Mengci Ren from Goldsmiths, University of London has been selected to join UCFC as a member via the organisation’s Future Talent Programme 2020-2021.
Here is Mengci’s own introduction to her expertise as well as her project at UCFC for this coming year:
“I am Mengci Ren, a first-year PhD student at Goldsmiths, University of London. I am so excited to join in this year’s UCFC team and work with other colleagues.
Before attending Goldsmiths, I have obtained a master’s degree in Art Administration at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and worked in different sectors across the creative industries. My Masters thesis was titled The Application of DuPont Analysis in Profitability Analysis for Art Organisations: A Case Study of Lincoln Centre, in which I introduced a financial data analytic model to explore strategies in financial management for art organisations. This previous studies has inspired me to do a further research on the application of data analytics for the creative industries.
My PhD research concentrates on the film industry from the data perspective, proposing to link data analytics with various aspects of the industries such as investment, production, promotion and distribution. I am interested in exploring how some high-tech companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Alibaba, establish their new film business models based on algorithm and data analysis, and how traditional studios like Disney change their business strategies by also utilising big data in the digital era.
For this year’s UCFC project, I plan to organise an online forum surrounding this topic, inviting scholars and practitioners from both countries to talk about how data mechanism contributes to the development of the film industry, to explore what characteristics of these business models in China and UK are respectively, the potential collaboration between the two countries and opportunities for future academic research.
Contact Mengci: renmengci1992@gmail.com
