OTT & Transmedia

Hi Stephen Rhodes! Thanks for doing this AMA! I would love to know what your favorite project has been to work on and why?

Thanks so much Amir Mo for the question - I think the best way for you to break in would be to demonstrate you can take your existing writing experience and apply it to interactive narratives by creating your own interactive experiences using Twine or other similar programs, or create sample scripts that factor in player agency.

I think you may also want to look at varying up your writing samples to include genres more commonly seen within games. There are not a lot of 'comedy' focused titles out there, so having some writing that demonstrates your range will also instill confidence in teams you apply to.

That being said, sounds like you have plenty of experience so I think you should look for projects and studios that excite you with positions open and apply. I think if you can demonstrate with samples and in interviews that you understand how to apply storytelling to an interactive medium I think you'd easily land a mid-level narrative/writing role in the industry. Putting yourself on the radar of games industry recruiters on somewhere liked LinkedIn will help in finding a position that best fits your writing style also.

Hope that helps and best of luck with the search!

Hi Petula Miller and thank you. Great question! Most desirable skills I look for are a collaborative mindset, professional writing experience of any kind, a clear and unique voice, and understanding of how games are built.

Some of those can be taught whilst on the job, others are harder to instill. I prioritize good writing, clear voice, and a collaborative mindset so I know people can get the work done and can do it as part of a writing team.

Having any form of industry experience does help a lot, but doesn't mean it has to be writing specifically for games. Hope that helps!

Hi there Emily J thanks for your question! This is a tough one to answer. I feel like I have enjoyed every project I have been involved with for different reasons, whether its because of the people I worked with, the studio culture, the project itself, or IP I really liked playing with.

I am going to be cheeky and pick three and I'll explain why with each one:

1. LEGO City Undercover - it was my first big project in the industry & so it meant a lot to me. (I wasn't even a writer back then, I was a designer).

2. The Witcher 3 - it was an incredible experience with a team I truly loved working with on a project I was a huge fan of already. It was also the first time I lived abroad and was super scary, but it was a defining moment in my career and I made lifelong friends I am still very close with today.

3. Call of Duty Vanguard - I'm a huge history nerd so getting to create a story set within WW2 was really exciting for me, and I love the team at Sledgehammer. The best part though was it was the first time I got to build and lead a narrative team from scratch and seeing them all grow over the course of the project, then jump to other bigger and better things was truly humbling.

I am really proud of all the projects I have been a part of and I attribute a great deal of the writer and developer I am today to the amazing friends and colleagues who I met and who supported me along my journey. I'm very fortunate to have worked with some of the best developers in the industry.

Yes Stephen Rhodes , this is particularly encouraging to read. Thanks again for doing this AMA!

This comment in the article by Jenkins stood out for me:

Transmedia producers have found it difficult to achieve the delicate balance between creating stories which make sense to first time viewers and building in elements which enhance the experience of people reading across multiple media.

Does this highlight a problem with Transmedia in that even when you have created differing media elements of a story world, that perhaps you are not creating a door but a window to the origin of the story?

Is this the article you're referring to?

http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2023/4/6/from-brazil-to-la-transmedia-and-audiovisual-creators-raphael-draccon-and-carolina-munhoz-part-two

The link takes us to a list of several blog posts.

As to your quote, yeah, I'd imagine it is difficult for Transmedia Producers to lead teams that can execute the vision in different mediums. This has always been the case, and separating the teams seems the best way to let those who do what they do best flourish. BUT the question remains, which leaders can still be involved in multiple mediums? I for one would LOVE to talk to the team who did HALO the recent TV series as I haven't seen a SciFi series so well done in a LONG time! Clearly, their leadership had to find departments heads that would be able to draw from the source material but not sacrifice story for references.

Karen "Kay" Ross Hi Kay, Oops, sorry about that. Here’s the link:

http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html

As for Transmedia Producers, perhaps to help with that ‘delicate balance’ the writer needs to develop talents as a Producer as well?

robert bolt wow that's going back a ways, I tend to focus on more modern filmmakers, I love the older films (rope being my favourite hitchcock, harvey/double wedding and duck soup my favourite b+ws) but I usually watch 70s-now movies. occasionally go back to older horror and thriller. loved the secret garden btw the book was a huge part of my childhood along with polly flint.

and I have seen seven samurai I liked it alot. but kiyoshi is a new one to me. looks like my kind of thing I love japanese film - esp. miike, not huge on chinese but loved the ip man series. unpopular opinion: citizen kane = overrated, touch of evil on the other hand genius.

yeah I need to watch lawrence of arabia

Kiyoshi’s masterpiece: https://youtu.be/eBI7UgUeVig

Billy Wilder tops my list. Gotta shout out Stanley Kubrick and Tarantino. And the great Nora Ephron.

