leonardo has four specific audiences that overlap.

• The Leonardo 2,000: The funders and shapers of culture- museums/art centers, companies, other publishers, broadcasters
• The Leonardo 20,000: Artists, scientists, technologists, who are creatively applying science and technology and who desire interaction and support from a community of peers.
• The Leonardo 200,000: Learning and research communities- especially the university and post - graduate body of faculty, students and researchers in the arts and sciences
• The Leonardo 2 million: A broader audience who has in some way evidenced an interest in the intersection of art, science and technology.
• Leonardo New Minds: Here the resources developed above are filtered through the lens and perspective of youth. (See discusion in Endowment Section)

The source of content for these audiences will be fairly consistent; its presentation, however, will vary depending on the particular audience. Within each subset, the central goal for Leonardo should be to become the premier art and technology editor and filter...the aesthetic and material judge of what to pay attention to.

For Leonardo the organization, a broader audience translates into more attention and more resources. Yet to make the work of artists involved with science and technology more accessible to a broader audience, it has to be intelligible. Leonardo must get good at articulating what it is that artists are doing, with examples of real applications within a historical context. The recent article on Ken Goldberg’s Leonardo book in Time Digital (March 8, 1999) is a perfect example of the kind of intelligible communication Leonardo needs to engage in.

In order to attract and retain the attention of these broader audiences and to harness their creative potential in a virtual community, Leonardo must support their needs. This will require resources. In order to begin attracting the resources necessary to reach these audiences, it must begin articulating its promise (brand) in a way that resonates with a wider audience.

Before attempting to identify a specific brand identity, it is useful to describe what a brand really is. Landor Associates suggests the following:

a brand is a promise...a pledge of satisfaction and quality

a brand is a unifier...of an entire enterprise

a brand is a connector between organization and individual

a brand is a personality...unique in values, psychology and soul

a brand is an experience...the sum of every touchpoint between an organization and its audience

While its articulation may be improved, Leonardo’s promise is a simple one:

As a measure of strength, Landor Associates offers these tenets in evaluating:

Timeless- in for the long haul, strategic

Travel- transcends categories and boundaries

True- maintains a core set of principles

Strong Personality- has a point of view, puts a stake in the ground, has a style, an attitude, a look and feel

Reinvents a category- proactive not reactive

Has emotional leverage- controls visual and verbal expressions

One of the first actions to take, once funding/resources are established is to hire a professional brand consultant. Leonardo should pay meticulous attention toward creating and reinforcing a unified branding strategy that creates familiarity among its properties.

The following section lays, out a logical architectural framework for Leonardo’s Web presence given the mission stated above, the brand name it will put forward, and the target audiences it is seeking to reach.

(See Chart: http:www.beaming.com/leonardo/bpchart1.html)

The Website is where Leonardo can redefine itself most visibly and quickly to both strengthen the relationship it has with its existing audience and to make itself relevant to a broader audience.

The Website should have six levels of depth and function (defined below) that differ depending on the specific Leonardo audience it is targeting. The basic flow of work and activities can be thought of as a pyramid, where the universe of activities and interests is widest at its foundation and where the focused efforts and ripest opportunities unfold at the top.

The result is a seamless integration of print and web that scales upward to meet the interests and needs of an overlapping audience. ( See Pyramid Chart 1)

The overall strategy can be thought of sequentially in the following manner:

1) Generate traffic and gather data on the members of its audience and community. This is the function of the homepage called- Leonardo Lives. In conjunction with a strong branding strategy, Leonardo Lives sends a message that a modern renaissance is in the making centered around the creative application of science and technology. Critical to this movement is the need to rethink the way the world works from diverse perspectives. Leonardo serves as a trusted guide in the process. Leonardo Lives is the central gateway to all of the Leonardo content.

2) Support individual needs for resources for those members of the audience and community that want more. Journals, books, music, video, archives, bibliographies, searchable databases etc., in one place. This is the function of the section called Leonardo Learns.

3) Support collaboration among the creative members of audience/community- those that are building something- a project, an exhibition, a work of art. Give them information about themselves, a database of people working in diverse disciplines united by art. Who are they, what equipment/tools are they using, show exemplary work, present role models, and historical parallels. Act as a filter and a broker in their quest for people, products and services in the field. Let them contact each other based on what they need or are interested in. This is the function of the section called Leonardo Collaborates.

4) Offer expert advice to the shapers of 21st century culture- cultural and corporate organizations who demand insightful, fresh and stimulating perspectives with respect to their relationship to developing technologies. In return for sponsorship fees, it offers expertise in creative, innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to key issues, emerging developments, access to experts and a finger on the pulse of this world This is the function of the section called Leonardo Consults.

Provide consulting services, insight into the creative use of science and technology,

5) Act as a digital clearinghouse and incubate selected people and projects. Connect creators of culture (artists, scientist and technologists) with funders of culture using a database of projects, artworks, and installations.. Support institutional needs (i.e.. the funders of culture) for resources and investment. This is the function of the section called Leonardo Creates.

This model has three keys to success which will be elaborated on below:

a) Traffic Partners

b) Multiple business opportunities

c) Upsell- integration of print, web, all resources that scales upward to meet the varying needs/interests of the community.

( http:www.beaming.com/leonardo/bpchart4.html)

In reviewing the following section please refer to the Web Design Chart on the next page as an example of how Leonardo’s Web presence could be organized.

Leonardo Lives should be aimed at the widest audience possible within the art, science and technology space. (The Leonardo 2 million) As such it needs a primary Web address that is easy to remember, outside the MIT Press server, or with a pointer to the MIT Press server within the site.

The Internet portal concept, where a site becomes a launching pad to the Internet for millions of people and revenues are generated through banner advertising is faltering in favor of a transaction-based "community of commerce" model. In fact, the value of the information about transactions probably has eclipsed the value of the goods and services being transacted. Here a more targeted approach to commerce is taken centered around the communities own unique values. Advertisements and services are chosen accordingly where high levels of affinity exist. With accurate traffic patterns, demographic information and a growing population of users, it will be much easier to generate targeted advertising and transactional revenue from Leonardo publications.

A June 20, 1999 CommerceNet survey provides strong support for this "community of interest" transactional based model for Leonardo’s Website. Through registration marketing Leonardo can learn about demographic and personal preferences directly from the user. Through data mining marketing Leonardo can find data, publications, services, etc. that match these preferences. Traffic patterns should be tracked closely to determine interest in various areas of the site. Ideas for new content, products and services should be based on this real data. Through interactive communication based marketing Leonardo allows its users to evaluate and comment on the information and services brought to the users attention or recommended. (See Appendix F.)

The Commercenet survey also suggests certain types of services are likely to be well received within a community like Leonardo including: personalized pages, award points, interest matching and recommendation, user evaluation and feedback, and mailing list services.

Leonardo Lives should provide a wide offering of content in digest form with links to deeper content. The content necessary to appeal to a larger audience is already there, it just needs to be presented in a more embracing manner with manic attention to navigation. Content could include highlights of articles, news, and calendar events, an image from one of the galleries. A hypertext bar on the left immediately connects you to the most heavily trafficked sections of the site, (from Web-based metric system) regardless of what level the user is at. The key is to provide this audience with a visually compelling, interesting and easy to navigate jumping off point, incentives for registration, affinity services and feedback channels.

Advertising would take the form of sponsorships- with three of four sponsors, Leonardo can generate enough revenue to fund the on-going development and maintenance costs of the Website.

Most of our content and services should be free. Great incentives should be given for joining the community. Membership and registration should be free but require that the visitor provide demographic information. Fees would apply to certain aspects of the site such as the archive and will be discussed in turn below.

The primary function of Leonardo Learns is to support individual needs for resources for those members of the audience and community that want more.

The Leonardo 200,000: Learning and research communities-

1. the university and post - graduate body of faculty, students and researchers in the arts and sciences, AND 2) research and product
2. development
3. centers like Interval and PARC, and research and product development divisions of companies like Intel and Microsoft.

Leonardo Learns provides resources in a number of mediums- journals, books, videos, audio etc., but also be backed by a state of the art searchable database. Leonardo Learns can be organized around a metaphor like "the virtual campus" to appeal to the audience described above, yet this might be too limiting. Perhaps a thinktank would be a more dynamic model.

The interface here might have an image from one of the Leonardo book covers, hyperlinked to the store, where more info on the book is located and e-commerce site is established. Other mediums could be found in a similar way. The key here is easy navigation.

The store found within Leonardo Learns (but also linked from the front page) is where we sell all Leonardo publications as well as other publications and resources recommended by Leonardo. Bibliographies organized around topic areas should be connected to the store. Non-Leonardo published books, videos, and CD’s for example may be offered through an Amazon Associates Program. Software might be offered in a similar way through another vendor/partner like Beyond.com. Eventually Leonardo may be able to secure better pricing from these vendors for the community which could be an added benefit to members.

According to a recent study of e-commerce by CommerceNet and InfoCom Research, Inc., customers with high potential for E-commerce enjoy novelty and have strong self-determination. The strongest correlation of characteristics are presented from left to right:

Source:

Electronic Commerce (EC) Marketing From The Viewpoint of the Community of Commerce

Report on Activity in the Customer Centric Electronic Commerce Marketing Project June 24, 1999 Sawako Nohara, InfoCom Research, Inc.

Without the benefit of better demographic information on the Leonardo Community, it may only be inferred that these characteristics are prevalent within its universe.

The audio and video sections of Leonardo Learns could be sponsored by an infrastructure partner like Real Audio who enables our streaming video sources. This could include Leonardo sanctioned videos, music, documentaries, lectures. An increasing number of competitors/collaborators already have streaming audio and video capabilities. As Leonardo was quick to the Web, it should be quick to streaming. This is the future of the Web. A streaming service for our community could also serve as an early testing ground for the creation of broadcast quality films on artists, their work and their impact on society. As Craig Harris and Lynn Hershman noted in interviews, Leonardo has the contacts and knowledge base to do this. It is relevant to see what the Discovery Channel has done on their site: http:www.//discovery.com. As Leonardo’s brand evolves and it develops the Leonardo Channel into a viable Webcast medium, it should explore a partnership relationship with the Discovery Channel. Leonardo could be to creativity what the Discovery Channel is to exploration, or what the Nature Company is to nature.

Leonardo’s institutional subscriber list includes 304 top universities throughout the world. The list is incredibly deep and broad. It ranges from Stanford, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon to the University of Hong Kong, Cambridge and the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Concerted marketing efforts with specific services and products aimed at this market could make this a highly valuable channel. Here are a few ways it might do so:

Leonardo could partner with existing virtual and physical universities and act as an education broker for courses from basic html and PhotoShop at local learning centers to physics and robotics classes at universities. This increases the value of Leonardo as a center and offers us potential referral fees. Once the archive is on-line and connected to the print on demand service, a package of articles defined by the user could be delivered to teachers for the classroom. This is perhaps one of the first of many products and services that may be offered for the new market of educators in art/science/technology. Lynn Hershman noted in a recent interview that bi-yearly projects via satellite across the world could give Leonardo more presence in this arena. As broadband becomes more viable, streaming lectures may also become doable. Leonardo should be ready with a stable of articulate experts who can offer real-time assessments of developing issues and archived content that becomes relevant to any number of people at different times in different time zones.

Professors should be able to easily fashion their own teaching modules from a combination of Leonardo resources- i.e. a series of articles from the journal archive printed on demand, books, lectures on tape, recommended bibliographies, etc.. This is also a way to extend the Leonardo brand into the University audience in a way that supports rather than competes with their own efforts. At some point Leonardo might also recommend curriculum and sanction individualized degrees with the Leonardo primatur, but that would come at a later date, depending on the actual use of our education broker services and further market analysis.

