CYNOPSISDIGITAL
02.12.16

Good morning. It’s Friday February 12, 2016, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

 
AT&T has partnered with Fullscreen’s Strategic Content Group to launch AT&T Hello Lab, a sprawling new project. (Fullscreen, a multi-channel media company, is owned by a joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group.) A year-long initiative, Hello Lab will involve 10 different content creators as they develop project ideas and distribute content. (For an example of that content, skip on down to the Digital Spotlight section.) The project will heavily focus on mobile and social media. AT&T has signed up numerous digital influencers for Hello Lab, including YouTube stars Grace Helbig, Damon and Jo, and magician Collins Key. So what drove the decision to engage in such an expansive effort? “AT&T Hello Lab extends across multiple platforms because AT&T had the foresight early on to understand inherently how important these social communities are,” said Billy Parks, SVP of Fullscreen Strategic Content Group, in an email to Cynopsis Digital. “AT&T’s relationship to the creator community and its commitment to continue to engage in a manner that is authentic and additive overall explains why the scope is wide-ranging and involves multiple influencers." “So few brands understand the delicate balance between making brand impact and entertaining audiences,” added Bryan Thoensen, Fullscreen Strategic Content Group’s other SVP, in another email to Cynopsis Digital. “With AT&T Hello Lab, we’ll see those two worlds converge like never before, and AT&T is taking a dramatically different approach to co-creation that’s a breath of fresh air for the industry.”

 
Hulu and RocketJump are becoming fast friends. Shortly after RocketJump was featured as the subject of a Hulu docu-series, the digital studio – along with Lionsgate – will be bringing a new sci-fi anthology series to the streaming service. Titled Dimension 404 (a play on the web’s “404” page-not-found code), the series will consist of six one-hour episodes, debuting exclusively on Hulu. It will be RocketJump’s first scripted drama. RocketJump co-founder Desmond “Dez” Dolly will act as showrunner.
 
More from Hulu: In a deal with NBCUniversal, the service acquired the exclusive SVOD rights to the Syfy thriller 12 Monkeys, the full first season debuting February 24. As part of the deal, Hulu also acquired the full library of programming for two additional series – Battlestar Galactica and Saved By the Bell. (Side note: That’s likely to be the last time you ever see those two shows mentioned in the same sentence.) In addition, Hulu added additional episodes of kids’ series Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends and Barney.
 
In a recent earnings call, Time Inc. announced that it had acquired a majority stake in the ad tech company Viant. (Viant is also the owner of various properties, including Myspace.) The deal will combine Time Inc.’s content, subscriber and visitor data, and ad inventory with Viant’s first party data and targeting capabilities. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

 
Great Big Story, the CNN-backed site devoted to news-heavy digital vignettes, is just starting to dip its toes into the native content pool. General Electric will soon distribute a set of three short films through GBS. And come February 18, the site will also debut The Dreamers, an eight-part video series sponsored by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. (Six of the eight vids are pieces of Great Big Story content, while the other two were made for Hewlett Packard Enterprise.)  “We are not just trying to shove any old brand into a native ad,” said Chris Berend, co-founder of Great Big Story, in an interview with Variety. “We are very much focused on our audience and delivering storytelling to our audience. We think brands can be a huge part of that.”

 
NBCUniversal  is going over-the-top – and overseas to boot. NBCUniversal International is launching Hayu, a new SVOD service devoted to reality content. New episodes will be added to the service each week – most of them on the same day as their U.S. premieres. Content includes The Real Housewives and Top Chef franchises, Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spin-offs, and numerous other series. It will debut at http://www.hayu.com in March, available in the U.K., Ireland and Australia. The service will be accessible on the web, as well as via mobile, tablet, and connected TV.
 
Cinemax is testing the a la carte waters. The premium cable net is now available on Dish Network’s Sling TV Internet TV service – no cable or satellite subscription required.

 
To all those who have ever accused golf of being boring: It just got little harder to make your case. The PGA Tour and the VR startup IM360 have partnered to create four new experiences for the Samsung Gear VR headset. Two of them feature instruction sessions from golf pros Patrick Rodgers and Peter Malnati. Another features behind-the-scenes footage of a PGA Tour broadcast, while the fourth, which features golf pro Rickie Fowler, focuses on the famous 16th hole of TPC Scottsdale. The PGA Tour VR app is available on the Oculus Store.
 
