We are pleased to invite all PGA and PGA New Media Council members to our first event of the season.
Wednesday, September 26, 6:30PM – 9PM
The Society of Illustrators 128 East 63rd Street (between Park & Lexington Avenues)
CREATING BLOCKBUSTER WORLDS: TRANS-MEDIA DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION
As exemplified by TV series such as Lost and Heroes , video games such as Halo and the work of creators such as JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon, Zach Snyder and Kevin Smith, storytelling has made a quantum leap in the 21st century. Development and production of a single rich narrative across multiple media platforms is the next exciting challenge being faced by producers in the digital age. Right now, major studios, advertising agencies, video game publishers and dozens of Fortune 500 companies are incubating concepts and developing intellectual properties capable of both enthralling and interacting with audiences who will enjoy them on their TV sets, computer screens, game consoles, as well as in the form of theatrical films, graphic novels and toys. There are only a handful of producers with extensive experience in the lucrative field of trans-media storytelling and production, and the PGA will be bringing them to you in this exciting seminar.
Scheduled to appear:
Jeff Gomez (Moderator), CEO Starlight Runner Entertainment
As the host of the seminar, PGA member Jeff will familiarize producers with the history, criteria and relevance of trans-media storytelling. An expert in the field of trans-media development and creator and producer of highly successful fictional worlds, Jeff exponentially increases the value of intellectual properties by preparing them at early phase to be extended across a wide variety of entertainment platforms. Jeff has written and produced elaborate trans-media universes (including content such as feature and episodic animation, video games, comic books, novels and web portals) for 20th Century Fox, The Coca-Cola Company, The Walt Disney Company, Acclaim Entertainment, Mattel, Hasbro and Scholastic.
Ivan Askwith, Lead Strategist, Big Spaceship
This highly successful executive coordinates narratives and interactive spaces designed to convey the essence and message of his clients' brands across multiple media platforms simultaneously. Through his graduate work at the Program in Comparative Media Studies at MIT, Ivan has been a passionate advocate for the development of trans-media narratives, extensions and franchises in both entertainment and advertising. Ivan now works as a lead strategist at Big Spaceship, a creative agency that develops award-winning interactive campaigns for clients including Sony, Paramount, Google, Adobe and ABC, the most recent involving an online campaign leading up to the release of The Bourne Ultimatum. In addition, Ivan has taught media strategy at MIT and NYU, and written on trans-media narrative for publications such as Slate and Salon.
Warren Weideman, Director, Branded Entertainment, CenterstagingPGA Event Committee Member and Co-Chair of the Producers Guild Annual Golf Tournament.
Warren Weideman is the creator of Rehearsals.TV on Comcast Video On Demand, a companion channel to the Rehearsals.com web site. Warren is also one of the pioneers of feature film product placement, and he also innovated many of today's sponsored and branded media content techniques. Warren produced the highly rated Showtime film series The Inspectors in tandem with the United States Postal Service, as well as the series 18 Wheels of Justice for TNN in tandem with Kenworth/Ford Motors. Today, Warren is developing sponsored trans-media entertainment content with Centerstaging, Comcast and Kidzhouse Entertainment.
Kenneth N. Swezey, Attorney, Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP
Ken Swezey is one of the originators of today's complex trans-media deal structures. A transactional attorney concentrating in entertainment, digital media, copyright, publishing and corporate law, Ken's clients range from well-known licensing agencies, digital media companies, bloggers, software developers, publishers, authors, literary agents, literary estates, visual artists and national not for profit organizations. Ken currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the New York State Bar Association Entertainment and Sports Law Committee and is a frequent speaker and panelist on digital media and copyright issues.
Jeremy Kagan, Vice President/Director, Strategy and Customer Insight, Publicis Modem
A believer in early phase trans-media planning for marketing and entertainment campaigns. Jeremy Kagan heads research and innovation out of the New York office of international advertising agency Publicis, where he develops resources and strategic positioning emerging technologies to ensure a strong impact on the bottom line for even the most cutting edge approaches to marketing. Jeremy spent many years as an independent consultant to a variety of media and technology clients, from cable channels to e-mail technology companies, and as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School teaching Marketing & the Internet.
Producers who attend this seminar will become familiar with the following:
- The definition, history and near-future of trans-media storytelling, development and production Success stories and notorious trans-media failures
- Creative and technical elements that form successful trans-media franchises
- What (and who) you need to know to understand the ambition and scope of trans-media production
- The conceptual building blocks for successful trans-media development and implementation
- Facing the challenges of working with large conglomerates
- Rollout strategies
- The role of product placement, sponsors and promotions
- What goes into developing a trans-media deal
- Examples, illustrations and models
We will have handouts but no audiovisual.
Creating Blockbuster Worlds Wednesday, September 26, 6:30PM – 9PM The Society of Illustrators 128 East 63rd Street (between Park & Lexington Avenues)
- RSVP by sending your reservation request to: pgaeastevent3@gmail.com
- Type your name + if you are bringing a guest (only ONE) in the "subject" line of the email. -
To cancel or change your reservation (INCLUDING GUEST CANCELLATION) after you have received an email confirmation, please email:mailto:lsterritt@producersguild.org
