"Transmedia": A brave new world in entertainment marketing
Transmedia has its antecedents in the serialized fiction of Charles Dickens and the interlocking characters and locations of William Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Superheroes like Superman, created in the 1930s, came closer, appearing in comic books, radio and live-action serials but without coordination from a central creative force.
Jenkins coined the term around the time of “The Blair Witch Project,” which used fake online documentary footage to market the movie. Nowadays, unveiling a story through multiple media is a common practice, ranging from TV series such as “Flash Forward” and “Melrose Place” to the campaign of Barack Obama.
CBS’ “Ghost Whisperer” has fueled a following through comic books, online games and Web series such as “The Other Side,” which looks at the world of the show from the ghost’s perspective. “We let those offshoots give the audience their own personal experience,” says Kim Moses, an executive producer of the show, who spoke to Jenkins’ class. “Had we not done all this stuff, that show would not make it to the fifth year.”
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