Techie and the Media

The Amanda Project

4TH STORY MEDIA PARTNERS WITH HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS FOR ITS FIRST VENTURE: THE AMANDA PROJECT, AN INTERACTIVE, COLLABORATIVE DIGITAL MYSTERY

New York, NY (June 18, 2008)—4th Story Media and HarperCollins Publishers today announced their partnership in The Amanda Project, the first multi-platform series to be written in part by its audience, girls ages 12-14. 4th Story Media, which owns all rights for the property, will produce the content for The Amanda Project with a creative team including web design agency Happy Cog, young adult authors, artists and graphic designers. HarperCollins Publishers, which is a strategic partner in the venture and an investor, has acquired the rightsto publish an eight-book The Amanda Project series worldwide.

“It feels like the art and craft of publishing great stories for children is on the brink of revolutionary change,” said Lisa Holton, founder and CEO, 4th Story Media. “We are exploring new ways of using the web to tell stories, while also leading kids back to the joys of reading.

By combining talented authors with creative web designers we are fusing traditional storytelling with the interactive world of social networking, online games, and user-generated content.We are thrilled to introduce 4th Story Media with the launch of The Amanda Project and are delighted to be partnering with the exceptional team at HarperCollins to bring this series to life.”

“HarperCollins is very pleased to join forces with 4th Story Media on its first multi-platform series,” said Susan Katz, President and Publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books. “Book publishing is increasingly digital in nature and HarperCollins Children’s, as a leader of innovative publishing, understands and embraces initiatives that engage readers in exciting new ways. The traditional book/web connection is evolving every day, and The Amanda Project takes it one step further by allowing readers to not only discuss the story but help create it as well.”

Amanda Valentino is the elusive, charismatic, and alluring new girl at Evansville Township
High School who arrives mid-year, leaves abruptly, and indelibly changes the lives of everyone around her in the process. Her story will be told across a variety of media in addition to the books—a social website where readers can interact with and become characters in the mystery, a related series of blogs chronicling the story as it unfolds, clues and seed posts on satellite sites, downloadable music and official and user-generated merchandise. Amanda’s fate will begin to unfold across the web during the fall of 2008, through the launch of the T.A.P. website in early 2009, and continue into the publication of the first book in Fall 2009.

Contact:
For 4th Story Media: Lisa Herling
917-912-4273, herling@fourthstorymedia.com

For HarperCollins: Sandee Roston, Executive Director of Publicity
212-261-6796, sandee.roston@harpercollins.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Welcome To The You-Name-It Zone

I get about six to 10 newletters a day. I like to read. I like to read a lot. And as such, I come across these odd little bits of information — I call them nuggets of nonsense — that amuse me when I think about how far we have come, where people are seeking new audiences, and just what programmers think is of value to brands.

Today’s nugget of nonsense was a small mention that I saw about a new multimedia company (they shall remain nameless but have developed content for online and television) that has launched a Web site that caters to a certain over-popularized, dramatized and satirized group of ethic Americans.

Forget about who it is — that is not the point. The thing that caught my eye was the fact that someone out there figured that heritage was a viable target. Interesting.

So, being ever so serious, I checked it out. Now, I am a true believer in “know they audience.” I am also a true believer in the value of the micro audience or audiences that I would consider hyper- influential. Example, invitees of TED conferences, academics, volunteers and women.

But where I have a hard time seeing value is in creating audiences that are narrowly defined, but not by an indiscrete variable. For example, athletes. Yes, athletes may share a common interest, but each has their own nuances. Soccer, baseball, swimming and golf. All sports, but brand and advertising viability is vastly different.

Getting back to my multimedia company that has launched this content site targeting Americans of a certain ethnic background — you are off the mark here. What you should have done is targeted your content to deliver to a more neutral indiscrete variable (like IFC does to independent film buffs) or narrowed yourselves down to a group that is more discrete (NFL Network).

As its stands, the content is modestly appealing; but the value to advertisers and brands will likely remain unattractive.

Soul & Salsa

I was having breakfast with a dear friend and colleague this week when the topic turned to television (go figure!). Now understand the characters in this play — myself (you all know) and this gentleman, who is in the 55-65 demo, white, extremely educated, and comes from a television background. His words to me were as follows: “The only scripted show I watch is ‘Lost … there is nothing on television for me.” An interesting statement that was then followed by some smart remark about him entering the Andy Rooney phase of life.

Anyway, the conversation then turned to his child, who is a grown-up, and also works in television. Let’s call her Annie. Annie is a news producer. She works for an affiliate. She has now been tasked with a show called “Soul & Salsa” in the morning slot, because the affiliate is in what is generally referred to as an emerging Hispanic market and sees the opportunity in “speaking” to that group. The rub: the audience of this particular affiliate is predominantly white, female and older.

What is wrong with this picture? Why do we insist on leaving valuable audiences behind and hunting for new ones that, in some realities, do not exist? What is the mania that the industry has created for itself about rebranding, retargeting and reprogramming itself for the ever-elusive “new” audience?

Here are two things I know to be true: 1), the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is usually sound advice; and 2), something a professor in some business class utters to a bunch of over-caffeinated students: instead of trying to be Coke, why not be the best Pepsi that you can be? Get it? And don’t even get me started about the Sundance Channel.

Live from Comic Con

If you don't know what I am talking about, shame on you because this is the most exciting show I have been to in years.  Men, women, kids, moms, dads and teens. Some are in costume, some goth, some in khakis.  No matter, this is where the next wave of superheroes, villains and voluptuous vixens will come from.

If you are in New York - check it out in 2007.