A potential partner or model in delivering Leonardo content is Unext.com. (http://www.unext.com) Starting with Columbia University, this group has now added Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon, the London School of Economics, and the University of Chicago to the roster of business schools that will provide course materials for corporate learners.

The school will offer a la carte selections over corporate intranets, to provide lifelong business learning opportunities to any qualified employee. The first courses will go online this fall, and the first customer is IBM . IBM's Lotus LearningSpace product line will be the technology platform. Within a year UNext plans to be offering a complete accredited MBA. Students can do the work at their own pace, from home or office, and can select specialty items that relate directly to their work, regardless of degree plans.

One of the most important assets Leonardo has its 30 year archive. All of the back issues through 1993 were scanned by Xerox PARC in an experimental database management and print-on-demand project it was developing. PARC is currently translating all of these files to PDF format to be viewed on the Web. A higher resolution archive will be available that will allow the user to order high quality print versions of any articles. For instance, a professor could search the archive for articles on kinetic art, have them bound in one volume together for a class on the subject. The current plan is to make the entire archive available via the LEA Website, searchable by title, author or keyword. However, since LEA is a subscription based site, it would potentially present two different access restrictions. A user would come to the LEA site; be asked for the username and password; then if they went into the archive, they'd have to be checked again, unless the LEA subscription price included full access to the archive. This would not be palatable to web visitors. Navigation should be designed for easy, uncomplicated access to content, especially if fees are involved.

The entire Leonardo archive (Website, print Journal, LEA etc.) should be presented in one place and searchable by keyword. Search results should show summary of information, with appropriate links. Perhaps one fully displayed article per visitor could be free to encourage traffic, but all other non-web content should be on a subscription and/or pay per view basis.

MIT Press has suggested that Leonardo use its CogNet technology as the unifying force for presentation of all Leonardo/LEA/LMJ etc. content. It is data base backed, has places for a variety of content, membership services etc., that can encourage collaboration between the Leonardo community. Tailoring it for Leonardo would require an additional outside contractor, at Leonardo’s expense. Any Web designer hired to revise the Leonardo Website in the manner described in this section would also have to become intimately familiar with CogNet’s proprietary system. Also future changes to the system would be subject to MIT’s time and resource constraints. Leonardo would be better off in the long run if it created its own proprietary knowledge capture system, especially if strategic infrastructure partners can be found.

As to the issue of fees for access to the archive- the average amount 9 key people were willing to pay for such access according to a beaming survey was $63. (See Appendix H).

By way of comparison, JSTOR, an on-line store specializing in history, economics, political science, and environmental journals is offering a small number of back issues of journals and selling them as a database to libraries. Some of these publishers are currently offering their journal subscribers access to the electronic back issues of their journal in JSTOR for an additional fee above the regular

subscription (or membership) fee. The William & Mary Quarterly, for example,

is offering access to the back run for an additional $50 on the membership fee.

This is the recommended strategy with higher fees charged to library subscribers.

There are several opportunities for revenue streams on this part of the Website:

1) Fees from Leonardo books, journals, archives, print on demand articles, etc.

2) In the partnerships established with companies where we offer non-Leonardo products, Leonardo should take a small fee from every transaction. This is in fact how the Amazon Associates Program works,

3) Referral fees from education partners

4) Advertising revenues

Level 3. Leonardo Collaborates

Leonardo Collaborates is where the community comes together to share ideas, resources, information on jobs, and equipment. It allows individuals to deposit and retrieve each others profile, resume, artist statement, etc.. Perhaps most importantly it has the most comprehensive database of completed current projects anywhere- exhibits, works, Websites, technologies, innovations, studies, etc.. This should be the glue in the Leonardo Website- where its community wants to stick.. It serves as a kind of clearinghouse for digital culture, filtered by the premier aesthetic and material lens of art and technology- Leonardo.

The Leonardo 20,000: Artists, scientists, technologists, who are creatively applying science and technology and who desire interaction and support from a community of peers.

First and foremost, Leonardo must be an open source of information and data on its own community. The focus here is on people. Selected profiles of artists are regularly highlighted, with examples of work, their photo, an audio clip of their voice- anything to convey the human side of this community. Leonardo should create great incentives for the community to reveal itself. By designing well thought out feedback mechanisms it may define templates representing key relationships to people and the knowledge base they represent. Many companies are now producing integrated software management systems that "profile data," At the same time, "profiles of consumers of data" are created and linked. This creates numerous opportunities for leveraging the collective experience and knowledge of human resources within communities. Here are a few examples of what these linked profiles can offer- new timely information relevant to the individual user:

Looking for a speaker? click here

Looking for a specialist with a big picture view? click here

Looking for an event to inspire creativity? click here

Looking for help in defining curriculum or conference content? click here

looking for Leonardo talent? click here

Leonardo Collaborates should become the starting point for anyone in multiple disciplines who want to know what is going on, in the creative application of science and technology. It could also function as

a) a service for artists looking for clients

b) a service for companies looking for artists

c) event producers looking for new media artworks

d) cultural centers looking for exhibits

In essence it should become the premier venue for seeking and finding people with shared interests.

There are a number of excellent collaborative filtering products available now to build powerful networked, and profile-driven applications. The goal is to make systems smart enough to really know you as an individual and make recommendations based on the rest of the communities common interests. Collaborative filtering can streamline research, improve retrieval precision, aid in the selection of books, videos, music etc., even bookmarks. It means giving quality decisions over to the community rather than the publisher. Users have complete control over how personal information is used and are password protected.

The challenge once a system is established is reaching critical mass; that is, getting enough recommendations to ultimately generate statistically meaningful predictions.

Companies to resource include:

Firefly: (http://www.firefly.com)

Movie Finder: (http://www.moviefinder.com)

Alexa: (http://www.alexa.com)

Net Perceptions: (http://www.netperceptions.com)

A recent SF Chronicle story estimated that there are 160,000 unfilled technology based job opportunities in the Bay Area alone. According to a study by A.T. Kearney and Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, the cost of getting and training the workforce in Silicon Valley is at least $3 billion each year, The study concluded that not enough workers in the Bay area have skills that meet the needs of local employers, Costs are attributed to training, to the relocation of employees and to losses in productivity, as well as costs to recruit and hire in the competitive marketplace.

According to a June 28, 1999 Wichita Business Journal article entitled Small business: The economy’s creative spark, in the U.S. "...companies with fewer than 100 employees produce 85 percent of the new jobs. Those with fewer than 500 employees generate 100 percent of the new jobs." These companies should find such a service extremely valuable as they increasingly turn to telecommuting for solutions.

There is a new generation of artists of interest to companies and research labs because of their role as innovators and technical inventors. (Christa Sommerer Jaron Lanier, Lynn Hershman,, Brenda Laurel etc..

The demand for talent could be alleviated with the aid of reliable broadband networks that allow for face to face interaction between contracting parties. Leonardo should actively seek to support the development of free agent consulting in which services can be delivered on a project basis via the Internet.

An individual Leonardo Collaborates community member could activate a talent and service search by noting such on his personal profile. Once activated, they would begin to receive summaries of searches for talent and expertise tailored to their interests from organizations seeking the same. Employers paying fees would be able to access the database of CV/resumes (searchable by keyword) and initiate contact directly.

Revenue

For most of its activities in this regard, Leonardo should outsource this service to an on-line search company like Monster.com (http://www.monster.com). While fees will be lower, it will obviate the need for a large staff. By providing referrals and leads in exchange for fees, Leonardo offers a search company access to a highly educated and creative community.

However, as a premium service, Leonardo could filter the database, and qualify candidates for its own network of clients who are looking for particular expertise and qualifications. By qualifying candidates, Leonardo adds its name and reputation to the mix, for which it should be compensated for.

Leonardo’s specialty as a "qualifier" in this arena would be finding "innovative artists." Depending on its success in this regard Leonardo could potentially act as a kind of agent representing a selective, high profile group of new media artists with diverse intellectual property expertise. Clients would contract artists for "unique engagements and Leonardo would earn a broker fee for bringing the parties together." Example talent and service arrangements could include:

Speaking engagements

Content development/creation for others

Critiquing/testing new technologies

Arranging Exhibitions

Note: Leonardo/Rhizome collaboration service (http://www.rhizome.com/leonardo)

Leonardo@Rhizome is a an on-line service already in place that allows Leonardo/ISAST members to post and receive announcements to set up collaborations and to find help or assistance for their projects and research. All submissions are reviewed for suitability and edited for distribution. Submissions by persons who are not members of Leonardo/ISAST are not considered.

Level 4. Leonardo Consults

Leonardo should create a consultancy service called Leonardo Consults that places it squarely into the space occupied by the Institute for the Future (IFF) and the Global Business Network (GBN). It would be a high end service to organizations here and abroad that leverages the reputation and quality of the Journal. As opposed to a future focus (IFF) or a business scenario focus (GBN) Leonardo would concentrate on creativity and innovation in the application of science and technology . With some of the brightest minds as,

advisors or consultants, including Nobel prize winners, authors and scholars, Leonardo has an opportunity to fashion a credible business in this category and the potential to generate very meaningful revenue streams.

In essence what Leonardo Consults would offer or sell is expertise in creative, innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to key issues.

Areas of specialty could include:

1) Visualization of complex problems; assessing, and in some cases, creating tools for comprehending and visualizing complex problems

2) emerging technologies: an early warning system for scientific and

technological developments, how they intersect and impact other fields of development

3) international perspective on tech and science culture; localization

4) pattern recognition and observatory- signposts on the road

5) technology and tool analysis- beta testing

6) aesthetic guidelines in the application of technology and science

7) socio-cultural impact of new innovation and technology

8) stretching the limits and boundaries of new technologies

GBN and IFTF provide great examples of the kinds of products Leonardo Consults could generate for selected sponsors. Examples include:

a. white papers & other publications

b. customized research

c. archives and databases

d. a strong interdisciplinary network leveraged by the Web.

d. an annual event (New Minds) with adjoining conference on creativity and innovation

e. structured workshops for individual clients

f. a monthly media package (CD ROM, books, videos etc.) intended to spark creativity and demonstrate examples of the creative application of science and technology within the Leonardo aesthetic.

The institutional makeup up of Leonardo’s subscriber base (586 organizations) creates a firm foundation with which to launch this service and a instantaneous marketing channel. (See Appendix H for a sample cross-section of our institutional subscriber base). More important than the number is the nature of these subscribing organizations. See Appendix

Leonardo should have a ready network of experts who can offer insights into their particular disciplines (i.e. talk the same language) while putting things in a holistic perspective. Thomas L. Friedman, in his book Lexus & The Olive Tree, notes that the trend in universities and think tanks is ever-narrowing specialization, yet this is not adequate:

We have to learn not only to have specialists but also people whose specialty is to spot the strong interactions and the entanglements for the difference dimensions, and then take a crude look at the whole.

As broadband becomes a reality, Leonardo could provide real-time access to a network of experts in multiple disciplines that interpret trends and developments from an integrated perspective. While this capability will not come over night, a strategic move in this direction will be heavily rewarded, especially if the infrastructure costs can be underwritten..

All of the levels of the Website previously described will contribute to the success of Leonardo Consults. The stronger Leonardo’s relationship is to its community of artists, scientists and technologists, the more dynamic its knowledge and resource repository becomes. These kind of synergies will directly translate into insights that may be shared with others.

Leonardo Consults should be broadly known as a repository for creative interdisciplinary approaches to key issues. This could be catalyzed by organizing a conference on creativity in technology & science or a summer camp for the industry. (See Marketing Plan Section) As Marci Reichelstein said, "show them the raw creativity that places like Adobe, Macromedia Lucas Film and Xerox PARC appreciates." This is a natural way for Leonardo to reach out to the business and R&D community. At the same time, it creates new doors of entry for its endowment campaign.