Sign up for our February 24 sports webinar, Virtual Reality – How to Get in the Game, and find out why sports can open the keys to the virtual reality kingdom. http://www.cynopsis.com/webinar/virtual-reality-get-game/
 
 

 
Perhaps this should come as no surprise: A movie whose talent is active on Twitter is more likely to be successful. Granted, there’s no way to prove there’s a causal link. Still, the numbers are striking: Twitter and analytics company Crimson Hexagon looked at 33 movies released in 2015. The films that had talent active on Twitter saw a 326% increase in average daily volume of conversation. And movies that over-performed at the box office had 150% more posts on Twitter than films that under-performed. You can learn more about the study here. 
 
 

 
The Vevo app relaunch has just about reached completion. A few months after launching a redesigned app for iOS, the music video service has followed suit on Android and the next gen Apple TV. The Android app, largely similar to the iOS app, employs larger images, and allows users to pick their favorite artists by swiping right. The new Apple TV app also puts an emphasis on allowing users to listen to their favorite artists, and lets users easily return to their most recently viewed videos. It also allows users to sync playlists with mobile apps.

 
The multi-channel network Studio71 announced a new reality content chief. Rabih Gholam, most recently the Executive VP, Head of Unscripted Programming for Ryan Seacrest Prods., will now serve as Studio71’s President of Unscripted Television. Studio71, formerly called Collective Digital Studio, recently changed its name after being acquired by German media company ProSiebenSat.1.
 
The New York-based advertising and marketing company Sawyer Studios has opened a West Coast office, hiring Kailey Peterson as Strategic Account Director in Los Angeles. She previously served as Director of Digital Marketing at Alchemy.  
 
Factual, a company providing location data for mobile advertising, announced a new hire. Rob Jonas will now serve as SVP of Revenue. He previously served as Global Chief Revenue Officer of the marketing automation software company PubMatic.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Get the lowdown on Social Media in just 90 minutes!
LEARN:
– How to engage with Gen Y and Gen Z on their must-have apps
– The key to mapping out a social media strategy for an earned media result
– Using social to build time-shifted audience
– The importance of audience empowerment
– How to use social to maximize value from your content
– The relationship between TV chatter and tune-in

Click here for more information!

 
The first program to be released as part of AT&T’s Hello Lab is Dare to Travel, a travel series starring YouTubers Damon and Jo. The content will include interactive challenges to the two stars issued through social media. You can check out Damon and Jo’s preview of the new series here.

CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, visit Cynopsis.com

JOB OPENING: AFFILIATE SALES MGR/beIN SPORTS/Miami: Dist sales leader to champion/promote ntwk sales across all platforms both traditional/non-traditional. Min 5-7 yrs exp strategic sales for US Cable/Satellite/Telco dist ind. Prior commercial Hotel/Public viewing dist/sales of tier one sports w/soccer emphasis fundamental. Resume: [email protected] (2/19)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT DIRECTOR-DISTRIBUTION/Discovery/MD or NY: Innovative thinker to help develop/implement robust distribution and partner marketing strategies. Establish and foster consultative relationships with top MVPD partners. 6+ yrs exp req’d. Full info/apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: SR MGR, DIST. & MULTIPLATFORM ANALYTICS/A+E Networks/NY: Serve as corp. expert in VOD analytics, Dvlp viewership models & evaluate the performance of our brands. Manage working relationship with STB and advanced analytics data providers Full Info/Apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: DIR. / SR. DIR., ADV. ANALYTICS & DATA STRAT./A+E Networks/NY: Evaluate methodologies, data quality & best analytics practices that will help advance A+E Networks data capabilities on both traditional TV & cross platformsides of our business.FullInfo/Apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING COORDINATOR/NYC: Organized driven multitasker in executing multiplatform media plans, building promo events, managing marketing budgets. Full info/apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST (2 positions)/Screenvision/NYC: Resp. for research inquiries, crafting presentations, analyzing info, MRI research & Nielson report exp, 1+ years ad sales and/or media research exp, strong writing skills, love of movies: Full info/apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: MANAGING PRODUCER/LINE PRODUCER/TWIN CITIES PBS/St Paul MN: Negotiate agreements; oversee budget & timelines for a multi-partner & vendor (nat’l & int’l) project. Min 10+ yrs media prod prod &/or project mngmnt exp. Digital savvy a must. Full info/apply HERE (2/19)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLANNER/BUYER/Mahwah, NJ: Leading kid media buyg/plng agency looking for 5+ yrs nat’l media planning/buying exp. needed in kids/adult media to steward nat’l TV buys. Strong comm; excel; analytic skills. Resumes to: [email protected] (2/19)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA ASSIST/Mahwah, NJ: Leading kid media buyg/plng agency looking for media plng assist with 2+ exp; inputter, & day-to-day maint of nat’l buys. EXCEL WIZ A MUST; DIGITAL EXP +. Great bnfits. Resumes to: [email protected] (2/19)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, MEDIA SALES/MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL/St. Petersburg FL: Lead nat’l sales efforts for MiLB Media Properties. Min 7 yrs exp & est. sr client & agency relationships required. Self-starting & passionate individuals desired. 25-40% travel. Resume HERE (2/18)

