NoriTown Studio Expands to Facebook Games [with videos]

November 21, 2011

Korean social game company NoriTown Studio is expanding into other countries by releasing K-Pop Idol and Little Wizard on Facebook, versions of its popular games that have been improved, upgraded and adapted for international players.

K-Pop Idol, known in is previous Korean incarnation as Happy Idol, enables users to select their own trainees, then style and train them to become a star. Different elements let players choose whether their protogee will be a singer, actor or other celebrity, with the appropriate training classes and fashion items. Gaining proficiency as a Svengali means a player can recruit additional trainees and more advanced options, and social interaction helps accelerate the process and accrue coins. Once perfected avatars pass the audition they debut as a “pop idol,” either individually or as part of a group.

Little Wizard combines town building with player-versus-player battle action. Wizards must collect a mix of four types of elements in order to build buildings, train stronger skills, cast spells, summon monsters and do other wizardly things. In an interesting twist, players must use their move to weave specific patterns, similar to how a wizard uses a magic wand.

Andy Song, chief executive officer of NoriTown Studio, said the games themes had universal appeal that players from all countries would enjoy.

NoriTown Studio spun off from its parent AhnLab in October of 2010.

Related links:

http://noritown.com

http://apps.facebook.com/k-popidol

http://apps.facebook.com/little-wizard

3net Unveils Destination Website

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

Tom Cosgrove, president and chief executive officer of 3net, unveiled the online presence today for the Sony, Discovery and IMAX joint venture that delivers 3D content to home viewers around the clock.

The mission for the network’s 3net.com site is unusual in that it targets the audience for an emerging technology, so it had to incorporate educational and awareness elements in addition to traditional information features. It also wanted to emphasize its 3D nature and visually driven concept. The end result is what 3net describes as a “liquid design” that employs 2D and 3D video, an introduction to 3D, a Q&A section, channel and industry news sections, and an interactive program guide. A dedicated mobile version of the site will launch on Nov. 25.

Execution of the project was overseen by 3net, with vice president, Marketing, Rod Riegel vice president, Marketing, serving as online creative director, and marketing manager Renee Mansfield serving as online executive producer. The 3net team worked with digital agency Blitz on the site build.

“Translating 3net’s 3D network experience to an online environment posed a unique challenge, and I’m proud of what our marketing group was able to develop in the few short months since we undertook this initiative,” said Cosgrove. “We now have a dynamic online platform that allows us to expose curious consumers to the immersive experience of 3D television, while expanding the reach of 3net’s content offering to the broadest possible user base.”

Related links:

http://www.3net.com

http://www.BlitzAgency.com

Comcast Ventures Leads $6.1 Million for Catalog Spree

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

Catalog Spree has secured $6.1 million in Series A funding, led by Comcast Ventures, with participation from BlackBerry Partners Fund and El Dorado Ventures. The free catalog shopping iPad app will use the financing to continue its innovation and expansion.

Having launched in April 2011, Catalog Spree now includes more than 100 retail catalogs. The company says shoppers spend more than 30 minutes on the app, viewing over 100 pages, per session.

“Catalog Spree is changing the way people engage with retail brands – and the way brands interact with their customers,” said Michael Yang, managing director at Comcast Ventures. “The company excels at delivering an interactive user experience that defines the future of mobile shopping.”

Catalog Spree chief executive officer Joaquin Ruiz also announced three additions to the executive team: Claudia Carpenter as vice president of User Experience, Lee Bieber as vice president of Engineering and Operations, and Maggie Athoe as vice president of U.S. Sales.

Comcast Ventures is the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corp. It consists of the recently combined Comcast Interactive Capital and NBCUniversal Peacock Equity Fund and has a portfolio valued at approximately $750 million under management, which it invests in innovative businesses that represent the next generation of entertainment, communications and digital technology.

Related links:

http://www.CatalogSpree.com

http://www.comcastventures.com

2011 AMAs Factor in Online Music Fans

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

Taylor Swift was named Artist of the Year at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the 2011 AMAs aired live on ABC, and online music fans played a considerable role in the outcome.

AMA nominees were selected from both BigChampagne’s Ultimate Chart and Mediabase, and the winners were chosen by online public voting. The Ultimate Chart combines music sales, radio and TV broadcast, internet streaming and video viewing, along with additional online metrics like social network activity. Mediabase continuously monitors more than 1,800 radio stations in 180 U.S. and Canadian markets and provides airplay and programming information to more than 1,700 affiliate radio stations and every major broadcast group.

This year the AMA’s also included an online pre-show streamed worldwide at ABC.com, Livestream.com/AMAs and other partner sites. Coca-Cola Red Carpet LIVE! @ the 2011 AMAs was hosted by Lance Bass, Michael Buckley, Estelle, Sarah Hyland, Mario, Audrina Patridge and Josh Sussman. It was a complement to ABC’s pre-show live broadcast Countdown to the American Music Awards hosted by Chris Harrison and Vanessa Lachey with live reporting by Ryan Devlin.

