CYNOPSISDIGITAL
10.21.15

Good morning. It’s Wednesday October 21, 2015, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

 
CBS has launched its All Access SVOD and live streaming service on Apple TV. The Apple TV version of the app clocks in at $5.99 a month. The launch comes just a week before the next generation Apple TV ships. Oh, and about that…
 
At Monday’s WSJDLive Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the release date for the new Apple TV. According to Cook, Apple will begin taking orders for the set-top box on Monday, October 26. Shipments begin at the end of the week.
 
Many a fan’s dream has come true: Gilmore Girls is likely returning from the dead, thanks to Netflix. The streaming service is developing a revival with series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Executive Producer Daniel Palladino. Variety reports that the revival will consist of four 90-minute movies.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM  PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA

The Producers Guild of America is proud to announce the 2nd annual Produced By: New York conference, taking place on October 24 at the Time Warner Center. This year’s lineup includes Tina Fey, Christine Vachon, Peter Saraf, and many more.

 
Vice and Buzzfeed may be getting some competition from a traditional network. CNN has funded the launch of Great Big Story, a new digital network specializing in news-heavy video stories. Great Big Story’s content will be available via a web site, as well as apps for both iOS and Android. Just as significantly, its content will appear on Facebook, YouTube, Apple News, Snapchat, and more. It will be compatible with platforms including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, and Chromecast. It’s not officially a part of CNN, though the network boasts a multi-year investment. The outlet says it will distribute three to five videos daily, and release a short film in November.
 
The Huffington Post has recruited Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones’ Sansa Stark) to host #PowerShift, an original digital series. The series will explore the ways that Generation Z is using social media to effect global change. #PowerShift will be distributed across all 15 global editions of HuffPo, and will be syndicated through AOL ON. 

 
When you think “virtual reality,” you immediately think “New York Times”…or at least, you might soon. As part of NYT VR, its new virtual reality initiative, the company announced plans to send one million Google Cardboard virtual reality viewers to subscribers of its print edition next month. Why? Because it’ll also be debuting a free VR app, available for download November 7. The first VR film released on the app will be The Displaced, about children who have been uprooted by war. The film was made in collaboration with VR production company VRSE.

 
DigiTour has raked in about $10 million in investments, mostly from Viacom. DigiTour is known for producing its Digifest events – in-person appearances and performances from YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Vine stars. Aside from Viacom, investors included Slow Ventures and LionTree.
 
 

 
NBC’s smart TV app has debuted on more devices. The app, exclusive home to the net’s entire portfolio, is now available on Xbox One, as well as on legacy Apple TVs. Next up: Amazon’s Fire TV and Chromecast.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Click to see who made the cut. Then come join us on November 13th at the Marriott Essex House for this luncheon celebration!

Hulu has officially launched its new programmatic ad-buying program. This marks the first time that the service’s video inventory has been open for programmatic buying across all platforms, including desktop, mobile, and connected TV’s. If you want to learn more, you should really, really watch this video.
 
Looks like Facebook and Wendy’s are emulating Snapchat. Facebook introduced its new full-screen ad format in June, and Wendy’s is only one of a smallish number of brands to make use of it thus far. Like a Snapchat ad, Facebook’s full-screen ads prompt users to swipe up in order to see new images. (Users can also adjust their perspective of an image by tilting their phones, allowing them to see more of, say, a hamburger bun.) In Wendy’s new ad, the Snapchat effect lets users see the multiple layers of a hamburger, one bit at a time. 
 
Programmatic video inventory management platform Spotx has partnered with independent ad analytics company Moat. Moat will measure the viewability and performance metrics across inventory sold through Spotx’s platform. The partnership also adds insights to help SpotX customers target their campaigns and optimize inventory. "Our partnership with Moat will allow publishers to optimize inventory to meet evolving buyer expectations, and help the market improve inventory performance," said Kelly McMahon, VP of Demand at SpotX.
 
Today, video ad tech company Unruly – recently acquired by News Corp – is introducing In-Article, a viewable outstream format which creates new premium video ad inventory within article pages. According to a release, the format only begins to play when the video is in-view, thereby addressing viewability concerns for advertisers. Unruly will be launching the format across a number of News Corp titles, including The Sun, Marketwatch, and News.Com.Au. The In-Article format will also be made available to other premium publishers via Unruly’s supply side platform, UnrulyX™.
 
