As transmedia publishing evolves, experimentation is the name of the game

Tools of Change for Publishing

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Transmedia publishing is a phrase that means different things to different people. In this interview with Verane Pick (@veranepick), co-founder and artistic director at Counter Intelligence Media, we get an up-close look at what’s involved in a transmedia operation and how they use the agile development approach to keep inventing new products.

Key points from the full video interview (below) include:

• Transmedia at the heart — Counter Intelligence Media is a transmedia publishing company and is working on finding new ways to tell stories in the digital world. [Discussed at the 00:42 mark.]
• The rules have yet to be written — Transmedia is a rapidly evolving area and there’s no “right” way of producing this rich content. Experimentation is the name of the game. [Discussed at 2:14.]
• Does repurposed content have a role? — Whether it’s a digital-first or repurposed content approach, the most important thing to do is first think about the medium and how you want to leverage it. [Discussed at 2:50.]
• Using agile in practice — Counter Intelligence Media uses small, independent, highly collaborative teams to create their products. The agile model makes the most sense for them because of all the experimentation and the need to make many adjustments along the way. [Discussed at 6:59.]
• App + ebooks — Apocalepsy 911 was an “MVP,” or “minimum viable product” in the agile world, for Counter Intelligence Media and serves as the foundation for their larger platform. [Discussed at 9:43.]
• Serial publishing — Pick likens their use of serial publishing to a set of Russian nested dolls where all the different layers must be properly aligned. [Discussed at 13:27.]
• Gaming mechanisms to come — Game techniques will become one of the “engagement silos” in a future Counter Intelligence Media product. Stay tuned for more details … [Discussed at 14:58.]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

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