In this post we will talk about 5 elements that are creating a new genre of media watching. Many people call it "interactive media."
Interactive media normally refers to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio etc. Television viewing has been a passive experience in the past, but that is all changing now. Look at how many reality shows you can phone or text in your vote. What about broadcast news? They are asking for your opinions on certain news stories, and viewers will go to their websites and tally the results. However, this is just the beginning on how it is all evolving because now the advertising companies what to be interactive as well.
Let's focus on just the entertainment aspects of interactive media and why it will be important for your productions in the future.
1. It builds viewer loyalty because of people engaging with your show.
Let's create an example of this point. Soap opera fans are loyal fans to begin with, but what if they had an opportunity every week to chat online with the actors in the soap opera drama. They could ask questions about the show, their life, the character, likes/dislikes, etc. Do you think fans will race to that website every week? Ohhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhh. Thus creating even more loyalty to the website because of the interaction with the show.
This type of loyalty also engages an emotional response. When emotions are brought into the equation this is the stickiness that is needed for fans/viewers to return to any website. Another example would be dating websites. Because people have an emotional need to be loved, or find a mate to marry, they will continue to return to the site to find that special someone because the emotions are involved.
2. Pilots are tested to see if the audience likes your idea.
Why spend thousands of dollars on a 22 minute or even 44 minute pilot when you could create a low budget 2-3 min. episode of your show idea and test it with a small audience for feedback. If it is a hit then people will want to see more and tell you about it. If it is a mediocre show, then your audience may have good suggestions to make it great. If it is a bomb, then you have not really lost anything and you can try your next show idea.
3. You can even modify your show based on viewer responses to make it better
I touched on this idea in the previous point, but it is worth mentioning again. Consider when "Hello Dolly" was first given birth. They tested the show in a small theater outside of New York city in a small town. The audience was smaller in order to see how to make the show better before presenting it to Broadway. They noticed it needed something else, and they added the big parade scene to give it more life.
Why not use the same concept for TV or online media? Build an audience yourself online and get their opinions.
4. Receive analytics on who is watching and for how long. Valuable information when approaching corporate advertisers or selling a pitch to networks.
Statistics don't lie and can be used as a great alliance. The more data that you have that proves that your show is successful and people are interested, the better your chances of producing a full TV series or full online series.
5. Interactive gaming elements also create a new genre of TV that today's audience is ready for.
Kids and young adults are playing with electronic and computer games. Everyone and their grandmother has some sort of ipod, mp3 player, iphone, cell phone, computer, laptop, HD screen, and the list will go on in the future. These devices had more interactive experience for your audience. Use as many of these devices as possible to engage your audience with your show. It becomes more fun for the viewer, especially those viewers who like to multi-task during shows.
Try these concepts out. At Kurrents, we are applying these concepts to help make a more interactive experience. We hope you will stop by to check it out or submit your pilot proposal into our system for the viewing audience.
Lauch date is coming soon for our beta version. http://kurrents.com
See you soon,
John Harding
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Where is online media heading? Part I
For the filmmaker and media developer, we live in one of the most exciting times in history. Why? We have more opportunities to broadcast our work to the world then ever before. Thanks to the internet.
Corporate giants like Warner Bros, NBC, Disney, etc. were the ones that held all the cards. They could tell you "no" to your TV pilot because they don't see an audience for it, or they just did not understand the concept. Consider "Star Wars," when George Lucas proposed the idea to executives they did not understand it. However since he did a good job with "American Graffiti," they decided to take a chance.
How many ideas like "Star Wars" are waiting for an audience. Maybe yours. Isn't time to try some fresh and creative TV programming? How many prime time sitcoms and CSI spin offs are going to flood the bandwidth? I'm ready for some change and so is the viewing audience.
The way things were done in the past is now changing. The small independent film makers have more opportunity now to get an audience then ever before and bypass the networks and corporate giants for approval. Now don't get me wrong, we still need them. Especially if we test our ideas and make a big splash. Corporations will be knocking on our door wanting to work with us. However what happens if you can not get your idea in front of TV/Film executive? What are the alternatives?
For very little money and some creative ingenuity, film makers can test their ideas in front of a small audience and build an audience over time. Niche audiences are very important and can generate a strong income for many film makers. A great example are cooking shows. I don't really watch cooking shows, but someone must be watching because there are dozens of cooking shows.
Kurrents LLC wants to lead the way in helping film makers find their audience online. We also add an extra dynamic to the mix that makes it powerful. Your show can be interactive. The benefit of an interactive show is ...
