LA-based entertainment studio The Shadow Gang (TSG) is launching a multi-platform content distribution engine titled Galahad, the company announced today. Aimed at transmedia storytellers, the platform will be officially introduced during the StoryWorld Conference + Expo, which is taking place in Hollywood until October 19.
In practical terms, Galahad lets content owners create full digital experiences which can be shared and monetized. As an example, The Shadow Gang created its own demo video, a film noir which you can find here. While it is well produced, what makes it interesting is that it lets viewers choose their own adventure as in a gamebook.
As a matter of fact, Galahad’s immersive HTML5 video player helps users to create what TSG describes as “entire story worlds” – in other words, multi-platform transmedia stories with which viewers can engage. Here’s what the platform looks like for content owners:
Once they have uploaded their video, users can easily organize their narrative thanks to Galahad’s story line tool.
As you can see, it makes it convenient to manage non-linear content and to create nodes to let viewers choose their own path. In addition, it includes built-in analytics to keep track of viewing stats – all in one place.
While its video player will be the main tool available upon launch, TSG says that other technologies will be added to Galahad over the next few months.
Ultimately, the studio’s ambition is to turn Galahad into a one-stop shop for transmedia storytelling. It hopes to target the creative industries, from film and TV to gaming and publishing, and also the marketing and advertising sectors.
Despite their diversity, all these segments share the same appetite to engage with users through digital content across multiple platforms. Yet, the process is laborious and complex, TSG’s co-founder and CEO Alex LeMay explains.
For instance, advertising companies often have to create their interactive campaigns from scratch while juggling with multiple platforms, and only a very small number of content creators know how to use YouTube to tell interactive stories.
This is the growing demand that TSG hopes to attend with Galahad, which was inspired by TSG’s own experience creating GoBZRK, a digital story developed in tandem with Michael Grant’s young adult novel ‘BZRK.’
“Seeing that there were no existing platforms to help them build this experience, The Shadow Gang built, from the ground up, an entire complementary story world that included a mobile app, scripted videos, interactive comic books, and an expansive online social game,” the studio recalls.
“That’s why we created Galahad as an efficient and manageable platform to help others produce multi-platform digital experiences that release content, messages and rewards at strategic moments for their TV episodes, movie launches or major book releases,” LeMay adds.
Besides its ready-made distribution engine, TSG will also use its production know-how to create custom content for some clients who may prefer to get some extra assistance. According to LeMay, Galahad will be offered as a licensed software platform for each story world for up to 12 months, and include a variable set of services, ranging from training to backend support and strategy consulting.
If it gets pricing right, Galahad could become an interesting way to democratize transmedia storytelling, and make it easier for content creators and brands to create engaging narratives.
Image credit: Thinkstock
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