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

A Fresh Look At An Old Standby: The Question Is, Why?

OK — I admit it. I was one of "those" girls. The ones that didn't play much with dolls, wear makeup, or ever key into the color pink. Actually, I think wearing the color could cause me to go into anaphylactic shock — but that is a story for another time. My point is, I was one of those girls who loved the geeky things — I was all about the original "Battlestar Galactica." I had all the "Stars Wars" models.

I remember my mom gave me a Holly Hobby sewing machine for Christmas when I was eight. Not knowing what it was or how to use it, I promptly borrowed a screwdriver from my father's tool box, cracked the base open, pulled out the motor and tried to rig it inside my hand-modeled Death Star to see if I could get it to fly. Needless to say, I got in trouble for that.

But I guess part of the problem was that I never really got the "girly" thing. So when I opened the paper this morning to find that Strawberry Shortcake was getting a makeover for the 21st century, I almost keeled over. First of all, she was "sweet" enough as she was. Second of all, why does the update mean that she no longer has a cat but a cell phone, and a little bit of pink lipstick as opposed to pink cheeks? I am sorry, but since when did a brand aimed at pre-tweens need to have a doll with a cell phone?

Which brings me to my next observation: Is Hollywood so out of new ideas that we need to bring back old ones with a twist? I am talking about bringing back shows like "Password" and "The Dating Game" and others from my youth. Not that I mind, don't get me wrong. It's just that I would hope that somewhere, out there, in the vast abyss that is the creative genius, that someone, anyone, would be able to come up with something, well, new.

Then again, you are reading the diatribe of a girl who couldn't understand what all the fuss was about when it came to the Smurfs or "American Idol." Then again, I have been a closet Hello Kitty and "Family Feud" fan for years — so maybe I do know a little something about franchises that last.