1. It builds viewer loyalty because of people engaging with your show.
2. Pilots are tested to see if the audience likes your idea
3. You can even modify your show based on viewer responses to make it better
4. You receive analytics on who is watching and for how long. Valuable information when approaching corporate advertisers or selling a pitch to networks.
5. Interactive gaming elements also create a new genre of TV that today's audience is ready for.
I will explain more why these five elements are valuable to everyone involved.
Our site will be launching in the near future, so come visit and be a part of the excitement.
http://kurrents.com
Keep the dreams alive,
John Harding
CEO/Founder
Kurrents, LLC
Corporate giants like Warner Bros, NBC, Disney, etc. were the ones that held all the cards. They could tell you "no" to your TV pilot because they don't see an audience for it, or they just did not understand the concept. Consider "Star Wars," when George Lucas proposed the idea to executives they did not understand it. However since he did a good job with "American Graffiti," they decided to take a chance.
How many ideas like "Star Wars" are waiting for an audience. Maybe yours. Isn't time to try some fresh and creative TV programming? How many prime time sitcoms and CSI spin offs are going to flood the bandwidth? I'm ready for some change and so is the viewing audience.
The way things were done in the past is now changing. The small independent film makers have more opportunity now to get an audience then ever before and bypass the networks and corporate giants for approval. Now don't get me wrong, we still need them. Especially if we test our ideas and make a big splash. Corporations will be knocking on our door wanting to work with us. However what happens if you can not get your idea in front of TV/Film executive? What are the alternatives?
For very little money and some creative ingenuity, film makers can test their ideas in front of a small audience and build an audience over time. Niche audiences are very important and can generate a strong income for many film makers. A great example are cooking shows. I don't really watch cooking shows, but someone must be watching because there are dozens of cooking shows.
Kurrents LLC wants to lead the way in helping film makers find their audience online. We also add an extra dynamic to the mix that makes it powerful. Your show can be interactive. The benefit of an interactive show is ...
1. It builds viewer loyalty because of people engaging with your show.
2. Pilots are tested to see if the audience likes your idea
3. You can even modify your show based on viewer responses to make it better
4. You receive analytics on who is watching and for how long. Valuable information when approaching corporate advertisers or selling a pitch to networks.
5. Interactive gaming elements also create a new genre of TV that today's audience is ready for.
I will explain more why these five elements are valuable to everyone involved.
Our site will be launching in the near future, so come visit and be a part of the excitement.
http://kurrents.com
Keep the dreams alive,
John Harding
CEO/Founder
Kurrents, LLC
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Presentation to Investors
This week I created my PowerPoint slide show to give a presentation to investors. I practiced on my Advisory Board. They gave me good feedback, but basically it needed a lot of work.
So today I am researching on what a good slide show consists of and how to present it. I am sure others are in the same boat as I am.
So here is what I know. Keep your Powerpoint presentation to 10 slides and between 15-20 minutes for the entire presentation. You want to give them enough that will entice investors to schedule another meeting with you. Don't try to sell them during the first presentation. Just show them the icing, and at the second meeting let them eat the cake (so to speak).
I had some nervous jitters as I was speaking to my board, and I stumbled over a few facts and features. They said if you make a mistake, try to not to bring attention to it because typically people will not notice. But if you do make a mistake, and bring attention to the mistake, it is a negative point against you.
I shared a brief summary of why I chose this business at the beginning of my talk. My story goes like this. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to make a positive impact on society through film and TV. I mentioned I went to college for a Radio, TV, Film degree and worked 10 years in the television broadcasting industry. However, I rushed through my story. Your story is very important to the presentation. Make yourself a real person with real passions and real stories that got you to this point. How committed are you to this business? It should come out in the life story that you tell at the beginning.
Here are the ten main points that should be covered in your Powerpoint.
1. Market Need and Solution. Define the problem or the market need, and outline your solution. Give the “elevator pitch” for your startup.
2. Company & Business Model. Name of the company and organization, product or services, how you will make money, who pays you, and gross margin.
3. Product & Technology. Define the technology behind your product or services (past, present, and future development phases). Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”.
4. Industry & Market Sizing. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. The investor needs to understand the industry of your company. Use data from third parties like Forrester or Gartner.
5. Marketing, Sales, and Partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, pricing, and partnership plans. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.
6. Competition and Competitive Advantage. List and describe your competition. Describe some of your company’s competitive advantages.
7. Management Team. Qualifications and roles of the top three executives and top three on your Board of Advisors.
8. Funding Requirements and Use of Funds. How much money (if any) has management put into the venture? What is the level of capital funding sought during this stage? What is the company willing to give in return for the investment?
9. Financial Forecast and Metrics. Project both revenues and expense totals for next three years, and past three years. What is the current valuation of the company? Show breakeven and growth assumptions.