Michael Naimark

SF Gate Interview Nov. 1998

Audience: Many executives actively look for content outside their own disciplines to spark creative, fresh thinking. A good example was the Bionomics Conference organized by Michael Rothchild which focused on the application of biology to economic theory. Its attendees represented a wide range of disciplines which, on the surface, had nothing to do with either biology or economics. This is the same audience subscribing to the GBN Book Club, where subject matter ranges from poetry to physics.

Leonardo Consults should devote much of its early efforts soliciting international sponsors. There are several reasons for this:

1) The US is viewed as the leading innovative source of new technology and technology applications,

2) Leonardo’s San Francisco base and its solid reputation for excellence as a qualifying filer for the creative application of science and technology are key marketing tenets of its consulting service.

3) International markets are less entrenched with more room for growth.

At the same time, with subscribers in 44 countries and deep connections to Europe and its cultural centers, Leonardo is also in a prime position to advise US based organizations on the creative application of science and technology in culturally diverse parts of the world.

in the July, 1999 issue of New Media Magazine, artist and co-chair of the ISEA Cultural Diversity Committee Cynthia Rubin, noted that globalization gives Americans an opportunity to gain from the experience of those in other countries, as well as to be less insular. In this same article she asks this fundamental question, one that will become more and more central to US based organizations when the Internet is predominantly occupied by people from the rest of the world:

The best globalization strategy as one which comes form a bi-directional traffic in ideas between US and international organizations. With the right infrastructure and human resources in place, Leonardo should take this into consideration in its branding decisions. Also, working with other localization partners like language translation companies, Website designers and software companies should be explored.

Translation partners could greatly strengthen our efforts at deepening international relationships. One potential partner might be Alta Vista which has one of the more popular translation services on the Web. but one that has problems with technical terms. Louise Poissant’s new media dictionary project (new media terms translated into multiple languages), may be of great interest to them in a potential collaboration. Leonardo could have a direct link to Alta Vista; a user could click on the link to translate selected articles in exchange for referral fees. (Alta Vista was recently acquired by CMGI who will pump in at leat $50 million for marketing in the coming year).

Building localization into Leonardo’s Web-content strategy could cost anywhere between 5-30 % of the total Web restructuring budget according to some experts. This is, therefore, a key area in which to find an infrastructure partner. Other relevant sites to consider in this process are:

Organic Online which provides a turnkey solution (http://www.organic.com)

Berlitz (http://www.berlitz.com)

TransImage (http:www.transimage.com)

Leonardo Creates is a clearinghouse for digital culture. By creating a database for the creators

of culture (artists, scientist and technologists), Leonardo Creates could act as a knowledge channel for funders of culture. This can be done in two ways: 1) the culture center, and 2) the incubator

Here the database is categorized by project, artwork or installation. Leonardo’s thirty year

archive is the foundation for this database. Supplemented by strategic relationships arranged with major cultural centers (i.e. ARS Electronica, ICC, Banff) and the real-time functionality of Leonardo Collaborates, this database should be near-encyclopedic in scope.

a) Artists can deposit descriptions of individual projects, artworks and/or installations with technical and financial requirements.

b) Member cultural organizations and companies can search the database for projects, artworks and/or installations

b) Event/Exhibition organizers can post information about exhibits and make calls for submissions which Leonardo would e-mail to the list of artists.

d) Artists can search for exhibiting venues.

Leonardo could also facilitate co-operative funding arrangements among funders of culture. For instance, if could send notices to other members that certain projects were partially funded but dependant on full funding for go-ahead.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Artist Project

Bruce Sterling Viridian Catalogue Potential Sponsor: Sharper Image

a sharper image type catalogue showing off yet to be made environmental gadgets.

Paul Mlyniec- Art Forms Potential Sponsor: SGI

innovative VR painting sculpting medium in need of investment capital.

bean Jamodrum Potential Sponsor: Sony

an interactive, collaborative drum with visuals that display according to drum rhythms of the participants.. to be the main exhibit in the section of the Experience Music Project museum in Seattle.

Natalie Jeremijenko One Tree Potential Sponsor: SF Public Library

a genetic cloning project where 100 identical tree clones are planted around the Bay are and tracked for environmental impact. A computer analog to each tree measures change in real time.

Danny Hillis The Long Now Potential Sponsor: Intel

a prototype clock intended to survive for 10,000 years. The clock will stand four stories and be set into a desert mountain. An adjoining library will archive time through various media.

Char Davies Ephemere Potential Sponsor: Zeum

a fully immersive virtual environment with head-mounted display and directional breathing sensor used to navigate a translucent 3-D space with man and nature as metaphor. A new experience of cinema.

Sony Metreon- a state of the art 350,000 square feet technology showcase building and complex that includes an IMAX theater, cinema, theme attractions and shopping mall. The Metreon will house exhibits, lectures, special events etc..

ZEUM- an interactive children’s museum that produces workshops, seminars and camps for kids 8-18.

Intel- semiconductor company with vast holdings and investments in content companies and infrastructures. They also sponsor a large music festival in New York, among many other events.

ICC- With the theme "communications" as its central axis, NTT Intercommunications Center (ICC) is a center that seeds and conceptualizes a prosperous future society by promoting dialogue between art and science.

City of Graz Austria- Hosting a millenium expo with interactive exhibits, works of art, seminars and concerts.

University of Berkeley- Professor Shawn Brixey actively seeks guest lecturers for his Digital Media Program and will organize a conference next year on Net Art. In both cases he will seek AST. He will also be seeking sponsorships for the conference.

SF Main Public Library- Opened several years ago, it actively sought artists work including sculptures, murals, paintings etc...

_____________________________________________________________________________

Leonardo Creates could also facilitate the development of collaborative on-line art projects. Endowed Leonardo Prizes could help fund such collaborations and provide a way to bring together some groundbreaking experts in various disciplines (i.e. audio, video, Web, virtual reality, telecommunications etc..) A good example of this is Mark Amerika’s recent PHON:E:ME project. Describing this work in a July 2 Rhizome article he states:

Leonardo Collaborates should use collaborative on-line art projects as a primary tool in solidifying its community. It should be the place to create and experience leading edge work in an open source environment. This is also prime content for the Leonardo Channel and supports the need for streaming capabilities. Finally, Leonardo Collaborates could be a source for syndicated content, acting as a broker for on-line media created by community members.

Syndicated content-

In order to generate more traffic Leonardo is experimenting with syndicating some of its content. In two instances thus far, free-lance writers are taking Leonardo material and writing articles that appeal to specific market segments. In the case of Odyssey Magazine, the science magazine for teenagers, content on space and art is being assembled into a 1500 word print article while retaining the right to sell the article elsewhere. In the case of Europe On-line, the product is a 500 word web article with links and images to be submitted once a month. The same developed content could be sold to other publications. Depending on the results of these experiments, Leonardo could potentially add a permanent staff member whose role would be to generate and fulfill these kinds of opportunities. If the operation can be modestly profitable, it will serve as a self-funded marketing tool to generate new subscribers and community members.

Lending the Leonardo brand/content in this form is also something Leonardo can use to strengthen its relationship with corporate partners, especially smaller tech companies who need branded content.

isyndicate formats and automatically updates audience specific, customized Web content that you choose and integrate it into your site’s existing design. Examples of content include articles, stock tickers, calculators, news feeds. It can be customized for time sensitive, event-specific news and information. All content can be pre-approved from a secure site before it goes live on the site. They also track usage and site traffic. Pricing starts at $500 per month so isyndicate is clearly focused at the business market. Yet one of its major content categories included "earth and science" and "technology."

Individual submissions of projects, artworks and/or installations would be free of charge to user community. Once a submission is made, these users are free to search the database. Member funders of culture (cultural institutions and companies) pay an annual fee to search the database. To reach a critical mass of paying organizations, Leonardo Creates could offer free access for a limited period of time to the top ten centers of culture creation in exchange for getting their institutional support. (i.e. ICC, Ars Electonica, Banff).

With the rapid development of new technologies and new media forms of communication and presentation, artists are finding themselves at the center of the new businesses and professions. Artists often find themselves to be "early adopters" of new tools, stretching these technologies for new artist driven applications. In some cases artists have developed new products that have been successfully commercialized. Many of these businesses fall within the category of micro-enterprises; others have become successful small and larger start-up businesses.

The second dimension to Leonardo Creates is the virtual incubator. The most relevant models to point to are Interval Research and Garage.com (See competitive Analysis Section. Leonardo’s incubator would be different. Rather than being confined to a singular physical space and culture where a group of experts are brought in to develop new tool and application breakthroughs, Leonardo Creates pays special attention to what is already out there being developed. Rather than develop something for a particular target audience, it matches existing tools and application prototypes with existing markets. Both the universe of creators and the universe of users is infinite in such a model. Having said that, the immediate and specific audience to pay attention to is the faculty and student population at universities- an audience to which Leonardo has direct channels.

It’s no coincidence that some of our most explosive technology companies had their roots in university settings- think Hewlett & Packard, David Filo and Jerry Yang and the Stanford connection.. A programmer from the Supercomputing Center at the University of Illinois named Marc Andreeson used his understanding of the Mosaic browser to create Netscape. UC Berkeley Professor Eric Brewer and graduate student Paul Gauthier co-founded Inktomi, a company with software that searches the Internet. Ask Jeeves, a start-up company brought to the attention of the New Minds lecture series audience two years ago recently went public and now has a market value of $1.5 billion. A 5 percent equity stake in Ask Jeeves would now be worth $75 million. A 5 percent equity stake in Inktomi is now worth $320 million. A 5 percent stake in Yahoo! is now worth over $2 billion! Not surprisingly, Stanford and the UC Berkeley both now have established formalized programs to turn theories into commercial applications.

By paying close attention to the projects and developments emanating from universities in its network, it is quite possible that Leonardo Creates can find a few dynamic opportunities. By creating a vehicle for finding these opportunities and supporting them by connecting them with proper resources, it may earn equity stakes in these ventures. If only one of ten or twenty funded opportunities from its worldwide network turns into a modest success, Leonardo could easily self-fund all of its present and planned activities for another thirty years. Perhaps instead of seeking grants it will be passing them out in the future.

While hardware and software infrastructure companies have been the early beneficiaries of the Computer revolution, the next big innovations will be making the huge amount of content posted to the Web relevant and accessible to its worldwide population of users. This will require a deep understanding of culture, creativity in communication and eloquent design. This is where the Leonardo community can be a great resource. Again, each of the Leonardo Website levels contributes to a knowledge and relationship repository that provides early intelligence on such future developments. To capture such intelligence, Leonardo Creates must either hire or partner with experts well-versed in evaluating the opportunities it comes across.

When innovative, technologies and applications with high commercial potential surface from within the Leonardo network, they are reviewed by the Leonardo Creates team. However, before selected projects are presented in front of potential investors, they must survive an intensive screening process. Depending on the scope of the project, this could include the development of a business plan, demos, presentations, trade-marking/patent processing, intellectual property analysis etc.. Leonardo Creates assists in all of this with the help of strategic partners. This includes experts in the fields of intellectual property, marketing, publishing, accounting, legal, investor development, engineering, business and web development and venture capital.

For the entrepreneurial artist, scientist or technologist (AST) Leonardo Creates offers help in obtaining seed level financing. This is its primary objective. By partnering with venture experts who would have the first opportunity to look at these opportunities, AST’s have access to expert advice, research, reference materials, topical Forums and other valuable networking and development resources to help them launch and grow their startup project. Leonardo would assist in the development process and help focus more time building his or her project.

