DHX Media makes strategic investment in childrens' game firm Tribal Nova
(Halifax, Canada) DHX Media Ltd. (AIM & TSX ticker: “DHX”), a leading independent international producer and distributor of television programming and interactive content, announces that it has completed a strategic investment in privately-held Tribal Nova Inc. by acquiring a 16.77% …
Remember Thirtysomething?
Well I do. Tells you something about my age. Just watched the new online serial Quarterlife from the creators of the original Thirtysomething series. Got to say it’s the most compelling drama I’ve seen online. A lot of the others like Lonelygirl15, Kate Modern and PSTrixi were aimed very much at a teen girl demographic. […]
Interview: Lisa Hsia Senior Vice President of New Media, Bravo
Here is a brief Q &A with Lisa Hsia, Senior Vice President of New Media, Bravo
Lisa Hsia is the Senior Vice President of New Media for Bravo . She is responsible for identifying and maximizing programming opportunities for Bravo in new media, facilitating business initiatives in wireless, digital, home video, as well as securing international and ancillary rights. She also develops original programming and external opportunities for digital programming.
Q. How does an independent filmmaker-turned-news documentary producer-turned news executive become one of the leading new media executives in the industry?
LH. How does an independent filmaker-turned-news-documentary producer-turned news exec NOT become engaged in the the hottest area in media? The wild wild west of the digital world is fast-paced, changing every day and a lot of fun. It’ll be even more fun when we have some proven business models and we are raking in the revenues. Right now, I still consider us in a period of experimentation and if we get ad sponsorship, i feel very, very lucky and grateful to the advertiser for getting out there with us and trying new things.
Q. How does Bravo capture value for its advertisers on the new media side? What are some of your most recent successes?
LH. I think for the advertisers there are many benefits — they’re associated with a great brand that has lots of tech savvy, passionate and highly engaged viewers, they’re absolutely getting the exposure, whether online, on mobile or on the ITV side, and most importantly, they’re getting engagement and learnings from the process.
Q. It seems that Bravo “gets” new media in ways that other broadcast or cable outlets do not – do you listen to your advertisers and agencies more than others?
LH. We try to figure out what our viewers and users want and deliver it. If it works, we’ll deliver the metrics and the advertisers and agencies will follow.
Q. The industry is still in a very early stage of determining ad pricing models for new media; is your strategy of broad experimentation resonating with advertisers?
Absolutely, there are some fantastic innovators in the emerging media space at the agencies and certain advertisers. We’re working closely with everyone to figure out what models work and how best to price the inventory while at the same time maintaining a winning user experience.
Q. The mobile channel is very fertile for Bravo – what are some of the more successful promotions you’ve done in mobile?
LH. I’ll name a few you can check out now — text RUNWAY to 27286 (BRAVO) and you can join Project Runway’s Mobile Fan Club. There’s SMS/MMS and one of it’s elements is a fun location-based, social networking application that is a PROJECT RUNWAY GUIDE TO NY which we built in partnership with Socialight.com. It’s a searchable map accessible via phone or the web, and you can find out the designers’ and judges’ favorite places in New York — from favorite fashion and shopping destinations to restaurants, museums, parks and tatoo parlors and you can comment and rate them as well. Also, go to wap.bravotv.com to see the award-winning Project Runway mobile website. And vote each week in the premiere episodes of Project Runway on a live question and qualify to win a $10,000 shopping spree at bluefly.com.
Q. Is this job the most creative, entertaining gig you’ve had in your career? Would you have expected, 3 years ago, that you’d be in this position in the (still-emerging) new media industry?
LH. This is absolutely the best job I’ve ever had. It’s fun, challenging and ever-changing. Come join us!
Change of Australian digital film landscape
A new partnership has just been announced which will shape the future of Australia’s digital film industry in the coming years. Australia’s leading production company – Kennedy Miller Mitchell has announced it will partner with the Omnilab group to form a new company to advance the future of digital cinema creation in Australia. George Miller […]
Trans-Media enters the 21st Century
By PGA NMC member Jeff Gomez
The age of true, premeditated trans-media storytelling was arguably kicked off in October of 2005, when Bob Iger took command at Disney. A spry Boomer to Michael Eisner’s stately Greatest Generation, Iger knows from worlds and he also understands technology. He has a firm grip on 
how we as consumers use the web as a colossal hub for pursuing our interests and connecting with one another over things we enjoy. By extending the worlds created by The Walt Disney Company (everything from High School Musical to Fairies and Pirates of the Caribbean) onto the Internet, he isn’t simply advertising them — he’s growing them at an exponential rate.
