As the Digital Inter/Section (DI/S) project slowly wraps up, AC Coppens, founder of THE CATALYSTS, reflects on their journey as a consortium partner with enthusiasm and a dash of humor.
AC Coppens, founder of the strategic consultancy THE CATALYSTS, mentors and consults creative players for over 10 years. They brought their extensive experience this time to guide four other partners of the DI/S consortium - all digital art organizations - in developing their own business prototypes. “In this constellation, we are the business people, or shall I say the “bad” business people?” AC remarks laughingly.
The concept of “business models for digital art” is indeed a widely perceived as an oxymoron: according to last year’s DI/S consortium report, “The Business of Digital Art: Economic Models and Insights into the Future,” art is often seen as a cultural good, distinct from products or services, making traditional business models seem incompatible. "The crossing of Digital Arts and Business perspectives was triggering us nicely, and the different profiles of our international partners are super interesting” notes AC.
Reflecting on their role in the DI/S project, AC says, “This is our first European project as a consortium partner. We had been asked quite a few times in the past for similar constellations, but I guess the mix made the difference here!" AC emphasizes the importance of mindset in this collaborative process. Despite business being outside the comfort zone for many cultural organizations, the partners' openness and willingness to change were crucial. “We explored different tools—strategic overviews, classical and advanced SWOT analysis, visual mapping—and defined next steps together. Sometimes we failed, then re-iterated, but never gave up. Now we’re working on the final miles to put it all together, beyond the main partners, for a broader audience.”
AC is optimistic about the DI/S project’s potential to inspire new business models in the industry, given the commonalities found across the ecosystem. “We’re working on a toolkit that can benefit any digital arts organization looking to sustainably develop their business model,” mentions AC. This toolkit will make the knowledge gained through the project accessible to anyone eager to refine their operating models to diversify their revenue streams. To stay tuned on updates on these next steps, please follow the DI/S consortium's LinkedIn page.
AC is a strategist, conference curator, host, moderator & speaker. They founded THE CATALYSTS, an agency for innovative & creative players working at the crossing of Digital Tech, Film/XR, Music/Sound, Design & Culture, to turn conferences into sites of knowledge exchange and co-creation.