Back to the future for nextMEDIA’s pitch contest

Achilles Media Ltd.'s nextMEDIA returns this year with another pitch competition for new media producers. Interestingly, while many in the industry hype mobile devices, game consoles and other platforms as the next revolution in interactive content, the competition's creators have decided to stick with a relatively tried-and-true medium."We wanted to focus on right now the hottest area of multi-platform distribution," says Mark Greenspan, nextMEDIA's executive producer, of the pitch competition's focus. "Arguably, that's online, primarily because the rise of all the social media networks, the rise of banner advertising and post- and pre-roll video advertising...short-form IP video content is very hot right now."NextMEDIA has also switched pitch partners this year as Telefilm Canada stepped in for Quebecor Media Inc.'s SUN TV. The Telefilm Launch Pad competition offers a $10,000 prize for the most compelling pitch of an online content series based on a set of carefully thought-out criteria . Those include whether the project raises social consciousness about an issue or idea, in addition to more common considerations such as the comprehensibility of the pitch and the originality of the concept. The commercial viability of the project will also be weighed.Greenspan points to the Prom Queen online series produced by former Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner as an example of a good online series. Prom Queen leverages the functionality and community of Myspace to add depth with individual pages for each character, and also features forums, RSS feeds and more.The importance of social networks to online content is also reflected in nextMEDIA's marketing of the competition. "We're promoting the contest on Myspace, so we have a Myspace page set up and we're actively looking in Myspace groups," says Greenspan, explaining that any innovative new media producer worth his or her salt would be gravitating to social networking sites for ideas and to build an audience for their work.Although the competition was only announced on April 18, Greenspan says he began receiving applications the next day, including some "high-quality entries with pilot episodes that have already been produced, which is really great to see." He adds that nextMEDIA is hoping for 20 to 40 entries in total.Judging this year's pitches will be a panel of commissioning editors including Lydia Antonini, director, talent and development, creative for New York's JibJab Media Inc. - a humour site best known for its 2004 US electoral musical satire ‘This Land' - as well as Adam Gee, commissioning editor, interactive at the UK's Channel 4, and Megan O'Neill, VP acquisitions and production from Atom Entertainment Inc.'s AtomFilms, another high-profile New York-based short-form video site.As well, four finalists will be able to avail themselves of workshops designed to sharpen their pitching skills. Marty Avery, chief catalyst and co-founder Calgary-based e-business development firm What If?, will lead the one-hour workshops.The deadline for submissions for the Telefilm Launch Pad is May 1, 2007, and more information as well as entry forms can be found at http://www.futureofdigitalcontent.com/telefilm.pitch.php.

Back to the future for nextMEDIA’s pitch contest

Broadcast | April 25, 2007

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