I made my foray into the ARG (Alternate Reality Game) world in mid-2009 when I was tapped by Electric Farm Entertainment to create and script the ARG for MTV's series Valemont.
Valemont, which was created by Brent Friedman and Christian Taylor, was a true transmedia experience, extending across multiple platforms. The point of contact began at ValemontU.com and spanned three blogs (Professor Nicholas Blunt, the Eric Gracen investigation, and student Poppy Barker), nine Twitter accounts, Facebook and Verizon SMS messaging.
On November 2, I held a live event where Twitter followers could "break into" the exclusive Panthera House Party by following @PantheraHP and watching episodes 11 and 12 on MTV. From 9:30pm EST to 11:03pm EST, @PantheraHP tweeted from the party, along with characters Sophie, Poppy, Sebastian, Leo and Beatrice.Every facet of the online universe was written and implemented by me.
NewTeeVee wrote about Valemont:
But what’s most notable about the show is the ARG component....the material is dense, fun to explore and well-developed....This is the sort of transformative experience that separates TV shows you can watch on the Internet from truly new media.
--Liz Shannon Miller, NewTeeVee.com "MTV's Valemont Doesn't Pander to the Vampire Craze." October 15, 2009
The Valemont online experience was incredibly successful, spawning multiple user-run Facebook groups and a fan forum.
I will be presenting the Valemont Case Study along with series Co-Creator and Electric Farm Entertainment Co-Founder Brent Friedman at MIT's Media Lab Conference Story 3.0: The Innovation, Culture, and and Business of Next-Gen Storytelling.
Valemont was recently nominated for six Streamys, including Best Interactive Experience and Best Mobile Experience. Season Two is beginning production soon.
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