The New Frontier

I  attended an event last night sponsored by the Writers Guild of America East about the economics of new media.  Given my web series/production company, the WGA contacted me about signing with them as part of their 2.0 New Media initiative.  Cool!  So, as I'm in the process of forging a relationship with the WGA I thought I'd check out this event.

There were 3 panelists who gave their input on what the landscape is and how us New Media creators can shift our perspective to capitalize on these new opportunities:  Anita Ondine (CEO of Seize the Media), Mark Lukasiewicz (VP NBC News Specials and Digital Media) and Moishe "Mo" Koyfman (Principal at Spark Capital).  Basically here's the gist...the world is changing fast.  What once were the gatekeepers of creative expression are now busting open.  New platforms are continuing to emerge and we as creative artists have a duty and an opportunity to seize the reigns!  But how do we profit from this new-found freedom?  With traditional financial models falling apart as we speak, what form do we follow?

The answer is there is no answer.  Comforting, huh...?  What's exciting is that we get to have a hand in crafting the answer.  Some possibilities?  Sponsorship from a corporation, branded marketing, and crowd sourcing.  Companies like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo help artists raise money by encouraging fans to contribute to a particular project and help bring it to life.  The key is to engage the audience, get them involved in every part of the process.  Give the power to the people!

Though a bit overwhelming, it is exciting to know that possibilities exist.  People (myself included) are working really hard to create, to innovate, and to shape the landscape of media and entertainment as we know it.  It's a big deal and I'm proud to be a part of it.