In addition to Artist of the Year, Swift (pictured) also took home Favorite Female Artist/Country Music and Favorite Album/Country. Adele also won three awards: Favorite Female Artist/ Pop/Rock, Favorite Album/ Pop/Rock and Favorite Artist/ Adult Contemporary. Nicki Minaj, in her first AMA appearance, was honored with Favorite Artist, Rap/Hip-Hop and Favorite Album, Rap/Hip-Hop.

Other honorees include Maroon 5 as Favorite Band Duo or Group/ Pop/Rock, Jennifer Lopez as Favorite Artist/Latin Music, and Hot Chelle Rae being named Sprint New Artist of the Year. Additionally, Katy Perry received a special AMA Award of Achievement for being the first woman in the history of pop music to have five No. 1 singles from one album.

http://www.dickclarkproductions.com

39th Annual American Music Awards Winners

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist: Bruno Mars

Favorite Female Artist: Adele

Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Maroon 5

Favorite Album: Adele, 21

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist: Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album: Taylor Swift, Speak Now

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Nicki Minaj

Favorite Album: Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist: Usher

Favorite Female Artist: Beyonce

Favorite Album: Rihanna, Loud

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Foo Fighters

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Adele

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist: Jennifer Lopez

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist: Casting Crowns

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

SPRINT NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Hot Chelle Rae

Atari Names Karyo Head of Development and Operations

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

Atari has named Gui Karyo as executive vice president, Development and Operations, in which position he is responsible for day-to-day oversight of Atari’s product development, operations and Atari.com. He will report directly to Jim Wilson, chief executive officer of Atari and play a key role as Atari continues its evolution to become a leader in casual gaming experiences designed for mobile, online and social networks and other emerging platforms.

Karyo joins Atari from IAB/Mindspark Interactive’s IWon, where he served as president of the casual gaming destination and led its expansion from primarily search and advertising activities into social and mobile game development. Before that, he was executive vice president, Operations at video game company Majesco where he spearheaded revenue growth through a casual game strategy. Karyo previously held a number of positions at Marvel Entertainment including president of Publishing and executive vice president of Operations, where he led the digital media strategy and redesign of Marvel.com.

“Gui has a strong track record in creating and monetizing casual games on online and other emerging consumer platforms,” Wilson said. “As we build upon our early success on the social and mobile games space, Gui’s leadership will ensure that we stay focused on delivering games that meet the expectations of our fans and a broader consumer market and live up to the Atari brand.”

Atari recently launched its first Facebook gaming experience, Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter (pictured), and is about to release several iOS apps including Breakout: Boost.

Divisions of Atari include Cryptic Studios, Eden Games, Atari Interactive Inc. and Atari Inc. Atari’s catalogue includes more than 200 properties including game franchises (like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Lunar Lander), original owned franchises (Test Drive, Backyard Sports, Deer Hunter), MMO games from Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online, Champions) and third-party franchises (Ghostbusters, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Dungeons and Dragons). As a licensor, Atari extends its brand and franchises into other media, merchandising and publishing categories. Atari has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Lyon and London.

Related link:

http://www.atari.com

Congress Hosting Facebook Hackathon

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

The Offices of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are hosting the Congressional Facebook Developer Hackathon, the first event of its kind, on Dec. 7. It’s intended to explore the potential connections between legislative data, constituent correspondence and social media by bringing together a bipartisan group of members of Congress, Congressional staffers, Facebook developers and digital innovators.

Cantor stated, “As social media increasingly plays a central role in all areas of our everyday life, it is essential that Congress fully incorporate these platforms into its daily operations. Software developers, designers and program engineers have a unique opportunity to help us improve the legislative process resulting in more citizen engagement, and we are very excited about working together and getting started.”

The event will begin with updates on the new legislative data that the House has made available to the public, followed by updates on Facebook’s Open Graph Protocol. After that, participants will divide into four breakout discussion groups, each focusing on a separate area of the topic.

“Americans have a right to petition government, and new online technologies are giving that right exciting new possibilities, Hoyer said. “Members of Congress have a duty to embrace these technologies to make the legislative process as open and accessible as possible. We welcome the help and advice of industry leaders like Facebook, as well as individuals and academics who have innovative ideas on how to do so.”

Developers and others interested in the free event, which will be held in the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington D.C., can register here.

