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THIS MONTH’S FEATURES:
• NEW FOST PODCASTS
• HOW BRANDS CAN USE NFTS
• CHINA RESTRICTS GAMING
• GENVID FLIES ON MILES
• GAMES COME TO NETFLIX
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+ COMMUNITY NEWS
+ VIRTUAL EVENTS & INTERNET FINDS
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NEW FUTURE OF STORYTELLING PODCAST EPISODES
Break down the barrier that “I’m a game developer” versus “I’m a film director.” Really, “I’m a storyteller.”
—Todd Yellin
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Todd Yellin
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin discusses content personalization, interactivity, and his vision for the future of video storytelling.
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Joseph Pine
Bestselling author and business consultant Joseph Pine discusses the roots of today's experience economy and what it means for entrepreneurs and storytellers.
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teamLab
teamLab Global Brand Director Takashi Kudo and Social Branding team member Michaela Kane discuss the history and ideology behind the collective, which has risen to become one of the world's most prominent digital artists.
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Big Brands Experiment with NFTs // Jeremiah Owyang
In this in-depth blog post, tech and innovation analyst Jeremiah Owyang offers examples of how brands have begun to experiment with NFTs for both profit and publicity, as well as guidance on the best ways for brands to continue to utilize NFTs. He also offers predictions about how NFTs will continue to intersect with the business world, from crowdfunding projects to metaverse integration.
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China Severely Restricts Online Gaming for Minors
// Bloomberg
China will limit the amount of time children can play video games to just three hours most weeks, a dramatic escalation of restrictions which dealt a blow to the world’s largest mobile gaming market. The new rules underscore the extent to which Beijing is intent on curbing gaming addiction among youths and pushing its future workforce toward more productive pursuits.
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Genvid Raises $113 Million for Massive Interactive Live Games
// Variety
Genvid Holdings has raised $113 million to form Genvid Entertainment, a new game publishing unit dedicated to producing what the company calls “massive interactive live events,” or MILEs. This new venture comes on the heels of the successful Rival Peak, a live interactive game show that Genvid produced for Facebook. Rival Peak surpassed 100 million minutes watched in its first season.
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Why Netflix is Getting Into Gaming // Recode
Netflix recently told investors that it’s in the “early stages of further expanding into games,” saying that it’s an extension of experiments the company has done with interactive programs like 2018’s Bandersnatch. While the company's previous experience may equip it well for this new venture, the truth is that most big entertainment companies have failed when they’ve tried to get into games, and tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google have all swung and missed to varying degrees as well. Netflix may face a difficult path to avoid such pitfalls—but as even the most hidebound Hollywood executive knows by now, games are bigger than Hollywood, and they’re not going away. If it’s going to take a long time to figure out, it’s better to get started sooner than later.
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// EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Slowly but surely, the world is opening back up. Below, find a list of some of our favorite virtual storytelling experiences to check out, plus a few socially distanced in-person experiences. Shoot us an email if you come across any that should be included next month!
Attend an Interactive Theatrical Performance on Zoom
Renowned immersive theater company Third Rail Projects are bringing their talents to Zoom for the upcoming show Return the Moon. The performance invites audience members to collectively construct a shared experience that is one part toast, one part ritual, and one part retelling of a very old story of how the Moon was lost and found again. Matching decidedly analog tools of performance with the unique opportunities that the Zoom platform affords, Return the Moon combines text, movement, cinematic visuals, and music. Return the Moon opens September 8th.
Learn About NYC History on a Tribeca-Winning Soundwalk
Interdisciplinary artist Annie Saunders invites you to experience CURRENT, a soundwalk through Lower Manhattan. The piece uses binaural sound, original composition, and site-specific recordings to draw together a narrative showcasing both the history and the present-day tales of an often-overlooked part of the city, with themes of water, time, construction, destruction, synchronicity, and resilience. CURRENT won both the Tribeca X Immersive Award and the Best Creative Nonfiction competition in the Immersive category at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and runs through October 1.
See New Works by Digital Art Phenomenon teamLab
Japanese collective teamLab has steadily grown its reputation as a digital art powerhouse over the last 20 years – its museum Borderless in Tokyo is considered the most popular single-artist museum in the world. Now, Americans on both coasts will have the opportunity to see brand new works by teamLab in person. San Francisco's Asian Art Museum recently debuted a new installation entitled teamLab: Continuity, and the Pace Gallery in East Hampton, New York will feature five monitor-based works by the collective from 9/30 through 10/31.
Experience One of the Internet's Best Escape Rooms
Founded by two award-winning veterans of the immersive theater scene, the production company Swamp Motel has distinguished itself over the past year as a leader in the field of online escape rooms. Their new experience, Isklander: The Kindling Hour, will have you and your teammates zipping from Wikipedia to Google Maps to YouTube to Instagram to solve ciphers, unlock passwords, and stay one step ahead of a shady organization that’s watching your every move.
Immerse Yourself in the Strange World of Darkfield Radio
Darkfield Radio is an innovative form of audio entertainment, immersing audiences in strange and curious worlds via their headphones and bringing new meaning to the familiar spaces we inhabit. Their new show, KNOT, is a three-part trilogy that takes place on a park bench, in a car, and in a room in your own home. This is a remote ticketed experience that runs at specific times through October, so book your showing now!
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