Six Diverse Multimedia Projects by Award-Winning Storytellers Define Innovative Publication’s Debut
NEW YORK (November 16, 2005)—MediaStorm (http://mediastorm.org), a multimedia production studio, today unveiled its online publication. The site features projects by renowned journalists, filmmakers and artists including Martin Schoeller, Ray Farkas, Douglas Menuez, Andrew Lichtenstein, Zac Barr, Tim Klimowicz, Julie Winokur and Ed Kashi. While the pieces cover a wide range of topics and styles, from reportage to travel and lifestyle, each combines powerful imagery and audio in a way that defines MediaStorm’s editorial philosophy and publication model.
“This publication brings together two principles that hold great promise for the next-generation storyteller,” said Brian Storm, president and founder of MediaStorm. “It provides a showcase for them to connect quality storytelling with readers worldwide who are hungry for well-produced, engaging narratives; and it does so within a brand new economic model that makes new media a viable outlet for epic productions, rich with detail and timeless in their relevance.”
Compelling Multimedia Stories
MediaStorm’s online publication combines photography, video and audio elements to deliver a uniquely powerful and immersive experience to its audience. Since the company’s launch and call for submissions last March, the group has produced six diverse projects for its inaugural issue:
Never Coming Home by Andrew Lichtenstein, Zac Barr and Tim Klimowicz
As soldiers and marines perish in Iraq, headlines and funerals mark their passage. Never Coming Home details a deeply personal and public bereavement, and shows a portrait of grief and sacrifice of families with a hole in their lives, nothing but memory where once there was a living son and brother.
Heaven, Earth, Tequila by Douglas Menuez
Heaven, Earth, Tequila: Un Viaje al Corazón de México is a journey of discovery into the heart and soul of Mexico. What started as an exploration of the 9,000-year tradition of tequila fermentation paints a colorful tableau of the culture, pride and passion of Mexican people.
Friends for Life by Julie Winokur and Ed Kashi
Friends for Life tells the timeless story of Arden Peters, 90, and Warren DeWitt, 76, two men whose lives intersected at a Wal-Mart one day.Their encounter transformed them forever, as their friendship evolved into a commitment of profound magnitude.
New York Reacts by Ray Farkas
On September 13th, 2001, New Yorkers, still in shock, are trying to come to grips with their emotions in New York Reacts. Grief, fear, anger, courage, strength, and sympathy can be heard throughout the city two days after the tragedy of September 11th.
Close Up by Martin Schoeller
A magnetic succession of stripped-down faces, straightforward portraits of the very famous and absolutely unknown, Close Up allows for a hypnotic exploration of the human face.
1976 by RJD2 and Left Channel
1976 journeys through the ghettos, farmlands and lifestyles of Cuba as scenes build and unfold blurring the distinction between the propaganda and the everyday reality of struggling to survive. The concept of the video was to capture the flair of the Latin influence in the song “1976” by RJD2.
MediaStorm continues to seek submissions and will publish new projects on an ongoing basis.
An Innovative Publication Model
The creators of these projects receive licensing fees from MediaStorm, and the publication offsets these costs by driving revenues through sponsorship and advertising (the site is currently sponsored by washingtonpost.com), but that’s where the similarity with traditional publishing models ends.
“Our publication represents an integrated way of thinking about the e-commerce opportunity in online publishing,” Storm explained. “Viewers of any story on MediaStorm are one click away from purchasing related products, such as books and music, or from licensing the media elements separately or as complete stories.”
For example, visitors who are impressed by Martin Schoeller’s project Close Up can buy the book from Amazon.com with a single click. Fans of RJD2’s music video 1976 can buy the song via a seamless link to iTunes. A picture editor at another publication can click through to Andrew Lichtenstein’s agency and license his images for a related story.
This innovative approach to e-commerce makes MediaStorm a multifaceted revenue opportunity for storytellers who stand to earn royalties from incremental transactions in addition to the licensing fees paid by MediaStorm.
“Our goal is to reduce the friction,” said Storm, “to create a place for people to enjoy great stories and make it easy for them to transact not only with our sponsors and advertisers, but also with our contributors.”
In addition to the publication, MediaStorm offers multimedia production and consulting services to an impressive list of clients including MSNBC, The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.
“The team at MediaStorm is widely recognized for quality editorial production and as thought leaders in multimedia storytelling,” Storm said. “We help our clients make the most of the web.”
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About MediaStorm
MediaStorm (http://mediastorm.org) is a multimedia production and consulting company based in New York City. Photojournalism veteran and new-media pioneer Brian Storm founded the group with the principal aim of ushering in a new era of multimedia storytelling. The company’s online publication serves as the flagship for MediaStorm’s innovative approach.