The management of transmedia production in an era of media and digital convergence

Abstract

As the digital and media convergence era hits its full stride and media companies struggle to maintain profitability in sectors of the entertainment industry, the production of transmedia experiences is becoming more commonplace with the coordination of film, home video, gaming, merchandising, and the creation of new media. This thesis analyzes the management needs of transmedia campaigns in the current and near future markets and the requirements for brand management. Using Henry Jenkins' work on transmedia narratives and storytelling, participatory culture, and a strong foundation in the design of narratives provided by the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, I add a business perspective on risk and brand management to counteract the rising costs of production and marketing. I begin with a survey of the effects of media and digital convergence on the creative aspects of entertainment, then the attributes of the transmedia narrative are addressed including the historical development of multimedia and intellectual property rights management, and concluding with a fresh look at the content of the entertainment industry as an information product. In the final section, I propose means of managing a transmedia production and approaches to marketing using social networks, product placement, and lifecycle management in the era of convergence as well as the implications on the existing talent system.