storyworld conference in san francisco

Appropriate that Halloween, holiday for appropriation of fictional identities, is the launch day for Storyworld in San Francisco, the first conference dedicated to the art—and business—of crossplatform entertainment. This ambitious gathering is the brainchild of Alison Norrington, Doctor of Transmedia and founder of storycentralDIGITAL. I look forward to tales and insights from the trenches shared by luminaries like Jeff Gomez, Ivan Askwith, Mike Monello, Frank Rose, Liz Rosenthal and other cross-platform players from around the world.

Thank you, Alison, for citing Betty Draper in your definition of transmedia storytelling.

transmedia wins new title at the *other* PGA

In a historic meeting last night at Producers Guild of America (significant because the PGA rarely approves new credits) an amendment was approved in which executives who expand storylines onto multiple platforms will receive official credit as "Transmedia Producers". One of the authors of the amendment and a driving force behind it is Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment and producer of transmedia projects for Mattell, Hasbro and Coca Cola (Happiness Factory) and film projects. Full article on Deadline Hollywood, where the story broke, here.

Last night's vote was a huge win for new tellers of story. When I first saw the news on twitter, my brain did a high-five. But upon close read of PGA's definition of Transmedia Producer I was dismayed to see that the title applies only if the story has three (count em) storylines. Three? Isn't the meaning (and beauty) of transmedia that one, single story is proliferated across platforms? Three works for franchises. But franchises aren't the only type of transmedia project, as Christy Dena, a Melbourne-based PhD in transmedia points out on her blog:

What about all the transmedia producers for special television episodes that include the web in a special two-screen experience? Gosh, simultaneous media-usage with TV shows especially created to work with the web or mobile are one of the biggest growth areas in broadcasting. And books with websites or DVDs? The minimum-of-three rule applies to franchises easily, but it shows how little these people know about how big the area is.

Perhaps Gomez and others pushing for this reform knew vote would go through only if it was explained in marketing speak: franchise. And that amendment won't be limited to strict adherence. Because to do so would limit the vastness of the field first envisioned by Henry Jenkins in the Jurassic Period (early 1990s).

Your turn now, WGA. Transmedia Writer?

UPDATE

Jeff Gomez kindly comments with clarification: Transmedia Producer credit relies on three story threads, not storylines:

"To clarify, the three storyline rule stands for at least three narrative threads, not three completely different and separate stories. It's specifically aimed at producers and designed to prevent repurposing, which has run rampant in the age of new media."