A PageFair/Adobe study estimated a 21.8 billion dollar loss in global revenue due to blocked advertising in 2015 alone. And now ad-blocking is going mobile in a big way. So what are advertisers, TV programmers, publishers and branding experts going to do about it? The November 17 Cynopsis webinar, Beating the Ad Blockers, will offer tips and insights from leading figures in the ad-blocking fight. 

 
On Monday, to celebrate the upcoming release of its dedicated comedy SVOD platform SeeSo, NBCUniversal held an event at NYC’s  SVA Theatre as part of the New York Television Festival. Evan Shapiro, NBCUniversal’s EVP of Digital Enterprises, gave the audience a visual demonstration of the platform (with the aid of a big ol’ movie screen). Later, the crowd was privy to a full episode of SeeSo’s upcoming original series The Cyanide & Happiness Show. (The animated sketch show is based on Explosm.net’s ever-poplar web comic Cyanide & Happiness. Here’s Cynopsis Digital’s humble opinion, which may well elicit the wrath of legions of Explosm loyalists: SeeSo’s series is at least as funny as the web comic.)
 
Later, Community-showrunner (then not-showrunner, then showrunner again) Dan Harmon was on hand, alongside some of his cohorts, to do an onstage version of his well-known Harmontown podcast, riffing on topics ranging from beestings to his recent divorce.
 
More significantly, Harmon and his crew later performed the live component of Harmonquest, his upcoming series premiering on SeeSo this January. Think of it as fantasy role-playing at its strangest: Harmon and his crew took a spoken Dungeons-and-Dragons-esque journey through a universe complete with rats, trolls, and a whole lot of swearing and fourth-wall breaking. (The Harmonquest recordings are later put to animation, similar to The Ricky Gervais Show; that’s what you’ll see on SeeSo.)
 
So, put simply, Harmon was funny. He’s really incapable of operating in any other mode. At one point he even started spewing what passed for a freestyle rap, and anyone who’s paid attention to his past travails at NBC couldn’t help take notice of this: "They didn’t tell me [SeeSo] was NBC…Am I working for Bob Greenblatt again? Because that’s not gonna go well." Um, no comment.
 
Harmon’s antics notwithstanding – and now get ready for a comment perhaps too nerdy even for a digital newsletter – the highlight of the night was SeeSo’s interface. According to Shapiro, NBCU’s goal with Seeso is to combine the best of linear TV and the best of OTT. Here’s what that combination looks like: When you turn on SeeSo, content will already be playing in a large video player in the upper left of the screen, whether it’s a scene from Parks & Recreation or a sketch from SNL. Shelves of suggested content run to the right of the player and underneath it. Some of said content is curated by actual humans, while some of it is based on the watcher’s prior viewing history. And the service’s suggestions get more precise over time: If you find yourself watching a lot of Saturday Night Live, you might find the interface suggesting The Kids In The Hall. 
 
SeeSo launches in January with four original shows, including The Cyanide and Happiness Show and Harmonquest, as well as reams of other NBC owned-content. A free beta version will be available in December; users can sign up at Seeso.com.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the snow on Hoth, you probably saw this during the Giants/Eagles game Monday. (And let’s be honest­it was more interesting than the game, unless you’re an Eagles fan.) But if you somehow still haven’t seen the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you can check it out here.

CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, visit Cynopsis.com

JOB OPENING: SALES ASSISTANT/REELZ/NYC: Daily maint of accounts. Booking orders, pulling reports & brand allocations. Work closely with traffic dept, planners & AEs in all areas scheduling & inv management. Sintec exp. a plus.Full info/apply HERE (10/28)

JOB OPENING: ON-AIR WRITER PRODUCER/MSG Networks/NY: Write, produce and edit promos for live Knicks, Rangers, Islanders & Devils telecasts & related programming. Min 4+ yrs exp in on-air promotion. Editing skills a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/28)

JOB OPENING: SR MANAGER BRAND RESEARCH INSIGHTS/A+E Networks/NY: Focus on brand research and support of the marketing departments, including program research and social media support. Full Info/Apply HERE (10/28)

JOB OPENING: PUBLICITY ASSISTANT/A+E Networks/NYC: Non staff position. Assist VP, Publicity, HISTORY & handle any other tasks for HISTORY Publicity dept. Excellent verbal and written comm skills, proofreading, computer. BA Deg pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (10/28)

