From Story to Legend Initiative Brings Together Transmedia Talent

Do you know what distinguishes a legend from a mere story? A legend is a story  that is carried by its audience, often gaining some of the audience’s own perspective. This definition resonates with the working definition for transmedia storytelling.

To discuss and expand on this topic, several parties in the Dutch professional film industry have teamed up to organize From Story to Legend,  an initiative to get leaders in the transmedia realm together to talk about their experiences in creating stories and worlds and share these experiences with professionals in the field of traditional media.

On September 27, during the Netherlands Film Festival, prominent speakers will share their thoughts and experiences. Their combined input will be turned into a masterclass on transmedia and film, which, apart from professionals in the film industry, will also be open to students in the relevant field.

Speakers who will be shedding light on the subject matter include:

• Michel Reilhac,  commissioning editor at ARTE, a culture-centered European television network
• Drew Davidson,  director of Carnegie Mellon’s  Entertainment Technology Center and an active member of the International Game Developer’s Association Education Special Interest Group
• Liz Rosenthal, founder of Power to the Pixel
• Wendy Bernfeld, founder of Rights-Stuff, a venture specialized in everything that has to do with operating in both the traditional and new media worlds
• Monique de Haas, a pioneer in the transmedia field with experience working for companies like Merrill Lynch, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and IBM, as well as advising both European and Dutch governmental bodies.
• Steve Peters, Experience Architect at No Mimes Media and ARGNet’s original owner, who worked on games including The Threshold, Mime Academy, and Webishades, as well as Why So Serious, Last Call Poker, and Vanishing Point during his tenure at 42 Entertainment.

Transmedia is still a developing genre, and From Story to Legend will hopefully spur that development on with its goal of furthering both the development and quality of transmedia production. It will be exciting to see where this leads, especially if this initiative will spark interest in holding more campaigns at an international level.