THE SIMPSONS ACROSS THE PLATFORMS AND BEYOND Ralph Sosa Director-Storyboard Artist, The Simpsons
BIO 20 year s in anim ation industr y - Pinky and the Br ain, The Anim aniacs Movie, The Wishing S tar, Baby Blues ( Warner Br other s) - Milo s Great Adventures (Atom ic Car toons) - Dilber t, Eight Crazy N ights ( S ony) - Cramped Twins ( Car toon N etwor k ) 13 year s on the S im psons franchise ( S tarz/fox) The S im psons ( T V), The Sim psons Movie ( film ), The S im psons Ride ( them e park), The S im psons Game ( video game), Maggie s Longest D aycare ( s pecial project) Awards - Emmy for dir ecting The S im psons Future Drama episode - Annie for stor yboarding Tr ee House of Hor r or XXIV episode Consultant, Content Developer /Producer - Kor ean anim ation studios - Madtown Hospital ( Ecom ix Media Com pany/netcomics) - T V pilots (FX, Com edy Central) - Music videos
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: THE SIMPSONS Great example of successful transmedia stor ytelling Transmedia before transmedia 26 years old: Longest-running scripted TV show in history Challenges before success In-depth look with behind-the-scenes insight
CASE STUDY: THE SIMPSONS THE BEGINNING Declining animation industry TV animation = children s programming Animated skits as fillers on the Tracy Ullman Show Primetime animation Voice actors with name values
CASE STUDY: THE SIMPSONS Transmedia before transmedia Music video Do the Bartman Butterfingers Comic book Treehouse of Horror Who Shot Mr. Burns? The Simpsons house giveaway event Merchandising: Toys and model sets with voice-activated sensors, art, key chains, board games, etc. Video games Comic strips in Italy The Simpsons Movie Kwik-E-Mart video games and immersive web content The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios -> Springfield Clips on YouTube, Hulu 3D hologram of Homer Simpsons Mobile app Tapped Out Animated 3D short film The Longest Daycare
CASE STUDY: THE SIMPSONS THE PRESENT: $1 billion + revenue Keeping the show fresh and relevant after almost 600 episodes How the Simpsons Saved FXX against the odds Branding via selective partnerships Risky decisions founded on strong understanding of content
CASE STUDY: THE SIMPSONS THE FUTURE App for content-on-demand Secret transmedia plans Future of transmedia Content to be automated into daily life Curated approach Best platforms to create on-demand experience that will entail future interactions with consumer
SUCCESSFUL TRANSMEDIA STORY TELLING & STRATEGIES Primar y Rules Have qualified content: immersive, leveraged, relatable, rewarding Understand your brand: defined genre, audience, metrics Understand current trends Foresee future technology Secondar y Rules Collaborate with established brands Promote accessibility of content via using multiple platforms Build awareness via celebrity engagement Successful IP s have: Rich mythologies and archetypical characters Creator s awareness of the brand Measurable metrics on multiple platforms Flexibility in storytelling to accommodate future audiences New take on old stories Successful collaborators with name recognition
UNSUCCESSFUL TRANSMEDIA STORY TELLING & STRATEGIES Anything that doesn t meet above conditions
UNSUCCESSFUL TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING & STRATEGIES Bad content Reluctance to fix poor stories Transmedia as a savior? No research work Comp titles Textbook method Applying one-size-fits-all Spreading too thin Mediocre transmedia content Using singular, unreliable metric to base strategy Negative collaboration
TRANSMEDIA SUCCESSES
SUMMARY, Q&A What, how, why of transmedia Transmedia without quality content? Hopeless. Develop a great story, interesting characters, memorable events Determine platforms with audience in mind Engage the casual viewer to be more connected with content Make audience seek for more to relive the experience