For funders, Leonardo Creates would identify and provide pre-screened, high-quality AST's and project opportunities that match the funders identified interests. These opportunities are presented in a uniform format that helps them evaluate AST projects quickly and easily. Additionally, members have access to a broad community of funders who straddle the art science and technology world, enabling them to work together as they identify and qualify AST opportunities.

Important sources of support for both AST’s and funders could include the following:

Legal , Recruiting & Talent Search , Free Mailing Lists , Events, E-commerce Store , News & Reference , Periodicals , Web Development Resources & Referrals, Recommended Associations & Organizations

AST’s become members with benefits by paying modest application fees. In exchange for substantial membership fees, sponsors get the first look at what does survive the rigorous process. Entrepreneurs also give up equity stakes or licensing royalties to Leonardo if a project gets funded, thus providing it with self-funded high risk, high reward investments.

Leonardo must re-evaluate its own approach, including its own editorial and design philosophies with these new global realities in mind.

While the Journal’s circulation has not grown, the community of people in this field of endeavor has grown substantially (prove). It is important to redress this situation for it has direct and immediate impact on future organizational strategy and the bottom line. For every new subscription sold, Leonardo receives 50 % of the income.

Leonardo Author Survey (See Appendix G )

A survey completed by twenty-seven Leonardo authors over the past couple of years revealed the following:

• Over half of authors were not subscribers to the Journal- many said they read it through a library subscription
• Top three rated sections of the Journal in order: Artist Articles, Sound, Music, Science & Technology Articles, and the General Articles

The top three suggestions on improving the Journal according to a survey of our authors were:

1 Reduce price for individuals

2 Prefer less text/more illustrations

3 Improve visual appearance

Interestingly, whenever MIT Press has done special marketing promotions through direct mail, its response rate has been very poor. Two exceptions seem to be mailings to subscribers of Design Quarterly and Design Issues. In both years that promotions were sent to this audience, Leonardo had close to statistically average response rates:

Quantity # Of Orders % Response

Design Issues

1994 363 7 1.9

1997 145 2 1.4

1994 1066 15 1.4

1997 693 10 1.4

Targeted promotions to these and other design communities should be increased, especially following a redesign of the Journal. Also, since design is an underlying theme of Leonardo Consults, deep relationships with the design community is desired.

Leonardo should also continue to push its marketing campaigns toward institutional subscribers. These are the most lucrative and the most well received audience it has. A 1998 MIT Press marketing survey found a 28% acceptance rate for those that actually reviewed the Journal. 29 percent of those who failed to subscribe cited internal funding problems, yet only 1 percent felt that the price was to high. This indicates that there is upward price elasticity here.

The beaming survey revealed a unanimous consensus to redesign the Journal. Current decisions as to the design, format and editorial policy still reflect the original belief system when Leonardo was founded. This actually detracts from Leonardo’s ability to "make visible the work of artists involved with science and technology." It need not convince a broader audience of their importance by retaining an scholarly feel. In conversations with Leonardo community members, the strongest message were the following:

• act as a guide to the art and technology universe- especially given Leonardo’s high reputation and long history
• make the format more accessible, visually appealing and easier to navigate
• have a voice - provide signposts in the road- with a historical perspective

filter the art & technology world by making personal connections to the content

As an initial step, due to budget limitations, Leonardo should allow MIT Press do the redesign with the input and advice of an outside consultant, perhaps in conjunction with the branding consultant. Having a unified branding strategy among all Leonardo products and services is absolutely crucial. Content changes are very important, but secondary considerations in this initial redesign.

At a later stage, Leonardo should attempt have a second redesign partially underwritten by an interested outside partner, and partly for monetary consideration.

With a new Website strategy focused on generating more traffic, a unified new branding strategy, a redesigned Journal and a concerted marketing plan that targets individual and trade sales, Leonardo’s circulation numbers should return to 1993 levels in short order.

For purposes of the following analysis, a broader view of competing publications and organizations is given- specifically those having characteristics resembling the reorganized Leonardo rather than that of Leonardo today.

YLEM is a Bay Area based member organization described as "artists, authors and art enthusiasts who explore the intersection of arts and sciences." It produces a bi-monthly themed newsletter whose content categories are squarely within the Leonardo universe. In fact, many members of the Leonardo Board and community have authored its articles. The well-organized Website includes a gallery, newsletter articles, and member news. Also, as part of its membership benefit package, artists may exhibit examples of their work using text, images, animations etc., with a 1 meg space limitation. As of June, 1999, YLEM had 31 artists/projects listed in this section. YLEM does charge one-time set-up and update fees of $30 and $15 respectively. Membership fees range from $30 for individuals to $45 for institutions.

Differentiation: YLEM’s newsletter is produced in black and white, represents predominantly Bay Area artists and has less of an academic format than Leonardo.

Australian Network for Art & Technology- http://www.anat.org.au/

The Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT) is a network and advocacy body for artists working with technology. Its mission is to " advocate, support and promote the arts and artists in the interaction between art, technology and science, nationally and internationally, and to "position artists as active participants in the information age." It has no venue except its on-line presence and works closely with other organizations across Australia and internationally. Its activities include:

1) running Australia’s most prestigious art and technology training program held each summer and taught by artists,

2) administering a conference fund to enable artists to attend workshops and conferences related to science and technology,

3) collaborating with a government research & development fund that has provided support to 92 art projects. Awards range from $1,000 to $7,000 for residencies, exhibitions, research, prototypes and other projects,

3) listings of federal, state and non-government funding agencies that provide financial support for artists and organizations working in the field.

4) supporting creative collaborations by "brokering relationships between artist and environments." In this pilot program, ANAT is helping to fund artists fees, net provider costs and research items for on-line projects.

5) dissemination of a newsletter on its projects, activities, opportunities in the field, conference announcements and reviews etc...

Differentiation: ANAT has similar goals to Leonardo/ISAST but has been more project oriented rather than publishing oriented in its support of artists working with science and technology. It does an excellent job of this within Australia but has had lesser impact in other regions. Through membership fees (ranging from $25 individual and $50 for organizations) and government support, it has successfully acted as a broker, matching creators of culture with funders of culture.

Siggraph http://www.siggraph.org

The Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics (Siggraph) has a mission to promote among its members the acquisition and exchange of information and opinion on the theory, design, implementation, and application of computer-generated graphics and interactive techniques to facilitate communication and understanding." It does this through:

1) publication of a newsletter, conference proceedings, papers, juried research papers, a searchable bibliography database and a video review illustrating the latest concepts in computer graphics and interactive techniques.

2) an annual conference on leading-edge theory and practice on computer graphics and interactive techniques,

3) a calendar of related computer graphics events,

4) the support of local member-chapters all over the world offering its mailing lists, a listing on its homepage, free Siggraph conference materials and other general organizational help,
5) educational resources- including perhaps one of the most extensive databases of university, art school, community college and K-12 programs in the field. It is searchable by area of focus, location and by keyword- for instance, to find a specific piece of hardware or software you wish to learn.

6) career resources- a career center at the annual conference that sought to match job seekers with hirers by providing interview space and a book of resumes (at a cost of $250). Also on the site but not yet in service- a free job opportunity database with postings from applicants and organizations seeking talent.

7) on-line gallery of Siggraph art shows, artist profiles of early computer artists and and recommended book list for artists.

Differentiation: Siggraph is focused on the computer graphics community. While they encourage "the bridging of disciplines to expand their contribution to the leading edge of theory and practice," this is not a focus.

Inter Societe for the Electronic Arts (ISEA)

http://www.isea.qc.ca//

ISEA is an international non-profit organization whose membership and collaborators consists of a wide range of individuals and institutions involved in the creative, theoretical and technological aspects of electronic arts. Its aim is to establish and facilitate inter-disciplinary communication in the field of art, technology, science, education and industry. It does by means of an International Advisory Committee, an on-line network, a monthly newsletter and through its endorsement of the International Symposium on Electronic Art. The primary activity is their Symposium which is presented in a new international location each year. Here participants present new media research, exhibit art work and actively debate and exchange on art and technology. Membership in ISEA includes the newsletter, discounts on the Symposium fees and on related publications including Leonardo, Mediamatic, and ArtByte. Fees range from $50 for individuals to $200 for institutions. Roger Malina is on their advisory board.

Differentiation: ISEA is primarily focused on the Symposium, but like the organizations above, has several facets that compete directly with Leonardo. Its newsletter highlights and reviews other events and gatherings that relate to its own focus. Its links to other organizations should be a starting point for any effort to broker relationships between the funders and creators of culture.

http://www.msstate.edu/Fineart_Online/hom/html

ASTN (Also the FineArt Forum) is a Mississippi State based center for artists. Its Website has well organized but modest templates for finding events, opportunities and reviews. It should be used as one guide in creating the Leonardo Collaborates section of the Leonardo Website. It also has low res gallery of artist work. ASTN is sponsored by Arts Queensland with support form ISAST and ISEA. Roger Malina is on their advisory board.

Differentiation: ASTN has no where near the depth and breadth of contact, nor an international presence that Leonardo has. It has published a monthly electronic zine for 13 years that focuses on artists interest in digital art.

Discovery Channel (http://www.discovery.com) The Discovery Channel is a relevant model for Leonardo to look at, especially when designing templates for the Leonardo Lives front page. It is a broadcast channel (TV and Web) around the central metaphor of discovery. As Leonardo’s brand evolves and it develops the Leonardo Channel into a viable Webcast medium, it should explore a partnership relationship with the Discovery Channel. Leonardo could be to creativity what the Discovery Channel is to exploration, or the Nature Company to nature.

Differentiation: Discovery targets lovers of science, history, nature ( the Nature Company ) and exploration, but not the arts. It is viewed as a wide-ranging commercial venue for interesting programming that moves across many disciplines. Its acts as an aesthetic and material filter and judge by recommending books, CD ROMS, videos, even kids toys. It even has its own affiliates shopping program that allows any Website to link to their store while earning commissions on sales.

In the general computer magazine category, there are a number of broadly related publications that cover nearly every aspect of computing, from hardware and software publications like PC Magazine and MacWorld to digital lifestyle publications like Computer Life and Yahoo’s Internet Life.

Wired Magazine (http:www.wired.com) is usually the first point of reference for defining the universe that Leonardo belongs to. The early years of Wired had a definitive feel of art and technology. Since the magazine was sold to Conde Naste in 1998, it has changed dramatically, concerning itself primarily with the "business" of technology. In contrast, Wired’s early efforts were more balanced. It focused on the cultural aspects of technology, with great emphasis on the computer, the Internet and media, naming its "patron saint" media theorist Marhall McLuhan. As of June, 1998 Wired had a circulation of 375,000 funded through a combination of advertising and subscription revenue. It also has a book series, co-sponsors events and now produces compilation music CD’s with artists like Brian Eno and Laurie Anderson.

Differentiation: Wired has lost its artistic "bleading edge" sensibility. Longer, more intellectual articles have been replaced with shorter, digestible synopses. The abundance of attention previously given to media criticism has been supplanted by reports on hot companies, There may be a part of its readership who are looking to regain its older more artistic sensibility via another publication. Perhaps its most innovative asset was its on-line publication, HotWired which has been sold.

ArtByte (http:www.artbyteonline.com) is the closest news stand publication to the reorganized Leonardo. It bills itself as "The Magazine of Digital Arts" yet its content seems much broader. Content includes regular columns on digital culture called Fringe Research, interdisciplinary art called Cross Talk, popular new media called The Interactive View. Feature articles in recent issues included articles on robots and techno-fetishism called Circuits of Desire, natural landscapes and their hidden mathematical patterns called Concealed Science. It also has a news column published with Rhizome, Scanner a section on the pulse of digital culture and Viewfinder, a section on new directions in applied technology and includes product reviews.