JOB OPENING: INTEGRATION, PRODUCER FN & CC/NYC: Dvlp/write organic integrated concepts that drive ratings & rev + achieve advtsr goals. Lead prod of integrated content from start to finish. A mix of prod, prgrmng + branded ent highly desired. 5+ yrs. Resume to: [email protected] (2/18)

JOB OPENING: ANALYST, CONSUMER INSIGHTS/Nickelodeon/NYC: 1-2 yrs work exp (mkt rsch exp pref’d). BA/BS degree w/outstanding academic track record – business, statistics, comms, psychology, or mkt rsch deg a +; Grad Rsch Work(optional). Full info/apply HERE (2/17)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASSISTANT/BounceTV/NYC: Support Adsales Planning: executing client skeds, wkly allocs, securing traffic, preventing discreps. Interacting with AE’s & clients. 1+ yr AdSales or Rsch exp. & use of WideOrbit a +. Resumes/cvr: [email protected] (2/17)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PRICING & PLANNING/PAC-12/SF: 5-10 yrs exp in linear and digital media and pricing. See full posting/apply HERE (2/17)

JOB OPENING: VP PROD SERVICES/A+E Networks/Stamford CT: Direct all tech, creative & admin ops for in-house & 3rd party srvcs incl prgrm Acquisition & Formatting; Min 4 yrs mngmnt role brdcst/TV ind w/proven track record team leadership. Full Info/Apply HERE (2/16)

JOB OPENING: METADATA & PUBLISHING MGR ENCODING & FULFILLMENT/A+E Networks/Stamford CT: Resp for tech support & admin of all metadata & partner/vendor publishing related req’s; incl XML schema support, new partner on-boarding & publishing error resolution. Full Info/Apply HERE (2/16)

JOB OPENING: VP or DIR/GLOBAL TV SALES/Jim Henson Company/LA: Seeks a VP or Director-level executive for global program sales to television and/or digital clients. Kids’ television experience preferred, sales experience essential. Resume: [email protected] (2/16)

CASTING CALL: Companies can showcase their casting notices/casting calls here. For information on rates and specs for posting a casting notice, please email Trish at [email protected]

EXPERT SERVICES ADS: These ads are for companies or people who offer an expertise in the field of media by way of production, voice over artistry, writing, set development, etc. For information on rates and specs for posting an Expertise Service ad email Trish at [email protected]

SITUATION WANTED: Italian Brazilian script analyst with TV experience offers report for your story development, upgrades your screenplay for emotional Latin audiences Contact: [email protected]

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING EXECUTIVE/NYC: I’m inquisitive, ambitious, detail oriented, a fast learner, & a self-starter w/the ability to multitask in a fast paced envir. 2 yrs exp working in media ind w/a strong knwldg of integrated mktg & social media analytics Contact me: [email protected] (2/19)

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
%%PLUGIN_Unsubscribe: 2193667-unsub-generic%%

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2016