Big Wow. Fourth Wall Studios Secures $200 Mil Commitment From L.A. Billionaire - by Daniel Miller of The Hollywood Reporter

Fourth Wall Studios, a Culver City company that creates massively multiplayer online games, augmented-reality worlds and other forms of experiential entertainment, has secured an investment worth as much as $215 million from Los Angeles' richest man, billionaire entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

The deal, announced Tuesday, includes a $15 million direct investment and access to $200 million in funding, allowing the company to launch its Alternate Reality Entertainment studio.

Fourth Wall's new studio will focus on developing properties for a variety of platforms -- with several projects expected to be announced during the next year. The firm will create original content and partner with film, television, and video game companies to develop other properties, said Jim Stewartson, chief executive of Fourth Wall.

"We feel we are just at the right time, right at the crux of where this kind of entertainment will come into its own," said Stewartson, who co-founded Fourth Wall in 2007. Previously, he founded 42 Entertainment, where he worked on branded entertainment projects, including several alternate reality games. "To be able to partner with Patrick to have the resources to build the properties, it is just a very good time for us."....

Read the full article on the Hollywood Reporter

Netflix Stock Drops After Facebook Movie Streaming Announcement - The Hollywood Reporter

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Excerpt from full article on Hollywood Reporter:

"The movie rental giant's shares dipped 6% on Tuesday as another new competitor joined Amazon.com in the movie-streaming business.

One day after Warner Bros. said it will let Facebook users stream The Dark Knight for $3 over their computers, Netflix stock dropped 6% Tuesday on worries of another rich competitor entering the fray...."

How to Generate a Viral Music Video in 5 Steps | Underwire | Wired.com

For musical artists seeking to raise their profile, having a video that goes viral can telescope their career in a matter of weeks. Some bands, such as OK Go, have made a career out of creating viral videos — using them as leverage for live ticket sales and to generate sponsorship.

Wired.co.uk attended an event run by MusicTank last week entitled “It Started With a Click: How to Spawn a Viral Hit.” Chaired by MusicTank’s Keith Harris, a panel including Beggars Group’s head of digital marketing, David Emery; The Viral Factory’s strategy director, Matt Smith; PIAS Entertainment Group’s head of digital marketing, Darren Hemmings; Muzu TV’s European head of marketing, Rob Gotlieb; and filmmaker Dan Nixon discussed how best to ensure that your music video achieved viral success.

Here are five key pieces of advice from the event:

1. Have a strong creative idea
2. Make it as accessible as possible
3. Get influencer endorsement
4. Don’t assume a viral hit means download/CD sales
5. Offer your track as an accompaniment to someone else’s viral video

Read the Original Wired UK Article by Olivia Solon:

http://bit.ly/hMP4Sn

Big: Warner Bros. to Rent Movies Digitally on Facebook, Starting With 'Dark Knight' - The Hollywood Reporter

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Excerpt from article by Gregg Kilday:

"The studio, which says it is the first to offer movies directly on the social media site, aims to roll out additional titles over the coming months.

Warner Bros. is turning to Facebook, where it hopes to find an electronic audience interested in digitally renting The Dark Knight.

Warners said Monday that it is the first Hollywood studio to offer movies directly on Facebook. Friends of Christopher Nolan's Knight, the second of his two Batman movies, can rent the film by going to its official Facebook page and clicking a "rent" icon to apply Facebook Credits. The cost per rental is 30 Facebook Credits, or $3...."

very interesting - tagged clothing from @BBHNewYork: PSFK » UNICEF And BBH Address Women’s Rights

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Excerpt from the site:

"i.object - For Young Women's Rights

Fusing Microsoft Tag’s capabilities with the hottest trends in fashion, the i. object clothing line will raise awareness of young women’s global fight against dehumanization and subjugation. Each article of clothing, ranging from bikinis to unisex t-shirts, is instantly recognizable as an i.object product, and coded with the wearer’s unique Microsoft Tag. i. object wearers are brand ambassadors, fundraisers, and agents for awareness, driven by the socially rewarding aspect of raising money for a good cause, which is supported with strong social media functionality and infographic-data that make their contributions tangible...."

In depth: How Rovio made Angry Birds a winner (and what's next) world domination??? (Wired UK)

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This is an excerpt from a long & detailed article in the April 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Read the full article online:

"Angry Birds is the first waste of 75 millions people's time that can be accurately quantified. Every day, users spend 200 million minutes -- 16 years every hour -- playing the mobile game. Three trillion pigs have been popped. It has filled billions of those interstitial moments spent riding the bus, on a plane or in important work meetings, and it is or has been the number-one paid app on iTunes in 68 countries, as well as the best-selling paid app of all time. It went straight to the top of the new Mac App Store in January, selling 150,000 copies in its first week. Sixty thousand Angry Birds soft toys have been sold. In January, the trailer for the new Angry Birds Rio racked up 500,000 YouTube views in a weekend; on official videos alone, Angry Birds has had 27 million total views. In total, the "brand" has taken more than €50 million: not bad for a game that cost €100,000 to make. On the first anniversary of its release, 2,405 people in 756 cities worldwide wasted even more of their time holding events in celebration of "Angry Birds Day". David Cameron and Justin Bieber say they are fans. So do Paul Gascoigne and Salman Rushdie....."

Let your opinion be known! Hello, Holler Gram! | Made by Many launches iPad messaging app

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From Made by Many's site:

"Holler Gram turns your iPad into a physical messaging platform – a glowing sign – that you can load with a message and hold up to show the people around you… at the same time as you tweet it, with a hashtag, right from within the app."

This is going to make events really funny or highly chaotic... or both

David McCandelish Shares Some Vintage InfoPorn No.1. Information is Beautiful!

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This is David McCandless' description of his recent post:

VINTAGE INFOPORN NO.1

MARCH 7, 2011

"My conceit, when I started making infographics, was simple. I believed this was a *new way* of expressing and visualizing information, a thoroughly modern and zeitgeisty fusion of data and design. Oh you muppet David...."