Interestingly, ArtByte arose first as a supplemental issue to Art on Paper: The Journal of Prints, Drawings and Photography which debuted in September 1996 as the new incarnation of The Print Collector’s Newsletter, a bi-monthly review published for collectors, which had been in existence since 1971. The overwhelmingly positive response inspired the creation of a separate magazine (ArtByte) in April, 1998. In just a year it has grown to a print run of about 30,000.

A break down of their print run looks like this: 10,000 issues newsstand sales, 2500 paid subscriptions, 4,500 controlled subscriptions and 13,000 promotional issues. One third of its readership is east coast, one third west coast. Only 2% was international. Subscriptions are $34.95 and $25 for students. There are a minimal number of advertisements from organizations such as Lycos, Absolut Vodka, Siggraph and various print makers and galleries. Rates for ads range from $1,200 for the back cover to 1/4 page black and white for $935. ArtBytes Web presence is fairly undeveloped, serving mostly as a promotional tool for the print magazine.

Differentiation: Artbyte is nearly a perfect cross between Leonardo and Wired. It retains a journal like feel, but is filled with interdisciplinary content, color images and interesting graphics. It fills the vacuum that Wired has left behind.

Communication Arts Still another definative publication on the arts side is Communication Arts (http:www.commarts.com). Its focus is on graphic design and advertising as well as their relationship to politics, culture and technology. With a 40 year history, it has a deep archive and a loyal following that has evolved with the arrival of new media. Communication Arts has a print run of 75,000 with 80 percent of those going to subscribers and 20 percent newsstand. Their audience can be broadly characterized as one third graphic designers, one third art/creative directors and one third a mix of professions, students etc.. They appeal directly to a community of creative professionals who use software and hardware tools. Not surprisingly their advertisers include companies like Adobe and Macromedia.

Its on-line presence is simple but noteworthy. See their online description below.

Differentiation: Communication Arts is not an academic or scholarly publication and it focuses on a subset of the broader interests of Leonardo subscribers. Nevertheless, it has strong visual appeal and its articles are well written. It is heavily funded though advertising and has a narrowly targeted professional audience.

Mediamatic (http://www.mediamatic.nl/index.html) Established in 1985, Netherlands based Mediamatic organization includes a design consultancy, Internet Training, news, reviews and previews and an events calendar. It also co-founded the Doors of Perception Conference, which focuses on the design and cultural challenges of new media. Mediamatic Magazine is a quarterly (print, on-line and CD ROM versions available) on art and media and the changes being wrought by techno-culture, hypermedia and virtuality. It boasts strong philosophical and historical roots, which allow it to offer a perspective on and participation in the digital "third culture," where art and technology merge. It has many web reviews,

Differentiation: It heavily focuses on culture, and is primarily focused on Web developments as typified by its many reviews of Websites.

Science Magazine (http:www.sciencemag.org). In the scientific journal category, Leonardo may be best compared to Science Magazine Science began as an academic and scholarly journal for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and its community of scientists. While it remains an academic journal targeted at research scientists, it was able to increase its circulation substantially following a change in format. Science now has over 159,000 subscribers. The on-line component of Science is mostly a replication of the print publication, although it is beginning to move toward independent content. Subscriptions are included as part of being a member of AAAS. Access to full on-line access is available for an additional $12. Science On-line does provide a pay-per-view option for individual articles.

Differentiation: Science Magazine is proof that an academic journal can attract a large subscription base. It’s format lends itself to a wider audience yet allows it to maintain institutional integrity and the respect of its core readership.

Scientific American (http: ) Scientific American also falls into the scientific publication category. Its content is directed toward a broader audience outside the scientific research community - specifically those interested in non-technical, more practical knowledge of current scientific work. With a circulation of 667,000 it ranks 134th among all US print publications. Scientific American highlights its 150 year archive by offering digest form articles from 50, 100 and 150 years ago. It provides access to its community of experts in a feature entitled "Ask the Experts" an archival database of answers to questions posed by its audience.

Differentiation: While Scientific American is clearly a demonstration of the high demand for science from the broader public, there is no connection to art here.

___________________________________________________________________________

Top Magazines ranked by circulation based on six month averages ended June 30, 1998

Ad revenue as of 6.15.98

3 National Geographic 8,783,752 $160 / page

28 Smithsonian 2,088,299 $67 / page

39 Popular Science 1,562,353 $50 / page

62 PC Magazine 1,176,691 $55 / page

67 PC World 1,148,816 $45 / page

85 PC Computing 1,009,172 $39

108 Architectural Digest 818,185 $41 / page

112 New Yorker 813,434 $44 / page

134 Scientific American 667,150 $42 / page

149 Macworld 598,603 $33 / page

176 Byte Magazine 498,881

194 Computer Life 450,378 $19 / page

Wired 375,059 $22 / page

Science 159,312 $ 8 / page

C. On-line

The following Websites represent the "state of the art" in art sites. For a more detailed analysis, see Appendix G.

Art V (http:www.artv.teleweb.org) Art V is a place of experimentation and innovation and an interactive television that transmits its programs over the web. The aims of this French-European site is to create an overview of contemporary creation by opening up its channels to different artistic disciplines including visual art, dance, music , theater, video , painting, architecture and literature. It "opens the transmission networks to individuals and to places that do note always have the means to reach a wider public.

Differentiation: Art V is a great model for the future broadcasting efforts of Leonardo. It has nearly one hundred videos that are viewable on its Website presented with a dossier on the artist in text and images. Like Nirvanet it is experimental and conveys an atmosphere of innovation that should become part of the Leonardo brand, especially in conjunction with the Leonardo Creates section of its Website.

Communication Arts Communication Arts (http:www.commarts.com) focus is on design and advertising as well as their relationship to politics, culture and technology. Creative Arts on-line presence is a good example of how a creative community can be attracted and supported. This is reflected in its homepage where several "jump off points" are offered to attract a broad audience. They include sections entitled Creative, Interactive, Career, Resources, Community and a stand alone section devoted to the Magazine. These are similar in many ways to the levels of access recommended earlier in the Web redesign section of this development plan- i.e. Resources & Collaborate. Resources on the Communications Arts Website includes a searchable archive, state of the art product and service reviews and links, career placement, community forums and an on-line learning partner. The Website does not however, attempt to broker relationships, products and services as set out in the Collaborate and Incubate levels of the reorganized Leonardo Website.

Differentiation: The Communication Arts print audience (75,000) is much larger than its on-line audience (35,000 unique users per month). Leonardo’s on-line audience (35,000 unique visitors per month) greatly outnumbers its print circulation of 1,200. According to a Communication Arts official, advertising on their site is quite profitable. (Both Adobe and Macromedia had banners on their site). This supports the earlier conclusion that the Website can be an important revenue source even without the addition of broker services.

Walker art center/ gallery 9 (http://www.walkerart.org/gallery9/ )

The Walker Art Center focuses on the visual, performing, and media arts with a

multi-disciplinary approach to the creation, presentation, interpretation, collection

and preservation of art. Its activities include artist-in-residencies, commissions,

interface experiments, exhibitions, community discussion, a study collection, hyper-

essays, filtered links, lectures. It also partners with community based organizations

to develop multidisciplinary programs that provide a bridge between people from

diverse communities.

Gallery 9 is the first true 'net.art Department' created at a contemporary art center and

a site for project-driven exploration, through digitally-based media. It has organisz

the biggest international On-line Museums symposium held to date, promoted some of

the most interesting online exhibits (Beyond Interface in 1998 and now the Shock of

the View series), and has also plunged into possible forms of public collecting of net-art,

"The artisans of interface culture...have become some new fusion of artist and engineer-

-interfacers, cyberpunks, Web masters--charged with the epic task of representing our

digital machines, making sense of information in its raw form."

Differentiation: The Walker Art Center and gallery 9 are centered around a thriving

physical museum site and community. They are curators, organizers of exhibitions and underwriters of the art community. The Website has no ads.

technology driven web site. Self-described as an "online magazine and online lab."

It is filled with sound, video, animation and 3D environments. Its weekly programming

features three new videos on the front page, and it publishes a monthly online magazine

about electronic music. Nirvanet is undoubtedly one of the most successful spaces in

consolidating the post-media experimentation with a broadcasting streaming image-

movement and sound and a pioneer in cybercasting live events. With versions in Span-

ish, French, Japanese and English it accumulates 20 million visitors per month.

Nirvanet is part of a private company called GTN, which provides web and graphic ser-

vices, media and advertising opportunities as well as visibility for content providers.

Differentiation: Nirvanet is a cutting edge example of what is possible when experi-

menting with new technologies like streaming video and audio, despite their limita-

tions. Translated versions in three other major languages seems to have greatly

expanded its audience, making it attractive to sponsors like Intel.

Rhizome (http://www.rhizome.org) Rhizome is a non-profit organization created

in 1996 that focuses on the new media art community. It provides articles, information, announcements, reviews, criticism, e-mail art, and images for 2,000 subscribers and

35,000 unique visitors per month. Its programmatic and ideological aims are to be both

a critical space and community space for the new media art community, connecting

writers, readers, artists, critics, students and enthusiasts around the world. As attested to

by Board Member Joel Slayton, RHIZOMErs are almost always in communication via

RHIZOME's two email lists. Its Board includes SF MOMA Director David Ross.

Differentiation: Rhizome has a devoted following while carving out the "net art"

category as its own. Plans for a curated net art collection/gallery were in the works

last year.

the Thing (http:bbs.thething.net) The Thing is one of the first organizations on

the Internet (1991) aimed at serving the art community. Besides the multiple post-

media formats that can be found on its pages (mailing lists, net. t v, net.radio), the

communicator' on its most recent interface is a totally fascinating, brand-new inno-

vation. It enables visitors to the web site to know which other visitors are online at

that moment, to learn more about them, and even to enter directly into contact with

them, online. Besides the original hub in New York, The Thing network has spawned

several European nodes, such as The Thing Vienna, Berlin and Amsterdam.

The Thing is a non-profit organization, which is also a complete provider of Internet

services. It provides a mailing list, e-magazine, net tv, and net audio for 6,000 subscri-

bers. THE THING, a non-profit, artist-run web site and media lab, is dedicated to building

a community, encouraging participation and creating artistic and theoretical projects

in new media. THE THING's web site currently features real-time conferencing and

threaded messaging, (found under 'paging' and 'chat'); THE THING Connector (in-house

developed software enabling users to interact with others concurrently logged in); an

online art magazine, moderated message board and net community, (the [threads]

section ); critical reviews of exhibitions, books, films and new media, (thing.review);

a virtual projects space ([projects]); video and audio projects and live video events, (

[video]) and ([audio]); and artist-created web pages, (under the [sites] heading). The

emphasis is on creating dialogue about a wide range of topics critical to contemporary

culture. THE THING Bulletin Board System, was one of the first online forums for con-

temporary art. As an international electronic arts network, THE THING was one of the

first spaces to explore the conceptual, theoretical and practical aspects of new media

technologies through online discussion groups, symposia, and visual art projects.