Really cool that instead of using funding limitations as an excuse to stop, you and the team found creative ways to launch the brand and create intellectual property that you can continue to build around. Awesome lesson for creatives. There is always a way when you believe in your creative vision. Thanks for sharing, Terrence Sellers!

Congrats on getting your first chapter published Terrence Sellers! What's the next step for you on this project?

Nick Waters We will be releasing the first 3 issues of the comic series in August and the second chapter of the novel. From there, we will continue to release chapters of the novel monthly and issues of the comic bi-weekly.

Will Maurer hi Will, I’ll DM you with more context of the story.

Hi Will Maurer! Thanks for doing this AMA! I would love to know if there's been a particular transmedia project you've loved working on and what it was that made it such an exciting project?

Hello Emily, apologies for the delayed response! What a great final question.

I've worked on quite a few projects where we've developed a transmedia strategy that I really loved creating, including projects for Stan Lee, The Humphrey Bogart Estate, Happy Madison, NBC and Disney. My particular favorite is still in development, but the stories branch into music and digital+physical theme parks, which are really quite unique mediums to expand our stories across. I'm hoping to be able to share more info on this project soon. I'm very excited about it!

@everyone - WOW! What amazing questions, and what a fantastic community that I got to share my day with. I really hope that everyone was able to gain some meaningful insights from this AMA.

Until next time...

Thanks again for having this AMA, @Will Maurer! And thanks for all the phenomenal answers! Have an incredible weekend.

This is fantastic, thanks for sharing!

Love this! Thank you for sharing, Will Maurer! The Witcher has been such a great transmedia franchise to follow over the last few years! I haven't had a chance to start the new season yet, but I'm hoping to this weekend.

I love this Will Maurer . Whenever I create an IP, it's with transmedia in mind. One of them (Haven of Dante) has a lineage with others owning the mantle before her all the way up to Dante Alighieri. And in order for one to earn the mantle, they must travel through the terraces of trials somewhat like Geralt and make their way out before they can start their journey.

What an amazing group of innovators and thought leaders on that panel. This is a a great share and I recommend everyone dig into this as this topic needs constant discussion and attention. Thanks, Ashley!

I think they're gonna be great as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, Ashley Renee Smith. They have the looks and talent.

James Gunn, is certainly a "big name", international figure, it will be a highly anticipated film, particularly after the relevant highlights, that was given. Both actors according to general comments, "They certainly have the looks and abilities, for their roles". The suspense, will interesting!!

Rachel Brosnahan seems like an inspired choice for Lois Lane. Excited to see her inhabit that role. I'm not as familiar with David Corenswet's work but like way back with Christopher Reeve it can be great for Superman to be a fresh face. Very cool.

I completely agree, Sam Sokolow! It's a great opportunity to have a newer face and perspective on Clark Kent.

I will probably sit this one out.

While I'm not a huge fan of Henry Cavill. He got a bad deal as they insisted he quit The Witcher series in order to do the next Supes movie ONLY to them dump him AFTER he'd made the public announcement about leaving the show.

This looks so cool, Sam Sokolow! I can't wait to check this one out.

I'm excited for this one, Sam Sokolow! I haven't been able to find a lot of info on writing video games, so this webinar's gonna be helpful!

So excited for this webinar - such an incredible career path for writers!

It's a terrific idea and the conversation needs to happen given where we are. Good luck with it, Ami!

@Ami Sounds a cool idea, I'd definitely join as a participant & reader but I'm no good at technology if needed to make co creations, for my own material others are executing it. Agree with @Sam "given where we are", with ever morphing Transmedia, Web 3 and the metaverse possibilities for growth are becoming encyclopedic.

I think this sounds pretty cool, Ami!

I"m interested to learn more

Marvel movies, Will Maurer. And "Godzilla," "King Kong," "Transformers," "Indiana Jones," etc. Basically, epic movies.

Emily J, I had the same thought! I would love to be in the Star Wars world if I could do something fun, but I would likely end up being a random crew member or with a boring office job for the Republic or something.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Always been a dream.

Sam Sokolow, that would be such a fun world to get to explore and play in!

I'm gonna go with Star Trek. Though Harry Potter would definitely be cool. Even "Lower Decks" makes it look cool. Though I'd still have to get a job on a ship!