Transmedia SF Calls for Your Opinions on the Future of Entertainment
Online, January 15, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Transmedia SF, a transmedia digital agency, studio, incubator and salon, announced a new project: The Future of Entertainment with a call to action to anyone interested and involved in entertainment: Share Your Vision for the Future of Entertainment. Entertainment professionals, aficionados and pundits can contribute to the conversation via the collaborative video storytelling site at Theatrics.com: http://www.theatrics.com/transmediasf/video/Drsr. This ongoing production will be punctuated throughout 2014 with special events and workshops and will be initiated with an extraordinary evening co-hosted with the Producers Guild of America, entitled, "Entertainment CEO's Predict 2014." The event will be held on January 27, from 6:00-9:00pm in San Francisco at the YetiZen Innovation Loft.
The entertainment landscape has been steadily changing and shifting as more people embrace their personal and mobile devices. A recent CES (Consumer Electronics Show) report showed that nearly half of all Americans are using a second screen when watching TV. And an earlier report by eMarketer showed that in 2013, Americans spent more time on digital devices than in front of their televisions.
"Multi-screen communications and entertainment are now mainstream," said Maya Zuckerman, an executive producer of the Future of Entertainment project and a founder of Transmedia SF. "The proliferation of these devices will drive the production of transmedia storyworlds, and these productions, in turn, will drive the creation of more technologies and new user experiences. It's an amazing transition time in our industries and our world - and we intend to document these times and the people who are making all of this happen."
"The face of the digital landscape is evolving at light speed," said Brandon Grande, Chair of the Producers Guild of America, Northwest Division and Board Member of the PGA's New Media Council. "Content delivered through new digital experiences and social media continue to lead the way. New possibilities for entertainment consumption are endless."
Beyond exploring the multi-screen phenomena, the project and the inaugural event of 2014 will look at connected toys, wearable devices and other new user inputs that will transform entertainment and play. Charles Albert, CEO of Creativity Inc and a speaker at the Jan 27th event, said, "Digital connectedness and advances in technology mean that entertainment platforms will increasingly incorporate elements of play, social connection, interactivity and customization, including physical objects and actions." Albert continued, ""At Creativity Inc., we focus on the space where physical object play meets virtual digital play - primarily where toys and physical accessories enhance digital gaming, and where software and tech expand toy play."
In addition to engaging the audience with new inputs, games and entertainment are reaching into all aspects of our lives including health and education. The real world data derived can now be fed back into the field of play for an enhanced experience and outcomes. Many predict this "realifcation" of entertainment will be a focus of developers and producers as players seek authentic experiences, greater meaning and real world results from their leisure pursuits. Media veteran and game company CEO, Steve Gomes, who was interviewed for the feature film and will showcase his newest game BandFuse at the event said, "Realta Entertainment Group has been focusing on the merger of reality and traditional entertainment. The goal of our interactive music game BandFuse: Rock Legends was to provide an authentic musical experience to a broad audience. An experience that players can use for personal and social growth in the real world."
"Entertainment has changed and is changing," said Beth Rogozinski, an executive producer of the Future of Entertainment project and a founder of Transmedia SF. "We live in an integrated, empowered and always on world - and here in San Francisco and in innovation centers around the world - we're seeing entertainment continue to evolve. We're not playing in the holodeck yet, but we're seeing some amazing tools and techniques that are pushing us in that direction. Today, we've got Google Glass, robotic toys, perceptual computing, reality based gaming. We launched this project and our first event of 2014 because we want to know - What's Next?"
To be a part of the conversation, submit your videos, photos, and narrative insights at: http://www.theatrics.com/transmediasf/video/Drsr. To hear from some top entertainment CEO's on their visions for the future, you can attend the Entertainment CEO's Predict 2014. The event is being sponsored and hosted at the Yetizen Innovation Loft. The Producers Guild of America and Transmedia SF will provide drinks and food for attendees during the networking portion of the event.
To attend the event, simply register at: http://ceopredict2014.eventbrite.com
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About Transmedia SF
Transmedia SF is a professional media technology agency and studio that provides strategy, planning, execution and education services that enable our clients and our community to effectively reach customers on all of their devices - anytime, everywhere. Our focus is on divining your core story, matching that story to the needs of your audience and delivering your story via all of the devices and platforms that your audiences use and access on a regular basis. In addition to our consulting and production services, we provide training in transmedia storytelling and brand building, custom and corporate packages and ongoing events and educational opportunities intended to raise the bar on transmedia technologies and make San Francisco the center of the new media revolution.
- http://transmediasf.org/
About The Producers Guild of America
The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 5,900 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits, promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. Visit www.producersguild.org for more information.