CYNOPSISDIGITAL
06.16.16

Good morning. It’s Thursday June 16, 2016, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Dynamic Creative: Dynamic creative refers to video ad creative that’s customized in advance and/or is able to be transformed upon delivery. The “transformation” in question would be geared toward more precise targeting of audience segments. Customization features might include delivering a specific combination of ad content, such as background images, copy, and the color and size of a call-to-action button.

Well that’s charitable. YouTube announced a new plan to produce free professional video shoots for any small business that commits a minimum of $150 worth of ad spend to YouTube. Called Director onsite, the program will initially be available in six metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Of late, YouTube has been dramatically escalating its pitch to advertisers, arguing that YouTube spends should rival TV spends. But those arguments have largely been directed toward major brands. This new initiative is a clear sign that the company is broadening its advertising ambitions, even if that means targeting smaller fish.

Read the fine print, folks. Buzzfeed has fired two popular employees, and it’s all because they strayed too far from home. The employees are Jenny Lorenzo, an actor, writer, and producer for Pero Like, Buzzfeed’s video-heavy Latino-interest vertical, and Brittany Ashley, an actor and producer who wrote and starred in Lesbian Princess, a BuzzFeed web series. According to Politico, BuzzFeed dismissed the two for breaching a non-compete clause that most BuzzFeed Motion Pictures staffers are required to sign. The apparent breach relates to the America Ferrara-produced web series Gente-Fied, which both Ashley and Lorenzo acted in. (They also appeared in the trailer.) According to Politico, a number of BuzzFeed employees were surprised by the firings, and hadn’t realized how strict the company’s non-compete clauses are.

BidSwitch

, a platform designed to help programmatic ad-tech and media companies manage a complex market, has partnered with DISH Media Sales. Under the new deal, BidSwitch will integrate ONPOINT, Dish’s programmatic TV platform, into its real-time partner ecosystem. BidSwitch says that the integration will introduce programmatic TV buyers to its 150-plus demand partners, enabling agencies and advertisers to target and individually purchase DISH TV households throughout the country. It’s the first time that BidSwitch will offer TV inventory. The integration is expected to be completed by this summer.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

“As a marketer we would be foolish to turn a deaf ear to the size of the [esports] audience.”
–Bob Ruhland, Head of Marketing – Buffalo Wild Wings (source: WSJ)

Branded content isn’t just for the BuzzFeeds of the world. The digital financial media company TheStreet, Inc. has launched Blue Chip Content Studio, a new custom media division. The ad creative and strategy group will work with marketers to develop customized content, including video and other digital offerings, print, events, and more. The unit will sit under The Deal, TheStreet’s media and technology company. And Blue Chip will make use of data from BoardEx, The Deal’s business intelligence service.

Felix & Paul Studios is the latest VR player to pull in a substantial fundraising haul. The production company raised $6.8 million in Series A funding. Comcast Ventures lead the round. When it comes to virtual and augmented reality, Comcast has been doling out seed money far and wide. The media giant has previously invested in VR companies such as Spaces and AltSpaceVR, and just this week invested in the augmented reality company Meta.

In its opening weekend, Universal Pictures’ Warcraft grossed $24 million in domestic box office – despite a $160 million production budget. A major flop, right? Actually, not really. That’s because the film’s foreign gross has reached $280 million, in large part because it’s earned about $157 million in China. So given the film’s surprising popularity in the Middle Kingdom, it come as no surprise that the Chinese streaming video platform PPTV just paid more than $18 million to acquire the movie’s streaming rights. (PPTV gets exclusive rights, though it retains the right to license the movie to other streaming services.) It’s the highest licensing fee that any Chinese streaming service has ever paid for an imported film, more than doubling the previous record. The news was reported by Variety.

Super Deluxe, the Turner-owned online platform for short-form comedy, is officially being resurrected. The hub initially launched in 2006, before its content was folded into Adult Swim 18 months later. But last year, Turner quietly revived the platform – and now the company is being less quiet about it. For its now-official launch, Super Deluxe is developing projects from the likes of Dean Fleischer-Camp, Hannah Utt and Jen Tullock, Brandon Rogers, and Hae Yun Park.  It’s also partnered with director and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan as an ongoing EP, and signed a development and production deal with Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Dave Kneebone. Super Deluxe, which has been set up as an independent unit, will be overseen by Wolfgang Hammer, the former co-President of CBS Films. He’ll report to Kevin Reilly, Chief Creative Officer for Turner Entertainment and President of TBS and TNT.

Some new details on VRV, the recently announced subscription video bundle from Ellation, a video brand funded by AT&T and The Chernin Group. According to Ellation, VRV will feature the entertainment and gaming studio Rooster Teeth, NBCU’s comedy streaming service Seeso, Legendary Digital Networks’ upcoming Alpha service, and the animation network Cartoon Hangover. As was already known, it will also include the anime-focused SVOD service Crunchyroll.

