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Independent Web Series OZMAT Launched by Emmy Award Nominated CloudKid Studios

Industry: Entertainment & Games

Innovative Animation Studio Pushes Boundaries of Digital Storytelling as Online and Mobile Video Consumption Rates Continue to Rise in the US to an estimated 1.2 billion

Boston, MA (PRUnderground) October 23rd, 2013

CloudKid, the three-time Emmy Award nominated interactive production studio based in Boston, Massachusetts, began rolling out its first self-produced, self-launched and self-financed web series, OZMAT, today.

Previously commissioned by the likes of PBS, Nickelodeon (Nasdaq: VIA) and Scholastic (Nasdaq: SCHL), the animation and interactive start-up began work on OZMAT in late 2012. With the goal of capitalizing on the unique potential of transmedia storytelling, the experimental web series was conceived. OZMAT—a live-action/animated sci-fi series—follows the story of a government researcher as he attempts to save his top-secret agency from shutdown. The multifaceted narrative will unfold over the course of thirty days through dozens of videos/animations, audio clips, photos, and top-secret documents. In order to make the user experience across different types of media seamless, CloudKid designed a responsive desktop and mobile website with a custom media player for OZMAT.

In addition to the web series content itself, the OZMAT storyline is extended through a social media campaign, “Save OZMAT,” which follows the efforts of a fictional conspiracy theorist trying to rally support for the top-secret agency. OZMAT’s main character, Dr. Lipton, also has a social media presence, including Twitter and Pinterest accounts with a backlog of over year’s worth of posts. The characters’ social media campaigns serve as both a means to engage audiences in a unique way as well as another medium on which the story and characters can grow.

“Telling a successful story means finding unique ways to actively engage our audience across multiple platforms and mediums”, says Dave Schlafman, Co-founder of CloudKid.  “With so much content available at a moment’s notice, we think viewers will gravitate towards original, risk-taking narrative experiences, and OZMAT is our attempt as a studio to deliver on that.”

Taking bold risks with multi-platform storytelling is imperative, as video consumption online and on mobile devices continues to rise. According to a 2013 report by ComScore, 89 million people in the US watch an average of 1.2 billion online videos daily, and Cisco reports that online video users are expected to double to 1.5 billion in 2016. While the consumer base is continually growing, so are the content options, and finding a unique voice, and an audience, in this space will require innovative, fresh narrative experiences.

To follow along and for more information, visit OZMAT.org and our social media sites: YouTubeFacebookTwitter RebelMouse, and Instagram.

 

 

 

About CloudKid Studios

Founded in 2009, CloudKid specializes in interactive/animation production and story/character development, utilizing mobile, web and interactive technologies to help shape the rapidly evolving kids’ media industry. CloudKid believes in the power of innovation and creativity to truly change the way kids and families interact with entertainment. The team’s wide range of talent has brought projects to life for major kids’ media players like PBS Kids, Hasbro, The Hub, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and Scholastic.

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Name
Caitlin Kelly
Phone
8438170330
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Website
https://www.ozmat.org