Welcome to Cube One

THE BIRTH OF CROSS MEDIA PRODUCTION
Adventures in Storytelling pt. 6 - Welcome to Cube One
By Brian Seth Hurst

In recent posts we’ve explored some of 2007’s stand out best cross media executions.

Heroes 360 Experience
The Jericho Experience
Fallen
The L World

These are really just the beginning. And, just as television production companies specialize in producing television, there are new cross media production companies that are the experts in the planning and production of cross platform storytelling.

It isn’t easy right now, but just as production processes in film and television have become standardized over time, so too will cross media methodologies. In most cases now, it is a chaotic world of experimentation - like the early days of any medium - but speaking for cross media producers I can say that we are rapidly, and of necessity, finding our way. We are responsible for defining not only what is possible on each platform but what story or content will live on those platforms while remaining true to the creator’s and producer’s vision and the audience. After all, the audience has to have an authentic and engaging experience regardless of platform. If it’s too complicated, or not complex enough, not true to the story, not organic, or they feel manipulated we will lose them. Finally we are responsible for selecting the right technologies, partners and best of breed vendors to execute the vision. And like any production we must remain on time and on budget.

So, how do we do it? We’ll talk about the nuts and bolts of cross media production including the strategy, the business models, production integration and implementation in the upcoming posts.

This is one of the most exciting times in the history of storytelling. In fact, Cross Media storytelling is becoming a genre all unto itself. And, the participation of the audience is blurring the boundaries between fiction and non fiction, providing fertile ground for new ways to tell stories to a new “interactive” generation. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and the imagination of your audience. So, in the multidimensional world of cross media you are not really at square one -- you are really at cube one. Cross Media producers are here to help to turn those cubes into building blocks for a remarkable audience experience.

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Brian Seth Hurst is CEO of the Opportunity Management Company, Inc. a cross media strategy and production company. Hurst served two terms as Chairman of the Producers Guild of America New Media Council (’03-’05) while simultaneously serving on the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors. Currently, he is Second Vice Chair of the Television Academy and sits on the National Board of the PGA.