The European pay TV operator Sky is set to launch a new subscription movie service. Called Sky Cinema, the service will launch in the U.K. and Ireland July 8, replacing the current Sky service that’s active in those regions, Sky Movies. Sky also intends to relaunch its movie services in Austria, Germany, and Italy under the Sky Cinema brand. The service will feature a more expansive library, better picture and sound quality, and films that will be delivered nearer to their theatrical release dates. It will also premiere a new film each day. The launch will make Sky Cinema the biggest dedicated movie service in Europe.

Entries are now open for the 4th annual Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards. We are looking to honor the best in online video content, advertising and talent. Start your nominations today and complete them by August 4.

At the PromaxBDA conference in NYC, Facebook exec Gwen Throckmorton questioned Sabrina Caluori, HBO’s SVP of Digital Media & Marketing, about the difficulties of TV marketing in an age marked by decreased live tune-in and an increasing number of digital platforms. Caluori noted that viewership numbers during an initial premiere are no longer the end-all-be-all. “That first viewing, that first premiere, is very important,” she said. “But so are those first two months.” It was a big shift for HBO, she said, when the network realized it had to continue spending marketing dollars after a premiere.  The two also discussed the importance of data in modern-day TV marketing. But when Throckmorton asked Caluori whether there are any types of data that she’d like more access to, Caluori said that it’s already difficult enough to make sense of what is available. “Right now, we’re just trying to deal with the amount of data we have,” she said. There’s so much data available, Caluori said, that the biggest challenge is cleaning it up, organizing it, and figuring out how to act on it.

@abbyblujay: “The Color Purple cast is just… Gold. OH MAH GAHD JAMES EARL JONES TOO #TonyAwards”
Canvs, the language analytics company that measures emotions around content, analyzed tweets about TV programming for the 7-day period through June 13 using Twitter data from Nielsen. Trends and insights from the 3,208,428 tweets expressing a specific Emotional Reaction (ER) include:
– ABC was home of the let-down, with 45.5% of the 36,927 “disappointed” ERs across all networks driven by the NBA Finals
– CBS drove the most adoration across networks (outside of sports programming), with 12.8% of the 708,357 “love” reactions across all networks prompted by the 70th Annual Tony Awards
– CBS also led in beauty, with 17.9% of the 62,353 “beautiful” reactions across all networks prompted by the 70th Annual Tony Awards
– ABC’s The Bachelorette owned the most cringing among non-sports programming, prompting 43.4% of the 8,384 “awkward” ERs across all networks.

This year, which major film festival held a Digital Storytelling Conference showcasing branded videos? You can find the answer in tomorrow’s newsletter.

Yesterday’s Trivia Question: Which theme park has begun offering a roller coaster experience in which riders wear VR headsets? Answer: Six Flags

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Choose from an extensive selection of categories such as:

Best Connected TV Platform | Best Actor/Actress in a Web Series | Best Digital Consumer Brand |Best Live Series | Outstanding Team of the Year | Best SVOD Service

To check out the full list of categories, click here.

“What If” indeed. The branding and marketing innovations agency Troika put together a terrific new spot showcasing innovative brands that are redefining the role media. The spot, from Executive Creative Director Dan Pappalardo, Creative Director Paul Brodie, Producer Alex Adams, and Lead Creative Michael Arcangeli, ran yesterday at the PromaxBDA conference in NYC. You can check it out here.

See you tomorrow,
David Teich
06.16.16

Roberta Caploe: Publisher @robertacaploe
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JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AD SALES MARKETING MANAGER/HGTV and DIY Network/NYC: Develop and execute client specific marketing solutions and communication tools that help drive advertising revenue for the HGTV & DIY digital platforms. For more detail http://www.scrippsnetworks.com (6/23)

JOB OPENING: SR DIR., CRM & DIGITAL AUDIENCE DATA STRATEGY/A+E Networks/NY: Lead the consumer-facing CRM efforts across A+E’s portfolio of networks, the strategy and execution of enterprise Addressable Audience / CRM program, serving as internal subject matter expert (SME) Full Info/Apply HERE (6/23)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AUDIENCE DEV. ASSOCIATE/A+E Networks/NY: Leverage owned, earned, and paid marketing tactics to grow and retain the audience across A+E Networks portfolio of digital properties, Utilize a data-driven approach to target potential users Full Info/Apply HERE (6/23) 

JOB OPENING: STUDIO TECHNICAL MANAGER, ESL/ESL GAMING/Burbank, CA: Lead technical production team, network/IT & studio operations; 8+ yrs broadcast production experience required; eSports/live event/sports/streaming experience ideal. Send resume/cover letter to: [email protected] (6/22)