This way original movies will premiere with built-in fan bases, fans will get text messages from fictional characters, you’ll be able to start exploring the massive worlds of tent pole pictures in 3D environments before they hit theaters, and each novel, toy and webisode will live up to the standard of quality and consistency that makes the film memorable. It stands to reason that other companies, large and small, are following suit right now.
Jeff Gomez (jeff@starlightrunner.com), is the CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, Inc., a developer and producer of highly successful trans-media projects whose clients include The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, the Coca-Cola Company, Mattel and Hasbro. Over the next few weeks he’ll be sharing his expertise on the white hot trans-media industry – exploring its fascinating history and expanding upon the 8 Defining Principles of Trans-Media Production
Content 360 Event
Attention PGA Members
We know you’ve got great ideas
Now we’re bringing you an opportunity to get them funded
Content 360 is a multiplatform pitching session and competition sponsored by Yahoo, Ogilvy, KBC and the National Film Board of Canada. The competition will be held on April 7-11, 2008 at MIPTV market — Palais des Festival, Cannes France.
1) Pitch your digital content ideas to industry leaders from across the globe.
2) Make the cut and you could get development funding !
Want to learn more? Join us next Tuesday and we’ll explain it all.
– How the program works
– How to position yourself for success
– What you win
** This event is exclusive to PGA Members.
On hand will be Arthur Schweitzer, SVP Television, Digital Media & Operations at Reed Midem (the folks who bring you MIPTV)
AND
Toby Daniels of Mint Digital who will be sharing his experiences as a Content 360 participant (and winner).
Date: Tuesday, November 20th
Time: 7pm
Location: 1515 Broadway (45th St)
RSVP by 11/19 to pganmc@gmail.com
links for 2007-11-15
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Congrats to Max.
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I can’t argue with this. It’s not the greatest email device.
The Internet Explosion
The Internet Explosion
Trans-media storytelling would come into its own with phenomenal success of The Blair Witch Project. It’s important to note the distinction in the relationship here: as opposed to a piece of 
licensing or other afterthought spin-off, the Blair Witch website existed as a precursor to the film. It laid down the mythology of the film’s world, even expanding on it, in a way that was scary cool. By spreading the word about this site, you were getting a charge out of letting someone else in on a weird secret.
You were validated and celebrated for your participation in the Blair Witch happening, right there, on the fly, in real time. You and your friends could connect, theorize, and explore this world to the point where the movie became far more than a self-contained piece of entertainment. It was simply a component in a greater experience, and that made it magical. The hip execs like John Hegeman and the folks at Artisan Entertainment took a fascinating risk, and the studio and filmmakers made a fortune.
For savvy marketers like Gordon Paddison at New Line Cinema and on-the-ball filmmakers like Peter Jackson, the web became a platform to launch the fictional universes around which their film franchises would be built. Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, would continue to innovate with major trans-media endeavors based on an array of Disney properties, such as Lost, Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical. For fans, these web sites were portals into a philosophy and way of life that they could not find in their local communities. “I love your world,” they seemed to be saying, “and for at least a few minutes every day, I want to live in it.”
8 Defining Principles of Trans-Media Production. But as Jeff touches upon, it was principle #8 – “features audience participatory elements” – that turbocharged its success.
The Blair Witch visionaries, in a very Orson Welles War of the Worlds kind of way, hijacked media platforms of their day to position a fictional story as real. They employed a number of innovative techniques: Shooting cinéma-vérité style — on home video cameras with no script. Releasing a television “documentary” Curse of the Blair Witch – claiming to explore the legend. And, of course, seeding the internet with a rich detailed back story that reinforced the air of believability.
Both The Blair Witch Project and War of the Worlds played off humans’ deep-seated emotions related to the supernatural… but the internet gave the Blair Witch audience an outlet for those emotions. The combination of great storytelling… sparking powerful emotions… and providing multiple avenues for expression/exploration results in a truly transformative entertainment experience. This is what trans-media is all about.
– Greg Weinstein
Jeff Gomez (jeff@starlightrunner.com), is the CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, Inc., a developer and producer of highly successful trans-media projects whose clients include The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, the Coca-Cola Company, Mattel and Hasbro. Over the next few weeks he’ll be sharing his expertise on the white hot trans-media industry – exploring its fascinating history and expanding upon the 8 Defining Principles of Trans-Media Production
Content 360
Coming next week — an amazing opportunity for PGA Members! Learn about the Content 360 New Media Competition. Details to come.
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