X|Media|Lab: Susan Bonds

Susan Bonds answers The Big Idea community questions about simultaneous cinema and game/online releases, developing new media products for local or global markets, preparing a business case for funding and whether to focus on the details of a project or publicity.

Susan Bonds is 42 Entertainment's President and CEO and has more than 20 years experience as a producer in the entertainment, gaming and technology industries.

“You have to put effort into making a good product that connects with an audience and generates excitement, awareness and impact on its own.  That is your best publicity – your work.”

Susan Bonds is one of the international mentors at X|Media|Lab, Commercialising Ideas, in Auckland from May 22-24. The lab is designed to help local digital media companies get their ideas to market.

Do you see the emergence of projects that are simultaneous cinema release & game/online platform, as opposed to traditional projects where if there is a film release it tends to lead/dominate & the game/online media is more peripheral?

I think that new project models are being actively pursued, but it is hard to let go of things, especially if they have worked in the past.  Everyone wants to think that they can re-create the magic formula for success, but we continue to look (and push) forward, not looking back except to evaluate what we’ve learned.  Understanding how people use technology and social networking – how devices, connectivity and global access have changed the game – how people want a role in these rich worlds.  The real change will take place (and is taking place) when content creators think differently about how to express their worlds and use multiple, native platforms together to create that complete picture.

When developing a new-media product, should we be developing it for our local market and expanding if it's a success or developing for the global market and hoping it works across borders right off the bat?

Think about the core appeal of the product – who does it speak to and where is the easiest group to intersect and convert to start to build the buzz and awareness.  This is who you should go after, whether local or global or a combination.  Target, intercept, engage a core audience, then build from there.

It's always good to be able to show some successful metrics before seeking funding - is there any advice you can give on when the time is right to take your idea/startup to the funding market?

In these times, making a business case for the value proposition can be equally important as the wow creative idea.  Sometimes more.  Experience, research, comparative analysis, a sound business model and a great idea are needed in today’s funding environment.  New media companies should share statistical data, reach and impact results to help build/verify valuation models for the types of products being pursued or available with today’s tools – it will help us all.  Having this common foundation will allow true creativity to prosper with less good ideas dying on the vine because these standards don’t exist.

In your opinion is there an ideal time split between working on getting publicity/networking and actually working on the small day to day details of your idea?

At 42 Entertainment, we always put product development, evaluating and incorporating what we’ve learned, keeping up with technology developments and the audience experience first.  You have to put effort into making a good product that connects with an audience and generates excitement, awareness and impact on its own.  That is your best publicity – your work.  Having a great philosophy can only take you so far, real results comes in creating a product and seeing an audience enjoy it.

What is exciting you most right now in the digital arena?

It’s been exciting to watch NIN use mobile to extend their community experience with NIN: Access – both local and global.  Mobile in general is becoming a much bigger part of all our lives.  Different size screens are being used and accepted for content and game development, which opens lots of doors for creativity.  Real creative talent from other areas are being attracted to new media and we’ll start to see boundaries pushed and pulled in so many good ways.

What are some of the challenges of ‘commercialising ideas’ in the current economic climate?

Understanding the value stream across platforms and capturing the revenue stream in the right way that encourages, not discourages organic growth and reach are two of the biggest challenges.  However, that said, the current economic climate opens the door to new models and opportunities.  Technology, the web, mobile and ever increasing open source tools are making it easier for anyone with a good idea to get in front of an audience. 

What is your “Big Idea” for 2009?

We have always maintained that alternate reality experiences, which are essentially cross-platform immersive entertainment that tell stories in a uniquely native way for today’s connected audience and gives them a participatory role in the world, are a true and commercially viable art form.  The next logical step is to create commercially successful original content across platforms that leverages this art form from the inception of the world, not as a reverse engineered proposition from a single platform – not an afterthought after a successful book, album, TV show, game or film - but pieces or art that all add up to build the true world view.