JOB OPENING: MGR, INTEGRATED MARKETING SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY/Viacom/NYC: Conceputlize/implement digital, social & video dist strategies for sponsor programsBA deg. 5yrs mktg exp w/in media/ent ind, promotions/advrtsng agency or branded ent/prod co. Full info/apply HERE (10/24)

JOB OPENING: VP CREATIVE DIRECTOR/MTV/NYC: Lead/oversee creative dvlpmnt of cobranded content for MTV channel & all screens, incl on air, digital and mobile. 8+ yrs hold creative positions, namely Creative Dir & above at Top Ad Agencies, Prod or Media co. Full info/apply HERE (10/23) 

JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST/IFC/NYC: responsible for the development and implementation of effective publicity campaigns and execution resulting in media. 3 yrs hands on comm & media relations work exp. Full info/apply HERE (10/23) 

JOB OPENING: DIR, AFFILIATE SALES/Music Choice/NYC: Oversee sales, affiliate relations & local promo efforts. Min 5-7 yrs exp strategic sales & mktg cable/dist or related ind. Knwlg contractual language & negotiation of complex carriage agreements. Full info/apply HERE (10/23)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL ACCT EXEC/ABC 7/Chicago: Driven self-starter looking to overachieve in 3rd largest TV mkt to identify/dvlp new client relationships. 3-5 yrs digital &/or media exp. Has est’d, high level local agency/client contacts. Full info/apply HERE (10/23)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL/SOCIAL STRATEGIST-PLANNER/LA: 3-5 yrs exp Dig/Soc Strat. Resp bringing fresh ideas on leveraging soc media to achieve valued outcomes. Play active role as dig expert to dev perspectives on trends & use of emerging dig media in mktplc. Resume HERE (10/23) 

JOB OPENING: PROJECT MANAGER, LBE/Fox/LA: Manage Projects from concept to opening related to Location Based Entertainment through working with developer/clients, designers, masterplanners and the LBE/Creative teams. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE ROOM PRODUCER/FOX SPORTS Overnight Shift (8-5am)/CLT, NC: Mng nightly vid & audio mastering across mult bays, ensure promos have approp tags, proper duration, accurate metadata. Det oriented & able to prioritize workflow a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: VP MULTICULTURAL AD SALES/Fuse Media/NY: Lead national multicultural sales & sales strategy, Strong negotiation & presentation skills. Extensive client and agency relationships and knowledge of the multicultural market. BS req & min 10 yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (10/22) 

JOB OPENING: VP, COUNSEL, KIDS’ COMPLIANCE/Viacom/NYC: Work to support Viacom’s Kids & Family businesses by providing advice & counsel across a broad range of compliance areas. 7-10 yrs of relevant in-house or law firm. JD w/ NY or CA bar membership req’d. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: VP, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/VIACOM/NYC: J.D. w/NY or CA bar membership. 7+ yrs exp @ ent law firm &/or media ent co. Work w/scripted, reality, doc & animation dvlpmnt & prod matters for the MTV2, mtvU, Logo & BET ntwrks. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: DEPT HEAD, CINEMA & TV/Drexel University/PHL: Sprvs strategic, financial & academic mngmnt of Cinema & TV dept; represent dept w/in university & larger cinema & TV comm. Dynamic blend of media ind & academic & 5 yrs exp leadership role a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Dish Network/CHICAGO: Support the Nat’l Ad Sales team, Pricing & Inventory, Traffic, Rsarch & Mktg team. Min 2 yrs Advertising Sales or media buying experience req’d. Exc written and oral communication Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, CONTENT & EDITORIAL SERVICES/NYC: Excellent writer/editor w/video prod exp to create digital content, corp materials & mng editorial calendars. Collaborative, creative approach. Music, news or entertainment exp necessary. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: SR ANALYST/Benenson Strategy Group/Santa Monica: Support new business initiatives, focusing on media/ent ind. 3+ yrs exp comm, consulting, mkt-rsrch, etc. 1+ yrs exp ent rsrch on behalf of movie studios, TV ntwrks & streaming svcs pref’d. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCTION MANAGER/IFC/LA: SCRIPTED experience is a must! Supervise production on IFC fully scripted originals. 5+ years in production supr/mmgt at ntwk or studio lvl. Apply Here (10/22)

JOB OPENING: WRITER PRODUCER/Crown Media Family Networks/LA: Write, produce and execute promo spots for Hallmark Channel & Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Includes promos, episodics, campaigns, etc. Min 5 yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (10/22)

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 ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected]

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 2015