via Ryan Adams on the Twitters: Marty Neill from No More Art on meeting me:
At Creative Camp Belfast on Saturday I met Matt Johnston (newly installed staffer of Digital Circle) and he seemed like a nice fella. He was open and chatty and seemed genuinely interested in talking to people about what he wants to achieve with the organisation, and the fact that he’s very new and just finding his feet. Now for those who remember NIIMA a sharp intake of breath is allowed, actually it’s wise. Digital Circle looks a bit like a sector lead body either now or in the making. Especially when you dig deeper and find that Invest NI hold the lead on this new hybrid puppy.
…Yes NIIMA was a shambles and should have been preserved as an example of exactly not how to set up a lead body for a sector (or anything else for that matter.) Yes a lot of people (me included) wasted time, effort and hope on said shambles. Yes it looked from the outside like a select few did very well from NIIMA and then threw out the baby with the bathwater. All of that is true and given, it was grim at a time when the digital media scene in NI needed a boost.
I hope Marty doesn’t regret meeting me that fateful day.