Prime Time For Change

ValemontU - The World, The Story, The Experience

2009-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Valemont is the university to enroll in. ValemontU is about you.So what are you waiting for? :)1. Enroll and explore Valemont University (ValemontU & ValemontU's Facebook ).2. Get to know the students by:a. Following & interacting with them on Twitter (Some of the more popular: @so_fields, @PoppyBarker, @PntheraHseLeo, @gabri3lr, @queen_beatrice).b. Engage them at the student 'fan' forum (

From the brains that brought you 153 different ways to spell "Jennifer"

2009-07-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

The Sci-Fi Channel, a General Electric's NBC Universal property, corporate identity update is a forward thinking demonstration of marketing brilliance. Division president Dave Howe sums up the Corporate Think behind the brand change as the mission to make the science fiction channel "Less Geeky". Well phrased Mr. Howe.Per Tim Brooks, one of the folks that helped to launch the network, “The name

Felicia Day's perspective on web series

2009-05-15T07:48:00.001-07:00

A great post by Felicia about web series...I'm not going to piecemeal it so click over to http://feliciaday.com/blog/web-series-4-things-to-ask-yourself-before-startingWeb series: 4 things to ask yourself before starting1. How is My Project Unique to the Web?2. How is My Web Series Unique to ME?3. Who is My Audience and How Will I Reach Them?4. Do I Know What I’m Getting Into?The only item I

That new blog smell...

2009-03-25T22:38:00.001-07:00

I stumbled on some fresh produce: Brent Friedman, co-founder of Electric Farm Entertainment, has a new blog at the EFE website.Having been a fan of EFE projects [Afterworld, Gemini Division] and having interviewed Mr. Friedman a few times in the past I am always impressed by his vision. In this new blog Brent spells out the building blocks of "New Media"As I posted in my comments there; the

Nanocrowd Movie Search: A New Recommendation Approach

2009-03-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce the launch of a project that I have been working on for some time at Nanocrowd (I am part of the founding team). We have been working hard in preparation of the launch. Well, that time has come!!! Nanocrowd's Movie Search Engine is now up! You now have a new tool at your disposal to help you find movies you will like. If you tell us a movie, we will return

Geoblocking Revisited

2009-01-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting article by Daisy Whitney "International Market a Growing Opportunity for Web Series". In the article, she wrote:"The international distribution strategy for “Gemini Division” underscores a growing opportunity for Web producers. Licensing a Web show to a foreign country is an additional revenue stream for ad-supported shows—and it’s often the one that helps them

Electric Farm Entertainment and MMO's like upcoming 'Star Wars - The Old Republic'. A Good Fit?

2008-10-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

One of the things I most value in a video game is story. Unfortunately, in my opinion, not a lot of games have a great story/storyline that invest the player in the characters, the world, and into seeing that story unfold. I think this is particularly true when it comes to MMORPG's.Bioware sees this need and is looking to make story to be a foundational element in their upcoming MMORPG, "Star

Brent Friedman to discuss Gemini Division EE

2008-10-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/arg-netcastAfterworld and Gemini Division executive producer and series greator Brent Friedman will be a guest on the October 20th ARGNet podcast discussing the Enhanced Experience [EE] for Gemini Division, the growth of Electric Farm Entertainment's Alternate Reality Games from the Afterworld ARG through Gemini's EE and onward as new properties are released.We'd

Biofeedback Entertainment System

2008-10-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

This post is a bit different from what I have written before, but I thought I would write a little bit about one of my latest fun projects. It is a biofeedback system where I combine exercise and entertainment.I am working on an innovative method to simulate powering my entertainment experience via my heart rate. The basic biofeedback prototype is working. Currently using ActiveKeys to control

The Benchmark for Immersive Experience: Hotel 626

2008-10-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

In recent articles I’ve focused on Alternate Reality Gaming, Enhanced Experience content, and attempted to answer the question on how these types of ancillary components to television and web series could be used to forward the ‘immersive experience’ for viewers.6:00 PM to 6:00 AM anyone searching for the benchmark of immersive entertainment needs look no further than Hotel 626. Tim emailed me

Part 1: Gemini Division's Gemini 360 & Potential Lessons Learned

2008-09-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

I admit that we've been hard on NBC Universal Digital Studios; 'we', the web viewing audience and ARG players, have high expectations and we tend to get irritated when they aren't met.In previous articles we've discussed how NBC has mishandled both the website branding and the alternate reality gaming for Gemini Division, the first of it's kind web series. From issues with the

Apathetic Entertainment; the impact of corporate culture on non-broadcast media distribution.