10. Exit Strategy. What is the timeframe of return on investment? What is the planned exit strategy (IPO, merger, sale, etc…)? What is the timeframe for the exit? What is the rate of return expected for the investor?
Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me and I need to practice, practice, practice. I am going to find some friends that do not know anything about my business and pitch the presentation to them. If they can follow? ... great! If not? .... I need to work on my communication.
All the best to you in your presentations.
John Harding
So today I am researching on what a good slide show consists of and how to present it. I am sure others are in the same boat as I am.
So here is what I know. Keep your Powerpoint presentation to 10 slides and between 15-20 minutes for the entire presentation. You want to give them enough that will entice investors to schedule another meeting with you. Don't try to sell them during the first presentation. Just show them the icing, and at the second meeting let them eat the cake (so to speak).
I had some nervous jitters as I was speaking to my board, and I stumbled over a few facts and features. They said if you make a mistake, try to not to bring attention to it because typically people will not notice. But if you do make a mistake, and bring attention to the mistake, it is a negative point against you.
I shared a brief summary of why I chose this business at the beginning of my talk. My story goes like this. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to make a positive impact on society through film and TV. I mentioned I went to college for a Radio, TV, Film degree and worked 10 years in the television broadcasting industry. However, I rushed through my story. Your story is very important to the presentation. Make yourself a real person with real passions and real stories that got you to this point. How committed are you to this business? It should come out in the life story that you tell at the beginning.
Here are the ten main points that should be covered in your Powerpoint.
1. Market Need and Solution. Define the problem or the market need, and outline your solution. Give the “elevator pitch” for your startup.
2. Company & Business Model. Name of the company and organization, product or services, how you will make money, who pays you, and gross margin.
3. Product & Technology. Define the technology behind your product or services (past, present, and future development phases). Make sure to communicate the relevance of your product / services to market needs. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”.
4. Industry & Market Sizing. Define the characteristics of the overall industry, market forces, market dynamics, and customer landscape. The investor needs to understand the industry of your company. Use data from third parties like Forrester or Gartner.
5. Marketing, Sales, and Partners. Describe marketing strategy, sales plan, pricing, and partnership plans. Here is also a good place for a rollout timeline with key milestones.
6. Competition and Competitive Advantage. List and describe your competition. Describe some of your company’s competitive advantages.
7. Management Team. Qualifications and roles of the top three executives and top three on your Board of Advisors.
8. Funding Requirements and Use of Funds. How much money (if any) has management put into the venture? What is the level of capital funding sought during this stage? What is the company willing to give in return for the investment?
9. Financial Forecast and Metrics. Project both revenues and expense totals for next three years, and past three years. What is the current valuation of the company? Show breakeven and growth assumptions.
10. Exit Strategy. What is the timeframe of return on investment? What is the planned exit strategy (IPO, merger, sale, etc…)? What is the timeframe for the exit? What is the rate of return expected for the investor?
Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me and I need to practice, practice, practice. I am going to find some friends that do not know anything about my business and pitch the presentation to them. If they can follow? ... great! If not? .... I need to work on my communication.
All the best to you in your presentations.
John Harding
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Humble Beginning
Welcome to an exciting journey of a new start-up company that is adding a new dimension to online entertainment. So I am sure you are wondering what will make us diffenrent from the rest of the online portals like hulu, flixster, netflix, and veoh? Good question.
What if you find yourself home alone watching TV and wishing you had a friend over to share the experience. However you can't connect because they don't have transportation, or they are sick, or they are baby sitting, etc.
Wouldn't it great to have your friends watch the movies that you are watching at the same time no matter where you are? It would be even better if you could chat and play a game with your friend even while the movie is playing.
Why not watch a movie, play a game, and interact with your friend online. You can be at home alone and still connect with friends through the laptop. We are in the development stage right now, so follow us for further updates.
We will need beta tester to try out our games, watch movies, and connect with friends. Your feedback is greatly appreciated because we want to include the users in the development.
More to come.
What if you find yourself home alone watching TV and wishing you had a friend over to share the experience. However you can't connect because they don't have transportation, or they are sick, or they are baby sitting, etc.
Wouldn't it great to have your friends watch the movies that you are watching at the same time no matter where you are? It would be even better if you could chat and play a game with your friend even while the movie is playing.
Why not watch a movie, play a game, and interact with your friend online. You can be at home alone and still connect with friends through the laptop. We are in the development stage right now, so follow us for further updates.
We will need beta tester to try out our games, watch movies, and connect with friends. Your feedback is greatly appreciated because we want to include the users in the development.
More to come.
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