Flash, to Shawn Pucknell, isn’t just a multimedia platform; it’s his lifeblood. The entrepreneur is behind the “Flash in the Can” series of events that has been celebrating Adobe’s platform for eight years now, as well as the largest Flash user group in the world, FlashinTO. Pucknell was also on board as the lead author of the “Flash MX 2004 Demystified” book under Macromedia Press.

The love began when Pucknell started off as a developer at Maclaren McCann Interactive, where he cut his teeth on projects for General Motors Canada, The National Post, and other clients. He then founded his own multimedia agency, Ten Plus One, and has since won various interactive advertising awards, including two gold Canadian Marketing Awards.

Currently, in addition to directing the FITC events, Pucknell guest lectures and sits on the interactive programme advisory committees at Sheridan, Seneca, and Humber Colleges.

TAXI Hi Shawn, thanks for taking a ride with TAXI. You have over 10 years of experience in the new media industry, and your passion for Flash in particular is renowned. You’ve founded the FITC events company, set up the FlashinTO user group, and even authored a book on the multimedia platform. How did your love for Flash begin?

Shawn Pucknell I want to start by thanking you for this opportunity. I am flattered and honoured.

I started my career as a web developer, and quickly discovered and fell in love with Flash. I had created some Director work as well, but the simplicity and ease of use that Flash offered, plus the remarkable rate of adoption of its browser plug in made it a real compelling tool for creating interactive and creative work.

I’ve always thought that in the early days of Flash (1-5), the real strength of the tool was that it was one of the only tools that allowed a programmer or an artist/designer the ability to create something. It wasn’t just for one or the other; almost anyone could use it to create. And that was and still is, a very powerful part of Flash’s success.

TAXI Underscoring the FITC brand is the tagline “Inspire, Educate, Challenge, Connect”. Could you tell us a little more on this, and how it applies to the design and technology industries?

Shawn Pucknell We approach all of our events with the same focus and goals. We aim to inspire our audience by bringing in talented designers and creators to talk about their process and their work. We aim to educate through presentations and panels on relevant topics. We also aim to challenge our audience with ideas and people that would be of interest and benefit to their work, but are not common in their everyday work environment.

And of course we aim to connect people, be it an employer and an employee; someone looking for a contractor; or just bringing people together as friends or for future collaborative projects. We believe that by strengthening, growing, and connecting our community, we help to make it stronger and more vibrant.

TAXI Apple, with their popular iPhone and iPad devices, are at odds with Adobe over the benefits of Flash; the computing giant even went as far as to prohibit its use, along with third-party conversion tools, in the iPhone. What do you think might be the best way to circumvent these restrictions while still allowing for Flash to be used?

Shawn Pucknell We are starting to see some options for creating Flash for iPhone devices. The Openplug project looks very promising, as do a number of other projects popping up such as Gordon and smokescreen.

TAXI But with HTML5 gaining popularity, how do you see the future of Flash panning out, from both a consumer standpoint and one as a developer?

Shawn Pucknell I believe that it will be many years before HTML5 gains the popularity it needs to be truly competitive to Flash. We are seeing some cool examples of what HTML5 can do right now, but it will be a while before all browsers will consistently display this content.

There are a few million flash creators, and Adobe has a lot invested in the Flash platform. I am confident that Flash will continue to have a significant role in the landscape that is the internet. I see HTML5 as a viable option for some applications, but too many (mostly Flash haters and media looking for stories) have made HTML5 out to be the Flash killer.

We’ve heard it before (JAVA Applets, DHTML, Live Motion, Windows Silverlight). And yet Flash is still here, and is still strong. HTML5 along with other current and upcoming technologies, may or may not have a place in the ecosphere, but they will all challenge Flash which will push it to evolve and adapt, which is a positive thing.

TAXI The FITC Mobile conference covers the whole gamut of topics, from the iPhone to the Android to various mobile operating systems. Is ‘going mobile’ the de rigueur model for the technological industries now?

Shawn Pucknell I’d have to say yes. For many companies, their need and desire to have a mobile presence is quite strong. Not all companies need an app, but all companies need to at least look at what is required by their customers, even if it’s as simple as ensuring that their company is listed correctly on Google maps and other online directories, or if their website is viewable on a smart phone.

It’s becoming harder and harder for any company in today’s age to ignore the fact that their clients have smart phones. They then have to decide what they need to do to address that.

TAXI With the whole sphere of interactive design being a lot more visible now (as Malcolm McCullough terms it: “a consequence of pervasive computing”), do you think there is room for traditional, non-digital media to coexist with new media?

Shawn Pucknell I like to believe that art and design, is just that, and that the tools are secondary. Be it a paintbrush, a camera, a sculpting knife, or a computer, the tool shouldn’t matter, and it is all relevant and meaningful. But of course each discipline comes with baggage, purists, and critics.

We are still not at a point where digital media is considered art by the masses. When we cross that threshold, perhaps this question will be more relevant to consider, but until then my focus is to try to continue to support and showcase digital artists. I will say that I think with the interest and buzz and growth of areas such as transmedia, we are well on our way to this acceptance.

TAXI What technological paradigm would best define the 2000s, and what possible developments in technology and media this current decade has you most excited?

Shawn Pucknell Mobile. The cloud. Apps. Smart devices. Transmedia. AR. New 3D technology. Location based services. Twitter. We’ve seen some real interesting trends and breakthroughs in the past 10 years. I can’t pretend to know what the next 10 years will bring, but it would seem that mobile devices are continuing to play a larger and larger role in our lives, and I expect that to continue.

TAXI FITC has produced events in cities around North America, Europe, and the Far East. How do participants from one city or region differ from the next in their approach to design and technology? Do you have a personal favorite location?

Shawn Pucknell We become very excited at FITC when we are going to a new city, as it’s always exciting to see what the crowd will be like and how the event will evolve. As for a favourite, that's a tough one. Each city has something that I love about it and enjoy. Tokyo is an amazing city. But I also love Seoul and Amsterdam. And we are very excited to see what the coming San Francisco event will be like.

TAXI For the next FITC in San Francisco, what can attendees expect from the event?

Shawn Pucknell We’ve put together one of the most amazing and incredible schedules ever for our San Francisco event. We pushed hard to get some speakers out, and it came together beautifully.

Along with some long time favorites like Erik Natzke, Brandon Hall, Colin Moock, Mario Klingemann, Ralph Hauwert, Grant Skinner, Robert Reinhardt, and many more, we also managed to get Yugo Nakamura to speak, who hasn’t spoken in over five years, as well as Kyle Cooper, the legendary creator of the credits and titles for Se7en, Ben Fry, co-creator of processing, and Scott Dadich, Creative Director of WIRED Magazine, and so many more. I highly encourage everyone to check out the speaker line up.




TAXI What is the word which you think would reside and reverberate in the creative world for the next 10 years?

Shawn Pucknell Hmm. I would say ‘transmedia’. I think that media, artists and storytellers in general will grow past the single dimension banner or print ad or linear story, and start to engage us in a more meaningful and layered way, utilising multiple mediums, including social media, to weave a rich narrative that truly speaks to us and is influenced by us.

So ‘transmedia’ would be my word. Or robots. I like robots.