Related links:

Press release – http://tinyurl.com/7obos2x

Registration – http://www.majorityleader.gov/Facebook

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/opengraph

http://majorityleader.gov

http://www.democraticwhip.gov

Photo by Flickr user Fristle/Michael Myers, used under Creative Commons license

Tag Strategic and blueFrog Form Joint Venture

digitalmediawi

November 21, 2011

BlueFrog and Tag Strategic have announced a joint venture to create a comprehensive digital consultancy, blueFrog Tag, designed to help international companies enter blueFrog’s Indian/Asian home markets and for Indian companies to branch out into global markets.

Kicking off the new relationship, the first blueFrog Tag Salon was held in Mumbai and sponsored by MIDEM. Tag Strategic Salons bring industry leaders, partners and associates together in a setting conducive to discussion and networking, and so far have been held in cities including Los Angeles, London, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Berlin.

The blueFrog Tag Salon took place at the blueFrog facilities, which comprises a live music venue, recording studio, independent record label, management services and other music-related activities in the redeveloped mill district of Mumbai, India.

Related links:

http://www.tagstrategic.com

http://www.bluefrog.co.in

Photo shows blueFrog partners (clockwise from center): fund manager Simran Mulchandani (standing), film director Mahesh Mathai, composer-musician Dhruv Ghaneka, composer-musician Ashutosh Phatak, and film producer Srila Chatterjee

Spurlock's Latest 'Failure Club' Debuts on Yahoo

digitalmediawi

November 18, 2011

Yahoo Screen is debuting Failure Club, a new web series produced by Morgan Spurlock based on the crowdsourced adventures created by Philip Kiracofe.

As in the real-world Failure Club, the seven participants in the docudrama meet once a week for a year to help each other achieve the things they’d otherwise never dare to do. The show includes, for example, a stay-at-home mom who wants to start her own business, a market researcher who wants to become a stand-up comic, and a 55-year-old woman who wants to become an equestrian. Success is not guaranteed.

In an unfortunate turn of phrase given the corporation’s current status, Spurlock (pictured) said, “I can honestly say there is no better home for Failure Club than on Yahoo.” What he meant, of course, is that “Yahoo wants to try things traditional outlets shy away from.”

The show is a production of Spurlock’s production company Warrior Poets in conjunction with Yahoo. “This show is my own Failure Club,” Spurlock said. “I tried to get this concept on network television for seven years, but they were all scared to death of a year-long format. People all over the world will be able to follow these courageous people and their quest to achieve their dreams and, hopefully along the way, they’ll be inspired to chase some dreams of their own.”

http://morganspurlock.com

http://philip.kiracofe.com

http://thefailureclub.org

NextNav Raises $19.2 Million for Non-GPS Geolocation

digitalmediawi

November 18, 2011

McLean, Va. – NextNav, a McLean-based location technology startup headed by Gary Parsons, the founder of XM Satellite Radio, has raised $19.2 million in a new round of funding, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The funding, from four unnamed investors, came in the form of equity and convertible promissory notes. NextNav, formerly known as Commlabs, has developer technology capable of precisely locating objects in buildings and urban areas, where GPS signals can’t reach. The service works wherever cell phone signals are available.

Parsons, who stepped down last year as chairman of the combined Sirius XM Radio, serves as chief executive officer, while Rajendra Singh, the founder of LCC International, serves as chairman.

This article was also published in Potomac Tech Wire.

Related links:

http://www.commlabs.net

SEC filing – http://tinyurl.com/6oxv7bh

Stan Lee's POW! Signs with EQAL

digitalmediawi

November 18, 2011

Stan Lee and Gill Champion’s POW! Entertainment has signed an agreement with brand and celebrity building firm EQAL to support the media and entertainment company’s expansion into digital content production and distribution. The first public result of these agreements will be the revamp of a new branded consumer website, TheRealStanLee.com, in partnership with EQAL.

The site will formally launch in early 2012 as a hub for news, content and social networking around all things Stan Lee (pictured). Or to quote Lee’s own inimitable prose, “It’ll be a wild and wooly community website for your beloved Generalissimo to meet and spend time with all my Brigadiers who wanna join me in yakkin’ about the wondrous world of comics!”

EQAL also will pursue licensing and revenue opportunities for the company in parallel to POW!’s endeavors in live action and animation movies, television programming, merchandising and video games.

Miles Beckett, EQAL co-founder and chief executive officer, said, “As a lifelong fan, it makes it that much more exciting to be in business with Stan Lee. He is a legend and we are thrilled to be able to work together to create a digital property for him to communicate directly with his fans and for the Stan Lee community to gather, interact and get all of their information on Stan and what he is up to.”

POW! Previously announced a joint venture with Michael Eisner’s digital studio Vuguru to produce and distribute studio quality films, episodic series and digital content across multiple platforms, starting with the original YouTube channel Stan Lee’s World of Heroes.

Related links:

http://www.powentertainment.com

http://therealstanlee.com

http://www.eqal.com