________________________________________________________________________________

Differentiation At a Glance:

ALT-X 1993 300,000 visitors/month Net Lit/Art

Betacast June 1998 2,500 subscribers

500,000 visitors/month Web Broadcasting

Blast 1990 4,000 visitors/month Internet Art

Convex TV 1997 1,700-1,800 visitors/month Electronic Culture

Eco 1997 850-1,000 subscribers/month Spanish Net Art

gallery 9 1997 N/A Museum Net Art

Nettime ? N/A Media Activism

Nirvanet 1996 2 million visitors/month Magazine/Lab

P.A.R.K. 4DTV 1997 1,500 visitors/month Web & TV Art

Rhizome 1996 2,000subs/35,000 vis/month Int’l Net Art

the Thing 1995 6,000 subscribers Art & New Media

Xchange 1997/98 150/200 Subscribers Net Radio

______________________________________________________________________________

The Global Business Network (GBN) (http:www.gbn.org) GBN is led by Stewart Brand and includes 12 international member/affiliates. Its services for member and non-members organizations include the development of proprietary scenarios for strategic management of their businesses facilitated by GBN and enriched by the provocative perspectives of its network members. GBN also conducts three separate training seminars ranging from 1-5 days entitled Developing and Using Scenarios, Leading Scenario Projects.. which range in price from $5,500 to $2,500. It also conducts special projects and research, demographic research and customized "learning journeys" to sites of particular interest. However, its main program is its WorldView service which is available to organizations for an annual fee of $35,000 and includes:

-Events: Annual Forum- to explore the social, economic, political and technological forces driving change and shaping the future as well as smaller working sessions on issues within and across industries

-The GBN Book Club- each month members receives selections chosen and reviewed by Stewart Brand...offering new and diverse perspectives on the forces that will shape the future of business and the world. Offerings in the past have ranged from the poetry of Gary Snyder, science fiction, fuzzy logic and Generation X. (Leonardo could provide other media as well, CD ROMS, Posters, artwork, etc...)

- GBN Publications- The GBN Scenario Book which synthesizes the networks learning about global trends, Deeper News- a series of original reports and essays written by staff and network members- (Leonardo could also leverage its community in this way. NetView - links to member interviews, articles, reviews etc., and Presearch- presenting working papers on innovative tools, techniques and methodologies in scenario and strategic thinking, and

Imprint- a monthly printed versions of the above

- The World View Website- expanded access to services and publications and a virtual gathering place via there conferencing system. (This could be the result of contributions from Leonardo’s own international network as facilitated by Leonardo Collaborates.

Institute for the Future IFTF (http:www.iftf.org) Located in the center of the Silicon Valley Venture Capital Community, IFTF has forecasted technological, demographic and business trends to help its clients plan successfully for their future for 30 years. It specializes in long-term forecasting, alternative future scenarios, and the impacts of new products and next generation technologies on society and business. Its membership programs allow corporate sponsors to define a specific program but share in the full amount of research for all of its programs. Programs are typically six months in duration with the aim of creating breakthrough ideas and programs in a particular topic area. The project process can be six months in duration or on-going and is intended to be highly interactive with active participation within the client group sponsoring each project. Thus the participating members themselves are a selling point to other members. Membership benefits vary but can include a strategic framework and graphic history map, breakthrough case studies, Web resources, forecasts, surveys, a final report, client meetings and final client workshop. Current programs include:

Emerging Technologies: Projects- Corporate & Executive Education

(6 months- $18,000) and The Outlook Project (annual- $65,000)

Strategic Planning: Projects- Communications Strategies (9 months- $35,000, Consumer Direct, Corporate Associates Program (annual- $15,000) and the Future of Global Mail (annual- $95,000)

Health and Health Care: Projects- Health Care Horizons

Garage.com model (http://www.garage.com)

Garage.com is a network for matching investors and entrepreneurs. A databank of companies in a password protected area is searchable by investors. Investors are a select list of individuals ("angels"), venture capital firms, and corporate investors who can view and may invest in investment opportunities posted in "Heaven."

Management includes experts in the fields of marketing, publishing, legal, investor development, engineering, business development and venture capital. Advisors provide an additional layer of subject matter and industry expertise. Founding sponsors include leading professional firms who share their expertise with entrepreneurs and investors.

For Entrepreneurs, Garge.com offers assistance in obtaining seed level financing, the primary objective. They compress the entrepreneur's "time-to-money" via mentoring and a high-quality investor network, thus allowing the entrepreneur to focus more time building his or her business. They also provide member entrepreneurs with expert advice, research and reference materials, and topical Forums to help them launch and grow their startup. The company offers other support services like "boot-camp" for start-ups and other valuable networking and development resources.

For Investors, Garage.com identifies and provides pre-screened, high-quality investment opportunities that match the investor's identified interests. These opportunities are presented in a uniform format that helps investors evaluate companies quickly and easily. Additionally, members have access to a broad community of investors focused on the cutting edge of high technology, enabling them to work together as they identify and qualify investment opportunities.

Interval Research (http://www.interval.com)

Interval Research Corporation defines itself as " a research setting seeking to define the concerns, map out the concepts and create the technology that will be important to the future. With long-term funding from Paul Allen, it is freer than most to pursue its long-term research interests with little compromise. However, much of their work is commercially proprietary and a key part of their mission is to foster industries around technologies they develop. They have spun off four companies since their founding.

The priority in Phase I is to develop Website sponsors and infrastructure partners, which could be one in the same. Website sponsors would have the greatest affinity to our community as possible. They would have exclusive advertising presence on the site in return for annual fees. There is an implicit dual pitch to these organizations:

1) to support our non-profit activities

2) to reach our community of users.

An sample target list of sponsors includes those who have supported artists:

NTT, Adobe, Macromedia, SGI, Sun, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, Pixar, LucasFilm, Intel..

Developing a group of infrastructure partners is critical to the successful implementation of Leonardo’s Web strategy. In return, Leonardo offers benefits over an extended period of time including: selected ads, Leonardo syndicated content, free access to talent broker service, and others to be defined. A sample target list includes the following companies:

It is in Leonardo’s best interest to develop many connections to organizations in the art & technology universe. If Leonardo Collaborates is to succeed, it will depend on support for our mission of becoming a central resource and center for the community. Developing mutually rewarding sharing arrangements is paramount. A sample target list includes most of the organizations mentioned in the Competitor/Partner section of this plan:

SF MOMA, ISEA, Ars Electronica, ICC, Banff, ANAT, Rhizome, Mediametric, Siggraph, et al.

In addition to New Minds, Leonardo should begin to be more visible at events that help generate traffic to the Website. Incentives should be given to community members to "carry the banner" when attending events and conferences. A special effort should be made to seek out local and international events that intersect with our focus on creativity, innovation and design.

Leonardo should begin to consider alternative physical locations. In order to execute the this plan, additional staff will be hired. Also, it will be important to be physically near other synergistic partners and organizations and closer connections to other centers of activity. Examples include the following:

LucasArts- The Presidio

Computer Museum (Moffet field)

Naropa Institute- Oakland

NSF- Public understanding of science program

The Ultraviolet Light Center

NASA

As Board Member Martin Anderson advises, "focus on fundamentals- then execute the plan." The mission in Phase I of this plan is to gather data and drive traffic to the Website. If Leonardo has done a good job of understanding the needs of its target audience, has executed a Web design that conveys a unique brand, and provides users with multiple ways to "buy" that brand, then increases in traffic will translate into new revenue streams. Marketing efforts should center around presenting a real human face that "lives" in a thriving creative community that you (as user) cannot afford to miss.

Leonardo should have all of its publications reviewed by a regular stable of press contacts such as the NY times, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Scientific American, etc.. This will build on the publicity plan now being developed by Leonardo staff and lead to the hiring of a dedicated marketing and press professional at the end of Phase I.

Leonardo should place great emphasis in early efforts to reach the business community since much of hoped for funding will come from there. Articles like the one on Ken Goldberg that appeared in Time Digital, which explicitly focuses on Leonardo, will go a long way in our development campaign. Periodicals to target include: Fast Company, Industry Standard, Business 2.0, Time Digital, Wired, etc...Craig Harris’s book on Xerox PARC is a perfect opportunity in this regard.

Given Leonardo’s promise of being "the premier aesthetic guide to the art and technology universe," it must take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity in this regard. One immediate way is to develop a fold out map of the art and technology universe from a historical vantage point. A good example is the Price Waterhouse techmap revealing a genealogy of British Columbia’s Technology Industry, designed by Chatham Creative in Vancouver.

A map of the art & technology universe revealing the intersection of major developments in art, science and technology over the past 100 years could find its way to the desks and offices across the world. Perhaps it can become an insert in the Journal, with a major corporate sponsor like Xerox PARC or Interval. This could be a great vehicle for visibly demonstrating its capabilities in a way that leverages its brand and extends its reach. It may even be sold on-line.

Another promotional piece using the same strategy would be to develop a calendar with images taken from the archive. While having the same appeal as the map, the calendar could serve as an advertisement for the on-line archive.

Leonardo-curated electronic collections of images displayed in new electronic frames (sold at Sony Style and Microsoft Store in the San Francisco Sony Metreon just like a painting in the boardroom

The recent article on Ken Goldberg’s book in Time Digital (March 8, 1999) is a perfect example of the kind of intelligible communication Leonardo needs to engage in.

Book tours are a grassroots way of extending the Leonardo brand into local communities with personality- i.e. a real human being "unique in values, psychology and soul," as Landor Associates puts it.

In terms of new books, Leonardo should consider publishing books of various levels of sophistication. This would help address our stated mission of making the work of artists and scientists more intelligible to a greater audience. Before entering the academic textbook market, Leonardo should await results from planned demographic surveys. In the beaming survey the following areas were also recommended:

• collision of business, technology and art
• media criticism
• artificial life, artificial intelligence
• reviews of research
• genetics

Awards & Prizes- In interviews with Board Members, there is unanimous agreement that all of our awards efforts should be elevates to a higher level. Endowments should be sought and prize money awarded to winners with high press and media campaigns. Given Leonardo’s new promises regarding brand, it should focus on the Innovation Award in the coming year. Perhaps expand the categories to include recognition for organizational (corporate and non-profit) contributions to creativity and aesthetics (design) in the application of science and technology. The Leonardo New Horizons Award for Innovation currently recognizes new and emerging artists for innovation in new media. This could be the highlight of a conference on stimulating creativity in the application of science and technology.

As Marci Reichelstein said in a recent interview "the real buzz gets created by events." With funding and infrastructure partners secured for branding and Website redesign, Leonardo should plan for a re-launch in conjunction with the New Minds 2000 Series held at the Sony Metreon. The series culminates in a 3 day conference on creativity and aesthetics in the application of science and technology. This would be comparable to the Ted Conference in scale, with a mix of fresh, diverse speakers and topics mixed with well recognized experts. i.e. Douglas Coupland on creative culture, Alan Kay on Imagineering, Andy Goldsworthy on art and nature, Brian Eno on the art of the project, James Burke on connections. An equal number of Leonardo leaders would fill out the conference- Roy Ascott on consciousness, Lynn Hershman on provocativity, Michelle Emmer on the mathematics of peace, Eduardo Kac on digital Brazil, etc...The conference could be transmitted via satellite for pay per view audience or streamed on the Web. It would culminate with an award ceremony for the Leonardo Creativity & Innovation Prize. The mission of the conference would be to establish the new Leonardo brand, launch the redesigned Website and generate clients for Leonardo Consults.

Having said that, the immediate and specific audience to pay attention to is the faculty and student population att the university level- an audience in which we have a direct channels to. (Our institutional subscriber list includes hundreds of university libraries. A concerted marketing campaign would make good use of this channel. Again, each of the Leonardo Website levels contributes to a knowledge and relationship repository that provides early intelligence on such future developments.

While Leonardo will target certain narrow audiences such as universities as a way to develop its knowledge network, it will sell its accumulated wisdom and insight to corporate research arenas. Broadcasting (Web and eventually mainstream) will serve as a key way to reinforce the Leonardo brand to all of these audiences.

