Monday, November 29, 2010

NEW STORYTELLING, NEW STORY WORLDS

Check out dream.haven an interesting collaborative experiment in storytelling between The Grove and RIPPLE100 (CT Technology Council 2010 Tech Companies to Watch) in New Haven, CT.

FROM THE DREAM.HAVEN BLOG:
"Can the dreams of everyday citizens transform a city through storytelling, connecting, and collaborating? We will capture your dream, share it with others and see what happens when our storied dreams collide." -RIPPLE100 & The Grove 


The collaborative experiment consists of a twitter account, a tumblr blog and a collection of UTube videos of people revealing their dreams. Check out what Alex Gutierrez has to say about bullying in school.





It will be interesting to see how this develops. What other elements will be added? Does digital storytelling with social media elements blur the line between commerce and social good? Where do we draw the line? Is there a line? What do you think? Have you experimented with creating digital stories?

Social Media Strategy

I took this fantastic SOCIAL MEDIA class at SCPS NYU with WIRED.com Marketing guy, Jim Hopkinson (The Hopkinson Report). This is the graphic I created for a social media strategy for a fictitious town called Smallville.  


Social Media is a very important element in digital publishing. You hear about it everywhere. Constant BUZZ. If you are in New York, I recommend taking the SCPS NYU class or reading up online. 

Here are some great articles about social media strategy you might find interesting:

Dragan Varagic Blog: Fantastic information and lots of different social media templates.

Very Official Blog: Great questions to ask as you create your social media strategy.

The Other Media: I like this free PDF social media benchmarking template, easy to follow, great questions.

Intersection Marketing Blog: I love the colorful graphic below and break down of phases by Mark Smiciklas.








Do you have a social media strategy as an author or illustrator?  What does it look like? Does your publisher have one yet? 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Animated Short or Digital Picture book? A film by Miguel Gallardo & The Orange Foundation



The animated short by Miguel Gallardo, Maria's Journey, reveals the challenges and joys of having an autistic daughter. The layered illustrations and simple text demand repeated viewing, just like a picture book.
Hmmmm, is this a digital picture book? One of the new form factors in publishing? You be the judge.
As I experiment with new digital storytelling the line between animated short and digital picture book begins to blur.
LOVE IT!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Top Researchers Come Together at Women In Children's Media Diversity Panel




"The group in power is most visible."
"80% of children's content produced is from USA."
"Boys act, girls appear."
-Dr. Dafna Lemish

On September 23, 2010 I attended a Women In Children's Media event in NYC.


Here is a blurb of the event you can find on the WICM facebook page:

"Diversity in media is an issue that all children’s content creators grapple with, from television writers to movie casting agents to video game creators. Join Women in Children’s Media (WiCM) on September 23rd at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway, for a night of research and discussion to learn how the power of children’s media can have a positive impact on diversity. Moderated by David Kleeman (American Center for Children and Media), panelist Dr. Dafna Lemish (author of Screening Gender on Children’s Television) will share her work on gender in television, Madeline Di Nonno (Executive Director, See Jane and The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media) will present the Institute’s latest research on gender in film, and Dr. Kevin Clark (Director, Center for Digital Media, Innovation and Diversity at George Mason University) will guide guests through his findings on race in the video game world."

Amazing right?
Read more about what these top researchers have to say about children & media in the links below:


David Kleeman (American Center for Children and Media)

Madeline Di Nonno (Executive Director, See Jane and The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media)

Dr. Kevin Clark (Director, Center for Digital Media, Innovation and Diversity at George Mason University)

You can find out more about Women In Children's Media here.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I miss Fall on Peaks Island, Maine!

Here is a page from the book THE SOUND OF, DAY THE SOUND OF NIGHT, by Mary O'Neill.
I used to love riding my bike down the hill and around the island during the late fall afternoons.
That was the inspiration for this illustration. Of course I didn't have 3 dogs and 2 seagulls following me, but those are my 2 friends Lisa (the baker) and Sree (the reader).
Aghhhhhhhh, Lovely Maine, I miss you.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

SANSO-XTRO animation by Dublin Artist Fergal Brennan

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this animation for the music of Sanso-xtro created by Dublin artist Fergal Brennan. This is an extract, to see the full animation, visit Fergal here. Well worth the trip to Dublin. BEAUTIFUL.

animation: Fergal Brennan
stop motion photography: Jeannie OBrien
rotoscoping: Malika Whitaker