VOTE NOW!!!
Brummies are notoriously bad at shouting about the things that we’re good at and when we do we generally end up reeling off names of bands that haven’t seen the inside of a recording studio for the past two decades.
That has changed in the past few years with a whole host of blogs springing up to draw attention to some of the great stuff happening (or not happening as the case may be!) across the city. Just take a look at Up Yer Brum for an eclectic mix of photos and stories voted on by the public. Or the ever entertaining Birmingham It’s Not Shit run by Jon Bounds who brought us ‘Talk Like a Brummie Day‘ and urged us to spend 11 hours on the 11 bus route!
Amongst the best blogs is Created in Birmingham which does pretty much what it says on the tin – a one-stop shop for finding out about the creative goings-on in Brum. It’s been nominated for the 2008 weblog awards and stands an excellent chance of winning.
Not only would this be a huge boost to the creative community in Birmingham and the people who have put so much time into developing the website, it also heralds a new era where people can link up more easily than ever. I’m currently teaching film-making at Matthew Boulton College and Created in Birmingham is an excellent means of encouraging students to share their work with others and breaking down traditional barriers between the supposed ‘Creative Industry’ and those who are making their first tentative steps into their field of choice.
If I’ve not convinced you, have a read of this post from another nominee, Pete Ashton, urging you to vote for Created in Birmingham. I’ll save my blood pressure and let him explain why the current leader, Melanie Phillips shouldn’t win!
You can vote every day until 13th January – VOTE NOW!