In yesterday’s entry, I proposed deploying transmedia storytelling on an individual basis for the purpose of, say, getting a job or attracting clients.
I used a framework suggested by Jeff Gomez, president and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, for looking at individual transmedia storytelling.
Gomez (who very kindly stopped by and commented on yesterday’s entry) also figures prominently in today’s installment, via a blog entry from almost two years ago by transmedia-storytelling expert extraordinaire Christy Dena, Jeff Gomez’s “8 Defining Characteristics of Transmedia Production“.
So let’s look at the 8 characteristics (have these changed at all in two years?). At the same time, let’s take a sample individual/job-seeker. Allison Cody, who commented on yesterday’s entry, briefly noted that individual transmedia storytelling is already in practice. I have no doubt of that, but I have not yet taken the time to research examples. Therefore, the most convenient example to use is myself, although I am an imperfect example.
Let’s say I would like a job teaching at the college level, which coincidentally I would (my current geographic situation makes that notion difficult, but I’d make a kick-butt online teacher).
Here are Gomez’s 8 defining characteristics of a transmedia production, as reported by Dena. I’ve looked at each one in relation to individual/job-seeker/my transmedia storytelling and tried to provide some examples:
- Content is originated by one or a very few visionaries: Obviously this one works for the individual, who could originate his or her content, perhaps with the assistance of a career coach, branding strategist, or technical guru.
- Cross-media rollout is planned early in the life of the franchise: Sure. That works. The individual could plan early in, for example, a job search how to roll out the transmedia story.
- Content is distributed to three or more media platforms: No problem here. I discuss personal example below.
- Content is unique, adheres to platform-specific strengths, and is not repurposed from one platform to the next: This characteristic should also not be a problem for the individual but requires a new kind of thinking. For example, even if a job-seeker has a presence on several platforms, it’s likely to a very similar presence with a lot of repetition. The job-seeker needs to think outside the box not to simply repurpose the same content from one platform to the next.
- Content is based on a single vision for the story world: This piece is perhaps the most difficult piece for the individual, who must work at communicating a storied vision of himself or herself. This piece can also be thought of as the individual’s personal brand, or rather his or her storied personal brand. Examples abound of individuals and job-seekers who have promoted themselves across multiple media, but have they done so in a cohesive, storied way?
- Concerted effort is made to avoid fractures and schisms: I am not 100 percent sure of what this one means, but I think it refers to story discontinuity, illogical leaps that result in cognitive dissonance. The individual would need to ensure that the story flows logically and makes sense.
- Effort is vertical across company, third parties and licensees: This one is really the only one that doesn’t apply to the individual
- Rollout features audience participatory elements, including:
- Web portal
- Social networking
- Story-guided user-generated content
The individual can absolutely make these participatory features available. Whether the desired audience would use them is another question.
Now, let’s look more closely at characteristics 3 and 8 — media on which the individual can tell the story and audience participatory elements.
Three or more media platforms are required. What might they be in my case?
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- Slideshow/video on YouTube describing my teaching story — how I got into teaching, what my strengths are, and where I want to go next.
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- Photos showing students working in teams, having meaningful learning experiences. The photos could be on a photo-sharing site like Flickr, or on Facebook, where I really do have a collection of great photos of one of my classes. However, the photos need a storyline. I need better captions and a better overall way of presenting the story of teaching this class.
- I can think of a number of possibilities for the third (and perhaps subsequent) media, but again I must keep in mind the storytelling aspect. I could make a video of teaching a class on storytelling, or a class in which I tell part of my story, or interweave the stories of my students with mine. I could set up a mini-online teaching platform in which I demonstrate my skills in online teaching but, again must consider how to tell another part of my story in this demo. I could show sample syllabi (again, story, story, story) on the Web.
And now let’s look at possible audience participatory elements:
- Web portal: Check. I could use my personal Web site, my social media resume, my teaching portfolio, or this blog; however only the blog is currently set up for audience participation, and all portals need to do a better, more cohesive job of telling my story.
- Social networking: Check. Probably the No. 1 venue at which I am integrating both my personal and professional stories is Facebook (and many of my Facebook friends are my former students), but perhaps I would want to set up a “Fan” page on Facebook to focus on the professional side. LinkedIn, of course, is a much more professional venue, but there is little opportunity for audience participation. I’ve split my Twitter accounts into personal and professional, but the professional probably needs to be more storied. And this blog can certainly be considered a social-networking venue, is set up for audience participation, and shows my passion and thought-leadership (I would certainly want storytelling to be a major focus of my teaching).
- Story-guided user-generated content: This one is the trickiest for the individual. I could set up some sort of forum with my former students so they could help tell my story by commenting on my teaching. I could have some sort of live chat where employers could ask me questions about my teaching, and I could give storied responses. As already mentioned, I could set up an area to provide interactive samples of online teaching but would have to find a way to advance my story).
The biggest flaw I see in transmedia storytelling for the individual job-seeker is the difficulty in building an audience. Transmedia storytelling in the fictional world of movies generally has a built-in audience that is anticipating a movie’s release. Films that lend themselves to transmedia productions often tend to translate well to videogames that tell a different part of the story and don’t merely repurpose the movie’s plot. Perhaps that’s what I need: Kathy Hansen: The Teaching Videogame.
So, I throw this wacky notion open to you, readers:
What examples have you seen of effective transmedia storytelling by individuals/job-seekers? How can an individual attract a reasonably large audience for a transmedia storytelling effort?