Syndicated content-

In order to generate more traffic Leonardo is experimenting with syndicating some of its content. In two instances thus far, free-lance writers are taking Leonardo material and writing articles that appeal to specific market segments via the Journal and Web. Lending the Leonardo brand/content in this form - is something Leonardo can do to extend its reach, to strengthen its relationship with partners and to generate new revenues.

Phase I July-Dec, 1999 Phase II Jan-Jun, 2000

Phase III Jul-Dec, 2000 Phase IV Jan-Jun, 2001

There are a number of paths to follow in soliciting endowment funding for the activities contemplated in

this plan. Yet, in viewing the whole scheme, there is

still something missing. The perception of Leonardo one

is likely to have from the outside is of a dynamic organization that connects and guides those interested in

the creative application of science and technology. If we

are truly acting as guides, then we have left out one

important segment of the population who, arguably, can benefit most from the network and community we are contemplating- kids.

Directing resources towards kids has three advantages: 1) it supports the development of our most precious asset, 2) it creates a future audience for Leonardo, and 3) it engenders a more sympathetic appeal for endowment funding consistent with our intellectual pursuits. This is a philanthropic activity to be developed in partnership with other kids organizations and would be called Leonardo New Minds.

Leonardo New Minds is a place for kids to learn using art, science and technology as a medium and the connections we can provide them to kids in other countries with different backgrounds. The underlying aim would be to provide young people with media literacy skills and offering role models who serve as inspiration and guides to the world they will soon direct. This is consistent with our promise of aesthetic guide to the art & technology universe. The New Minds Lecture Series would continue in its present form but would benefit the youth programs of Leonardo New Minds.

As guide it is incumbent upon us to look around the world with open eyes. The rosy view of technology as reliable answer to the worlds solutions is naive and dangerous. For every kid in the media-mad US playing Nintendo shoot’em up games, there is a new kid on the Internet in Guadeloupe trying to make sense of a very alien new world. With completely different cultural values and experiences, the South African teenager moves from repression to Web-surfer without looking back. What framework will they use to evaluate what they are experiencing on-line, especially where multi-lingual content is still rare. When my three and a half year old tries to evaluate whether Darth Vader is real or not, I try to use drawings and puppets to explain how anyone can give an idea life. Certainly we in this community can do better than that. As our tools become more and more sophisticated, the definition of what is real or authentic, as Ken Golberg suggests, gets really difficult. Media literacy skills won’t determine what is good or bad, they just help provide firm footing from which to understand the nature of communication and how it its tools are wielded. As Douglas Rushkoff said in the New Minds session entitled "Growing Up Digital,"

Leonardo has an extraordinary and timely opportunity to help link media literacy with media access as the Internet brings globalized culture to far away places. The critical strategic imperative in creating this kind of program is finding and connecting our international community and their families with existing youth organizations that share this objective. Here are a few to consider:

Just Think (http://www.justthink.org)

The just think foundations works with students, teachers, parents and the entertainment industry to promote literacy for the 21st century. They teach basic literacy, visual literacy and technological literacy to encourage young people to create their own messages. By thinking critically about media, students comprehend that the movies they see, or the video games they play are entertaining, but not always a model for behavior.

Zeum (http://zeum.org)

Zeum’s mission is to foster the creativity of young people of all backgrounds by:

1) providing a hands-on, participatory environment for youth arts expression,

2) creating opportunities for collaboration among young people, artists, educators and partner organizations

3) integrating the arts into the classroom curriculum Zeum

LDR editor Kasy Asberrry in an e-mail to Zeum suggested that "our goal in allying with Zeum would be to encourage young investigators in the realm of expression and technology to connect to their larger international and historical community. For example this could occur in the context of an inter-networked art-science fair for which prizes could be awarded. It might also be possible to establish through the Leonardo community a mentoring program (reminiscent of guild framework) that would allow technologist-artists of different ages to work together...the most useful beginning to collaboration may be as a series of articles from artists working through Zeum.

OpNet (http:www.opnetsf.org)

The mission of OpNet is to bridge the digital divide by 1) promoting economic opportunities for low-income young adults and to increase the involvement of women and people of color in the digital economy. Leonardo is currently employing an intern from this organization.

While Leonardo New Minds would become a high profile activity for Leonardo, providing balance in its overall organizational pitch, it will always have a plethora of projects that fit various foundation and grant programs. The framework of this plan provides a foundation for an approach to any potential funder both generally and specifically. Other initiatives that have risen to the top:

The Leonardo Archive- Funding is necessary to add search funtionality its 30 year archive on-line.

http:www.cyberworkers.com/Leonardo/africa/

A project organized in France to collaborate with various African artists and to document the cultural activities in the field on the continent.

Virtual Faculty- A collaborative project in the germination stage that would produce a regular schedule of Webcasts of lectures from international artists and technologists.

Leonardo Translation Funds- With subscribers in 44 different countries around the world, there is a constant demand for resources to make the work of authors from across the world accessible in multiple languages.

Roger F. Malina is the Chairman of the Board, and Executive Editor of Leonardo Publications for the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology. He has served in this capacity since 1982. He writes frequently on art and science issues, serves on a number of international juries and advisory boards including the Inter- Society for the Electronic Arts. He was responsible for founding the organizations first electronic journal in 1988, and the Society's first web site in 1994. His current focus is developing the Leonardo Book Series at MIT Press, and developing long range plans for the Leonardo Virtual Faculty project.

Roger F. Malina is an astronomer and space scientist. He holds a Bachelors in physics from MIT and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley. He current serves as the Director of the Laboratoire d"Astronomie Spatiale, a CNRS laboratory in Marseille, France specializing in the development of instrumentation for space observatories. He also holds a part time position at the University of California, Berkeley where is serves as Director of the NASA EUVE Orbiting Observatory. He is an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics and co-chairs their Space Activities and Society Committee. His current technical activities are in ultraviolet astronomy, space optics and space instrumentation, and the automation of observatory operations.

He currently lives in Aix en Provence, France.

Martin Anderson- Investment Advisor

Mark Beam- Vision Painter

Lynn Hershman- Artist

Barbara Lee Williams-

Christine Malina-Maxwell- Business & Publishing Entrepreneur

Samuel Okoshken- Attorney

Joel Slayton- Artist & Professor

Stephen Wilson- Artist & Professor

Sonya Rapaport- Artist

Mark Resch- Business Manager/Artist

Aimee Tsao- Accountant

Marci Reichelstein- New Media Marketing Consultant

Curtis Karnow- Attorney

Business Developer/Director

In order to carry out the vision portrayed in this plan, Leonardo will need to appoint a business developer. Incentive compensation should provided that is tied to the overall success of the plan. Legal advice should be sought to determine the most advantageous organizational structure for engaging in its new activities, with particular attention to non-profit/for profit implications.

Leonardo will also benefit from having a group of high profile virtual advisory board. This will be especially important in solidfying our efforts in collaborating with other art & technology organizations and generating interest in a New Minds/Leonardo Program, lecture series and Conference. This group would be relieved from the obligations of a traditional board member. However, they would be required to attend at least one board meeting per year, and contribute to development plans via e-mail or conference call. People we may want to solicit for this position include:

Sci-fi author Bruce Sterling, an associate from ICC in Japan, another from Ars Electronica and the Banff Centre, Jaron Lanier, SF MOMA Director David Ross, Michael Naimark, Jeff Hawkins, Umberto Eco, Stewart Brand, David Liddle, Denise Caruso, Linda Stone, Kevin Kelly, Brenda Laurel...

The following section identifies those areas which pose the greatest barriers to the successful execution of the overall strategy presented, not necessarily in order of significance. Each of these issues need to be considered carefully and addressed specifically.

The overall plan requires substantial resources over a five period. There is no certainty that it will be able to generate the necessary support. A phased approach with strict attention to executable steps will alleviate some of this risk.

The long-term strategy outlined above requires initial inertia. It requires that either key parts of the community recognize the value and act accordingly. While many of the individual parts of this plan are strengthened by the whole, the initial services will have to stand on their own. Even with the support of infrastructure partners, there will be substantial staff time demanded to make it all work. An "open source" environment could alleviate some of the burden, but a cash infusion is required from outside sources to get things launched.

As part of the recent acquisition of Geocities, Yahoo is forcing members to sign away the rights to their intellectual property. Just exactly how much content do community members own? These and other intellectual property issues must be addressed.

This reinforces the need for a clear, realistic strategy and timeline in phases that build toward a unified whole.

As noted in the Leonardo Collaborates section of this plan, attracting talented people is one of the most challenging tasks any organization can face. Yet its professional reputation depends on successfully meeting this challenge. Paying competitive salary and benefit packages under a non-profit legal structure could pose a large barrier.

As this plan moves to the next stage each of these issues will need to be resolved.

Please refer to the Leonardo Development Plan: Five Year Budget when reviewing the footnotes below. Note that this statement reflects new sources of revenue and expense only. It is assumed that over the next five years that sales of the Journal will return to at least 1993 levels. However no accounting for this was made here. A profit and loss statement reflecting 1998 operations follows the Five Year Budget.

Under the reorganized Leonardo, revenue will be derived from a number of sources including:

1..Advertising

2. E-Commerce

3. Distance Learning

4. Archive & Subscription Fees

5. Talent & Service Broker

6. Consulting Fees/Sponsorships

7. Syndication Fees

8. Incubator

9. Project Grants & Endowments

1. Advertising Revenue

The average advertising fee charged by the major search engines is about $25 per one thousand exposures. Until Leonardo reaches 500,000 unique users per month, it will be difficult to obtain anywhere near the average rate. On the other hand, the more vibrant the Website becomes and the more demographic information is generated on the habits of Leonardo users, the more valuable it will become to targeted sponsors. For purposes of this analysis, it is more appropriate to use a sponsorship based model in which 2-3 advertisers become the exclusive sponsors on the site in one modest sized banner per page.

Annual

Unique Advertising

Year Users Revenues

2000 40,000 $ 60,000

2001 80,000 $ 120,000

2002 125,000 $ 187,500

2003 250,000 $ 375,000

2004 1,000,000 $ 750,000

2. E-Commerce

In estimating sales of publications and resources via the Web store, this analysis assumes 5 percent of the community purchases one book, and 10 percent of these sales are Leonardo publications. The Book Series agreement with MIT gives Leonardo 10 percent override on face value of book. Using an average book price of $40, this amounts to $4 per book. On 90 percent of the sales then are assumed to be products purchased through Amazon or another vendor. Amazon’s Associates programs pay referral fees of from 5-15 percent of the purchase price, depending on whether it is 0n the qualified book list or whether its is a video, CD etc.. A 10 percent royalty is used for this analysis.

3. Class Referral Fees

Leonardo may earn revenues from classes in two ways for purposes of this analysis:

1. By simply referring Leonardo users to another education provider- Here it is assumed Leonardo could earn $.50 per referral

2) By developing a small number of Leonardo courses produced in conjunction with an educational provider- here Leonardo would earn a more substantial fee, assumed here to be $10 per class.

It is assumed that 2.5 percent of the monthly unique users link to an educational providerfrom Leonardo’s site and 1.0 percent of monthly unique users take Leonardo-produced classes.

4. Archive

There are a number of ways to make the archive accessible in return for revenues. For purposes of this analysis, there are two sources.

1) a straight annual subscription rate of $25- assumption here is that 1 percent of our monthly unique users will pay for this.

2) Pay-Per-view- Specifically designed for teachers who order 5 print quality articles bound together for $10- the assumption here is that 1 percent of our monthly unique users will pay for this service.