JOB OPENING: VIDEO PRODUCER/Chicago Studios for StudioNow: Very strong, client-focused prod to help launch this new client studio Powered by StudioNow. Join our talented & dedicated team. Help create smart, innovative corp video, advertising, & mktg solutions. Res/cvr HERE [email protected] (6/22)

JOB OPENING: LEAD EDITOR/Chicago Studios for StudioNow: Must be driven to keep the Studios’ creative edgy and fresh to lead post-production in this new client studio Powered by StudioNow. Strong creative & technical skills in editing & motion graphics.  Resume/cover: HERE [email protected] (6/22)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASST/FUSE Media/NY: Recent grad w/previous ad sales/adv internship exp. to asst ad sales dept. Strong Excel & multi-tasking a +. Good comm, interpersonal & organzt’l skills. Apply @ http://www.fuse.tv/ (6/22)

JOB OPENING: SR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AD SALES/FUSE MEDIA/NY: Leader for WC Digital Sales role, TV, Digital, Mobile, Bus. Dev. 8+ yr media exp in TV, advertising apply @ http://www.fuse.tv/ (6/22)

JOB OPENING: INTEGRATED MKTG Sr. MANAGER/FUSE/NYC: Strategic dvlpmt & execution of multiplatform integrated mktg solutions for potential/existing Ad Sales clients. Exp: Mktg/Ad Sales/Mgmt/Media/Crtv Writing Full info/apply @ http://www.fuse.tv/ (6/22)

JOB OPENING: PROGRAM SCHEDULE PLANNING & ACQUISITION COORD/MBN/Springfield VA: Plan/dvlp all long-term & short-term prgrm schedules. Min 2 yrs exp in TV brdcsting w/an emphasis in prgrmng &/or scheduling. BA Deg in comm or TV related degree. Full info/apply HERE (6/21)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLANNER/MELT/ATL: Manage paid efforts in Digital & Social Media. Will work w/clients to align goals and understand needs to recommend effective paid media opportunities. 7+ yrs experience. Resume to: [email protected] (6/21)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, RESEARCH/Travel Channel/Knoxville: Manage analyses/ratings reporting with a strong focus on interpreting data. 5-8 years exp. Nielsen and Excel exp required.Cable ntwk & lifestyle media exp a plus.Full info/apply HERE (6/21)

JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/Vulcan Productions/Seattle, WA: Vulcan Prods creates high-quality, award-winning, non-fic films of all lengths & formats. Support prod team from pre to post-prod. Min 4 yrs as AP, or similar position w/similar prod duties in non-fic or doc film. Full info/apply HERE (6/21)

JOB OPENING: VP DATA STRATEGY/Scripps Networks Interactive/NYC: The VP of data strategy will lead data-driven efforts and initiatives with a focus on monetization, growth and optimization of cross-platform audience, and cultivation of first party/third party data. Click HERE for more detail (6/21) 

JOB OPENING: VP, INTEGRATED MARKETING & SALES/PAC-12/SFO: Engages w/advertisers & their associated agencies to sell advertising in a multimedia capacity: TV, Digital & Conference Championship Sponsorships. For full posting/apply HERE (6/18)

JOB OPENING: GAMEPLAY PROGRAMMER/ARENA/Bellevue WA: Collaborate in autonomous, cross discipline feature teams to successfully meet team goals. Full info/apply HERE (6/18)

JOB OPENING: SOFTWARE ENGINEER/PopCap Games/Seattle WA: Seek to ensure strong quality coding practices, supporting the team with the development of tools and analysis of their code. Full info/apply HERE (6/18)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR ENGINE PROGRAMMING/Insomniac Games/Burbank CA: Design and develop new engine technology for current and future games based on prioritized list of what other departments require. Full info/apply HERE (6/18)

JOB OPENING: SR UI DESIGNER/SAMSUNG/NYC: Problem-solver with excellent visualization, collaboration, and communication skills. Full info/apply HERE (6/18)

JOB OPENING: SR CLOUD OPERATIONS ENGINEER/DELL/Herndon VA: Play a key role in maintaining FedRAMP, FISMA and DoD ATOs for DCG and customer ATO environments. Full info/apply HERE (6/17)

JOB OPENING: SR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT/DELL/Plano TX: Oversee and manage large and complex client accounts & project delivery teams. Full info/apply HERE (6/17)

JOB OPENING: SR SOFTWARE ENGINEER/Zenith R & D/Santa Clara CA: Help design and deliver a comprehensive suite of libraries and tools enabling developers to build native-quality web apps.
Full info/apply HERE (6/17)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: AmericanVideoGroup.com is seeking interns for Summer. Interns are required to be on site. Schedule flexible; 4 day-16 hour week. Please send resume to: [email protected] (6/18)

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SITUATION WANTED: Recent MIT Sloan MBA grad with 5 years of experience in both data analytics and managing relationships is looking for an entertainment role in NYC. contact: [email protected] (6/17)

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