2008-09-13T18:44:00.001-07:00

The Prentice Hall Encyclopedia of Business Terms defines Corporate Culture as:“The philosophy, values, behaviors, dress codes, etc., that together constitute the unique style and policies of a company. Corporate-culture is everything that affects the company, it is the company's unique "style", or "the way we do things around here".Associate Professor in the School of Media Arts, The

"Joss Whedon: Studios Moving Like Dinosaurs"

2008-09-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Title based off Joss Whedon's comments in regard to the major studios and their interaction with new media.This was an interesting panel discussion about the current direction of Media. Panelists include: Joss Whedon, Stan Rogow, Matthew Diamond, Chris Henchy.There is a bit of dead space at the beginning. Introductions start at: 2:40. Panel starts 11 minutes and 20 seconds in.The embed was

NBC Mishandles Gemini Division: Ad Overload

2008-09-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

In my post, “Gemini Division Preview” I said that even if I had a way to remove the integrated ads, I wouldn't want to. Not so with NBC's abuse of banner ads. Upon page load, NBC’s Gemini Division site begins the ad bombardment onslaught. There are more ads for Intel than there appears to be Gemini Division content. At the top of the page is a large Intel banner ad. To the right, there is

Gemini Division, NBC, and Alternate Reality Gaming and Viral Marketing gone wrong.

2008-08-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 27th saw the release of the alternate reality game and immersive interaction content for Gemini Division, the new online-only series distributed by NBC Universal Digital Studios. Entertainment bloggers/reporters, fans, and entire ARG communities have been eagerly awaiting this release as this series is the first web only property produced by a Hollywood studio and distributed by

Geoblocking, Sony, Gemini Division, and You

2008-08-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Geoblocking or at least the concept of it is nothing new though it is becoming more prevalent. Video streaming and the Olympics made this abundantly clear. Jack Kapica of Globe Technology online wrote, "If the Internet represents instant global communications, watching the Olympics online is still based on a pre-Internet mindset. Yes, you can watch the Olympics in streaming video, but you can

Internet Series, then and Now

2008-08-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

With the driving premise of Prime Time for Change being the convergence of broadcasting mediums moving forward to an immersive experience for future viewers, it is vital that we understand the current environment in both traditional and online broadcasting. While we are all familiar with how Broadcast Television functions I’ve found that not many of us have an understanding of the history

Gemini Division Preview

2008-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

I was privileged to be invited to a prescreening of Gemini Division both as a fan and to represent the blog Prime Time For Change. What an exciting and novel experience. Electric Farm truly does emulate the best of what we write about here. While there are other factors that contributed to starting up this blog, the number one influence is Electric Farm Entertainment (EFE). They are truly

Some Interesting YouTube Videos

2008-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

"How to Monetize Web Video" (Brent Friedman in panel)New YouTube video about Gemini Division "Gemini Division Push - Will They Push Back?" (Interesting, August 18th, cool!):

Olympic Streaming at MSN by NBC

2008-08-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

I don't want to preempt my most recent post, but I couldn't resist sharing this with our readers. What a great example of where Internet TV is going. Nice resolution. No choppiness or stuttering (at least for me). Picture in picture. Four live streams at once. Easy swapping of position. Trivia. Extra content. Pretty cool stuff. I found the video below at Beet.TV referenced by Aaron's

Category Confusion: Nielsen, Gartner, The Federal Census Bureau, and You!

2008-08-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Aaron Smith has a very interesting post over at Asmedia titled, “Hollywood’s Web Shows: The Future of Television”? In his introduction, he references a Nielsen report. At first glance, the report appears to be evidence that would back the executive point of view (as presented by Doug):“Even with all that we (the technically savvy internet user) believes is occurring online, the last six years

Immersive viewing illustrated

2008-08-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

I’d like to start my post this week by thanking everyone who drudged through the ‘corporate view’ post from last week. I felt it was important to illustrate the perception of those managing the networks that are canceling our favorite programs. After some comparisons I am going to talk about some profitable alternatives available for shows being seen beyond just television broadcast. If

Finding Forrester

2008-08-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

This post is Part I of a series examining the TV executive viewpoint outlined in Doug’s last post. This series should make it clear that the reports and analysis he presented do not support the assertion that online use hasn’t changed all that much. Rather, it will reveal that the landscape has changed, is changing, and will continue to change.I believe that the corporate broadcasting executive

Through someone else's eyes....

2008-07-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

Please note that the following post is written from the viewpoint of the Corporate Broadcasting Executive. The reports and survey data included below are valid and those organizations providing the data are industry leaders. Readers in the IS/IT and Entertainment fields should recognize the names Forrester, Gartner, and Magid Media Labs. To boil it down to brass tacks: these are the

Cancellation Fallout

2008-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Doug for the great post and for joining this discussion. I appreciate the opportunity we have to interact with each other and with our readers. Doug is correct when he states that this year’s network cancellations were not a result of the Writer’s strike. I believe that cancellations in general highlight the need for continued adaptation and change in this digital media age.