We’re told that:

under new management channel4.com/4talent will at least continue

but whether they can maintain the impeccable standards set by Nick Carson, Helen Byrne and Catherine Bray is another matter.

If I could, I’d be checking out The Destroyers (amusingly described as “Oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah oompah pah, OY! x 1m” by one unconverted soul), the Sugar Hill Gang and the 4Talent stage.

In fact, 4Talent can have an extra plug because not only are they hosting the stage debut of CiB-founder Pete Ashton and friends, including this chap:

but they’re also giving away USB wristbands to the first 100 people through the door.  They’ve been preloaded with videos, MP3s and a podcast from the acts they’ll be featuring on the night.  If you need to know more, here’s what the 4Talent wristbands contain.

• Plus+ International Design Expo
• Flip Animation Festival
• Gigbeth

Plus+ kicked off today at Fazeley Studios, Digbeth.  I’m heading over in a bit and am not really sure what to expect other than the much-discussed tart cards.  I suppose I’m looking forward to catching a talk or two and just having a mooch about.

Flip is over in Wolverhampton at the Light House and consists of three days of animation goodness – screenings, portfolio dissections, talks and all sorts, with a closing party hosted by Colour.

Gigbeth kicks off with the conference tomorrow and carries on through to Saturday evening.  There’s loads of info out there for anyone wanting to look.  May I direct you to:

• The programme
• Jon Bounds’ round-up (featuring a link to his Gigbeth MySpace marathon)
• Info about 4Talent’s stage, featuring CiB’s Pete Ashton between the other acts
• Rich Batsford has blogged about playing the 4Talent stage and also at Drop Beats Not Bombs later in the evening
• Rhubarb Radio will be broadcasting live feeds from some of the stages

The former comes courtesy of Claudia Losi’s Balena Project as presented by Ikon Gallery (and previously alluded to).  A 25ft cashmere whale will be deposited by the escalators in The Mailbox from 24 Sept to 26 Oct.  This is what it looks like:

Hmm, so it doesn’t look like a fearsome, city-levelling villain, more like me flopped on my sofa feeling sorry for myself.

Meanwhile, flyers for Hello Digital (a mere 6 weeks away and still no-one knows quite what it is) will apparently be distributed around the Bullring tomorrow by a giant robot.  Brilliant!

I’ll write something about Hello Digital when I know what’s going on but details have been trickling out:

• It’ll be happening predominently at Millennium Point and will be free to attend
• SCAMP will kick things off on the first night with an “electro-acoustic and live visual performance”
• An international digital conference called ‘Hello World’ will take place on 23-24 October
• There’ll be an interactive ‘Field of Light‘ from the Plus Expo people, controllable via a microsite (this sounds dead cool)
• Capsule’s ‘Home of Metal‘ project will launch at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Saturday 25 Oct
• Baskerville: The Animated Movie will get it’s premiere
• Killriculum seems to involve getting kids to watch scary short films while lying in coffins
• Digital Storytelling is “a touching vision of the world we live in”. Hmm, sounds very worthy
• The Light House in Wolverhampton, in association with 4Talent, will be screening “contemporary and classic film from the Film4 back catalogue”

So far the Hello Digital blog and Twitter are up and running and the main site is due to go live any minute now.  Meanwhile here’s the flyer:

There are just two weeks to go for submissions to the 4Talent Awards – the deadline is 29 August 2008.

4Talent acts as a talent spotter for the various arms of Channel 4 and the awards:

tip exciting individuals with the potential to make a difference, as judged both by commissioners and the leading producers who supply them.

It’d be great to have some Birmingham winners again – last year Polar Bear, Chris Keenan and Nathan Hughes-Berry won trophies – so have a look through the categories and if one fits you (and as long as you’re under 30 and meet the other criteria) then get your application in.

Among many other things she’s been featured by 4Talent magazine (as per the pic) who will also be there to talk “about how illustration helps shape their visual identity”.

A backdrop will be provided by VJs Cinecull. That’s on Monday 16 June, 7-9pm and entry is free.