5. Leonardo Collaborates- Talent & Service Broker

In this service client organizations pay negotiated fees to Leonardo in one of two ways:

1) referral fees earned from an out-sourced on-line search company

2) direct placement fees for executing specific, high level searches for talent and/or services. This is a service that grows as our community and reputation grows, and as telecommuting becomes a more common answer to the shortage of skilled professionals.

As to out-sourced referral fees, it is assumed that .1 percent of our community members gets placed through this referral service at an average salary of $80,000 for which it earns a 3.5 percent commission.

Year #of Successful Referrals Referral Fees

2000 40 $ 112,000

2001 80 $ 224,000

2002 125 $ 350,000

2003 250 $ 700,000

2004 500 $1,400,000

As to direct fee revenue, Leonardo’s success is largely dependant on two factors:

1) The amount of human resources it allocates to this service in terms of staff. This service is very labor intensive with the development of key personal relationships being a paramount.factor.

2) The usage rate of the computerized portion of the talent and service database as contemplated earlier in the Leonardo Collaborates section of this plan.

For purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that Leonardo initially hires two staff members in 2000 to manage this service, and that each person can fully execute 4 searches for full time employment ($80,000 average salary level) and 10 searches for temporary service contracts ($40,000). In all cases a 15 percent commission is earned on the total value of employment. The size of the staff and the number of searches executed rises by 2 in each successive year.

Direct Placement Fees

Full-time Sub-Total Temp Sub-Total Total

Year Hires # Comm’n Services # Comm’n Staff Comm’n

2000 0 0 0 0 0

2001 $12,000 x 4= $ 48,000 + $ 6,000 x 4= $ 24,000 x 2 $ 144,000

2002 $12,000 x 6= $ 72,000 + $ 6,000 x 6= $ 36,000 x 2 $ 216,000

2003 $12,000 x 8= $ 96,000 + $ 6,000 x 8= $ 48,000 x 2 $ 288,000

2004 $12,000 x 8= $ 96,000 + $ 6,000 x 10= $ 60,000 x 2 $ 312,000

6. Leonardo Consults

Leonardo Consults should be operated on a sponsorship model. After defining a core set of membership benefits, hiring qualified permanent staff, and establishing a network of key people in various field of expertise, Leonardo can begin to solicit founding sponsors. While certain advisory programs can be offered to all sponsors, others will be specifically tailored to individual sponsor needs.

a. white papers & other publications

b. customized research

c. archives and databases

d. a strong interdisciplinary network leveraged by the Web.

d. an annual event (New Minds) with adjoining conference on creativity and innovation

e. structured workshops for individual clients

f. a monthly media package (CD ROMS, books, videos etc.) intended to spark creativity and demonstrate examples of the creative application of science and technology within the Leonardo aesthetic.

This package of benefits would be offered to clients for a $35,000 sponsorship fee. Marginal costs of additional sponsors is low. The biggest variable cost is labor costs.

Year Number Fee Total Fees

2000 4 $35,000 $ 140,000

2001 8 $35,000 $ 280,000

2002 16 $35,000 $ 560,000

2003 25 $35,000 $ 875,000

2004 25 $40,000 $1,000,000

7. Syndication Fees

By syndicating Leonardo’s content and that of its community it may earn monthly fees. For an average monthly fee of $25 per month, Leonardo offers regular content for a mix of business and individual clients entitles. It is assumed her that 1 percent of Leonardo’s community accesses this service.

8. Incubator

The initial development stages of the incubator will generate membership fees from both creators and funders. However, these will be offset by staff labor costs, travel expenses, web maintenance and other miscellaneous screening costs. Support services such as accounting, legal, business plan development, etc., will be born by key infrastructure partners. During the first five years of operation, it is assumed there will be no major revenue implications- either positive or negative. Nevertheless, Leonardo gains a free option on the future success of various products and companies.

Staff E-Com Talent Web/ Market/

2000 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8

2001 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 10

2002 2 3 3 1 1 2 2 13

2003 3 4 3 1 1 2 3 15

2004 4 5 3 1 1 2 4 17

Year________________________________________________________________________

2000 $ 80,000 $ 80,000 $160,000 $ 80,000 $120,000 $40,000 $ 640,000

2001 $160,000 $160,000 $240,000 $ 80,000 $120,000 $40,000 $ 880,000

2002 $160,000 $240,000 $240,000 $ 80,000 $120,000 $40,000 $1,040,000

2003 $240,000 $320,000 $240,000 $ 80,000 $120,000 $40,000 $1,280,000 2004 $320,000 $400,000 $240,000 $ 80,000 $120,000 $40,000 $1,720,000

9.Endownments

These numbers reflect total amounts received from all sources including grants, project awards above expenses and outright gifts.

Leonardo (5 issues): Individual $60 (up from $58)

Leonardo (with LMJ): Student $48 (no change)

Individual $75 (up from $72)

Institution $375 (up from $350)

LMJ: Individual $30 (no change)

Institution $ 60 (no change)

LMJ bundled with CMJ:

Individual $68 (with $20 of that going to LMJ)

Institution $188 (with $30 of that going to LMJ)

LEA: Individual $35

Institution $60

Leonardo with LMJ subscription would include LEA.

LEA subscription would include free one-year trial to e-version of Leonardo/LMJ.

______________________________________________________________________________

Vol 31:5 Vol 30:5 Vol 29:5 Vol 28:5 Vol 27:5

1998 1997 1996 1995 1994

Individuals 514 533 520 680 688

Student/

Retired 74 92 84 97 46

Institutions 586 567 563 527 565

Trade 623 650 1475 1850 1667

______________________________________________________________________

ALFRED UNIV BOOKSTORE, ALFRED, NY 14802

ARCHITECTURAL BOOK CTR, ATLANTA, GA 30303

THE BOOKERY, ITHACA, NY 14850

BUILDERS BOOKSOURCE, BERKELEY, CA 94710

CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133

A CLEAN WELL-LIGHTED PLACE. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102

CODYS BOOKS, BERKELEY, CA 94704

COMPUTER LITERACY BKSHP, SAN JOSE, CA 95131

EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

BARNES & NOBLE, ROCHESTER, NY 14604

MUSEUM OF CONT. ART STORE, CHICAGO, IL 60611

NRJS STUDENT STORE AT ART CENTER, PASADENA, CA 91103

ST MARK'S BOOKSHOP, NEW YORK, NY 10003

STANFORD BKST DIST CTR, NEWARK, CA 94560

TATTERED COVER, DENVER, CO 80202

TOTAL CIRCULATION SVC, HACKENSACK, NJ 07601-5234

UBIQUITY DISTRIBUTORS, BROOKLYN, NY 11217

UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE/ USC TRADE DEPT, LOS ANGELES, CA 90089-2540

April 1998 April 1999

Individuals 12 1

domestic 9

foreign 3

Institutions 25 32

domestic 14 22

foreign 11 10

Comps 0 1

_____________________________________________

Cultural Institutions Universities

Boston Public Library Princeton University

New York Public Library New York University

NY Museum of Modern Art Harvard Fine Arts Library

Nat’l Gallery of Art, Wash. DC Georgetown University

Smithsonian Institution Carnegie Mellon

Chicago Public Library Ringling School of Art

Chicago Art Institute University of Michigan

Kansas City Art Institute Iowa State University

LA County Museum of Art University of Colorado

SF Museum of Modern Art University of California

J. Paul Getty Center University of Washington

Belgium International Culture Center Central Bibliotech, Belgium

National Gallery of Victoria Australian National University

National Gallery, Canada Universite de Montreal

Banff Centre Royal College of Art

Biblioteca De Catalunya, Barcelona Universidad De Bilbao, Bilabao

Musee National D’Art Moderne, Paris Cambridge University, England

Max Planck Institute, Berlin University of Hong Kong Library

National Institute of Design, India School of Art & Design, Ireland

Public Library, South Africa University of Pretoria, South Africa

Russian Library of Froeign Lit, Russia Pontificia Univ. Catolica, Lima

ZKM Bilbliothek, Germany Nagoy Univ. Engineering Dept., Japan

AT&T

Walt Disney Imagineering Division & Information Research Library

Microsoft Corporation Library & Consumer Division Library

IBM Corporate Library

MIT Media Lab

NTT Advertising Department

Daewoo Foundation, South Korea

Sony Wonder Tech Lab

Xerox Corporation

Ontek Corproation

Interval Research Corporation

1 Too expensive for individuals 3.625

2 Prefer less text/more illustrations 2.925

3 Visual appearance could be improved 2.85

4 Took to long for article to be published 2.85

5 Writing too academic/formal 2.425

6 Provide more editorial assistance 2.375

7 Prefer more technical information 2.275

8 Covers too many subjects 1.85

1 Artist Articles 1.2

2 Sound, Music, Science & Technology 1.5

3 General Articles 1.55

4 Editorial 1.6

5 Art/Science Forum 1.6

6 Historical Perspectives 1.65

7 Book Review-Current Literature 1.7

8 Commentaries 1.8

9 ISAST Bulletin: International Opportunities 1.75

10 Technical Articles 2

11 Theoretical Perspectives 2.5

ACM, Art News, Art in America, Sculptor, Spirale, Computer Music Journal, Journal of Aesthetics

Wired, Electronic Musician, Noetic Sciences Journal, Natural History, Parabola, Fine Arts, 3D, Interactiv

May-July, 1999

beaming, llc.

In preparing this plan, beaming interviewed twelve people and received nine fully completed surveys. The following summarizes the major areas of discussion and highlights their recommendations:

• more of a guide- needs a voice
• reflect the current time
• put contemporary developments in a historical context
• more humor...be stimulating
• make format more accessible/ visibly appealing
• start backing away from scholarly appearance
• content uneven, but what’s right is really right
• not so word heavy
• more reviews of emerging research- pure science & tech. written for non-scientist
• broaden from technology and the arts to technology and culture

____________________________________________________________________________

• become one stop shop for art & technology
• filter content more personally- here’s 3-4 top VR artists and how they will affect you
• connect to partners who appreciate raw creativity- Adobe, LucasFilm etc..
• provide "signposts on the road" for broader audience
• have all publications reviewed- stable list of press contacts
• create a plan- execute the plan
• organize collaborative on-line art projects
• provide easy way to find out what others are doing-
• develop a video series, TV series, Web broadcasts- partner with Discovery Channel, ckm, itvs
• Website needs constant dedicated attention
• links to other business and research organizations; foster an exchange; access to community for tools, beta testing, advance notice of developments, info on products; act as honest broker in process
• more attention to emerging technologies via 1) lecture series, 2) residencies, 3) publishing compilations

___________________________________________________________________________

Other Book Subjects:

• collision of business, technology and art
• media criticism
• books of various levels of sophistication
• artificial life, artificial intelligence
• reviews of research
• genetics

___________________________________________________________________________

• increase visibility
• provide endowment money to artists

___________________________________________________________________________

• organize own conference
• curate/review art exhibits at conferences
• be careful who you sponsor

___________________________________________________________________________

• publish academic books
• organize conferences
• syndicate content
• virtual faculty
• develop on-line interactive tutorials
• provide scholarships/awards to recognize teachers
• do curriculum development
• don’t compete with existing art schools
• too many doing this-= would have to be very unique; bi-yearly satellite project better
• collaborate with schools
• universities can be real quagmire- focus on business/research communities
• use art as a means of encouraging science and technology education- kids not taking engineering/science
• have visiting artists

__________________________________________________________________________

Source: Steve Wilson- Artist/Professor, Curtis E. Karnow- Attorney, Lynn Hershman- Artist, Martin Anderson- Investment Advisor, Marci Reichelstein- Independent Marketing Consultant, Rober Todd- Learning & Technology Professional, Mark Resch- Manager/Artist, Craig Harris- Executive Editor LEA, Joel Slayton- Artist/Professor,