Zeros 2 Heroes Media
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Founded | June 2006 |
| Headquarters | 300-150 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people |
Paul Gertz, Chairman |
| Products | Transmedia Properties |
| Website | zeros2heroes.com |
Zeros 2 Heroes Media, is a Vancouver-based social media company that produces and develops intellectual properties. The studio also maintains a social network focusing on bringing fans of their various projects together in a creative and collaborative environment. On their main site, Zeros 2 Heroes also maintains a blog on web-based entertainment properties such as webseries and web comics.
Zeros 2 Heroes uses transmedia storytelling techniques – including Alternate Reality Games, webcomics, mobile apps, mixed-reality and print comics – to help develop new properties into fully fleshed-out worlds[1]. Part of the Zeros 2 Heroes mandate is to give its members a voice in shaping the ideas of entertainment studios.
Contents |
[edit] Current Projects
[edit] Animism
Set to air on Aboriginal People's Television Network, the Animism television series will be a collection of motion comics[2]. The story of Animism began with the launch of Animism: The Gods' Lake at Toronto's Fan Expo[3][4]. This was an ARG where players followed the recently dismissed professor Declan Grey as he discovered a vast conspiracy behind his dismissal in relation to a fictional development at Gods' Lake Falls.
The game included a series of codes that were uncovered using either a flash-based application featured on their website or through an iPhone application[5]. The codes were also found in QR tags for people who did not have access to these devices. The site also featured a news section, allowing players who missed any information to catch up on the weekly events of the game.
After the ARG concluded, members of the ARG's website are able to watch the 22 minute pilot episode of the broadcast series[6].
[edit] Are You Awake
Are You Awake is a transmedia story that follows Aaron Street – a narcoleptic loser who is able to see crimes as they happen, but only in his sleep played by Ryan Robbins[7]. The story was launched at New York Comic Con 2010[8] with the introduction of a Mixed-Reality comic that followed two dreamers who are being chased by a mysterious madman. The comic featured AR and QR tags that could be read by a proprietary Are You Awake iPhone App or via a QR tag reader[9].
An ARG following the two characters followed and intruded Aaron into the story. The game is still in progress.
[edit] Past Campaigns
As a company involved in new media avenues of entertainment, Zeros 2 Heroes Media has launched several online campaigns since entering the business world. Since their main website is built as a virtual community, most of these campaigns revolve around the principles of participatory culture using the technology components of Web 2.0.
[edit] ReBoot: Reborn
In partnership with Rainmaker Animation, Zeros 2 Heroes Media launched in 2007 a campaign to re-establish ReBoot as a viable entertainment property. Taking the form of a contest, fans, artists and writers were encouraged to submit their pitches to pick up the property where it left off and create a comic book meant to generate interest in renewing the show. Writer Jeff Campbell and artist Ale Aragon have been selected to produce this comic, entitled ReBoot: Arrival.
The comic is meant to lead to the development of a trilogy of animated films to continue the story where it left off. Whether the content of the comic will be taken into consideration as canonical to the animated series or not remains to be decided.[10]
The official ReBoot website was updated with a countdown, which ended on May 30, 2008, at 12:00am EST.[11] At 12:00am PST, the site was updated to include information about the first webcomic to be created by the Arrival team, and continuing the community input initiated during the "voting phase". The comic, now named Code of Honor, was viewable after signing up for an account, or using an existing Zeros 2 Heroes account.
[edit] Awards
On May 23, 2008, the ReBoot relaunch was selected as the winner of the New Media BC Pop Vox awards for Best Digital Campaign.[12]
[edit] Canada: Comic Creation Nation
Announced in August 2007 at the Toronto Fan Expo Canada, Canada: Comic Creation Nation is an initiative financially sponsored by Telefilm Canada to support new and beginning Canadian writers breaking into the comic book industry. World-renowned writer Paul Dini was announced as the acting editor-in-chief of this initiative. Registered Canadian users of the Zeros2heroes.com website could use dedicated tools to publish their pitches, concept and writing samples to received feedback, criticism, comments and votes in order to advance through the rankings of the contest.
Every week on Sunday, at midnight, the comic book pitch having reached and maintained the number 1 slot would be assigned to one of Zeros 2 Heroes' editors for production. An entire team of penciller, inker, colorist and letterer, as specified at the writer's request, would be assembled to produce the script in comic book form as faithfully to the writer's vision as could be.
The initiative was featured in Creative Screenwriting Magazine as a potential entry door into getting a pitch selected and moved onto the screenwriting circuit.[13]
Only Canadian citizens could benefit from this campaign due to restrictions by Telefilm Canada.
[edit] Selected comic properties
Three comic scripts have been selected amongst those created by Zeros 2 Heroes interns in order to test the production process:
Morgan Jeske's Gustav Hayes: Lounge Singer of the Apocalypse
Jay Iscaryot's The Brothers McElroy
Ian Goodwillie's The Mix
Additionally, from January to April 2008, twelve site members to date have seen their properties selected for production as a single 22-page comic book from the pool of submitted comic pitches[14]. These books are slated to see publication as webcomics at the end of June 2008.[15]
[edit] NSI: playWRITE
In association with the National Screen Institute, the playWRITE campaign aimed at giving a shot at gaming enthusiast to earn the opportunity to participate in a boot camp training session and paid internship with a leading Canadian game studio. A total of ten Zeros 2 Heroes site members who had pitched themselves and their concepts have been selected on May 7, 2008 by the various partners in this initiative.[16] Such partners included Bioware, EA Black Box, New Media BC, the International Game Developers Association and the Vancouver International Digital Festival.
[edit] Comic Creation Nation: APTN
Through a partnership between Zeros 2 Heroes and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Aboriginal Canadian writers were given the opportunity to participate in an exclusive campaign to have their comic pitch produced. The initiative launched officially on April 21, 2008, and Aboriginal Canadian citizens were invited to participate in the pitching and voting process.[17]
A total of three pitches will be selected by the end of this initiative for development following the same criteria as Canada: Comic Creation Nation winners. To this day, two pitches have been selected: "Fala", by Beth A. Dillon, and "Acceleration", by Steven Thomas.
[edit] Direct to Development
Though only comic pitches created by Canadian writers could be selected for production, another program exists within the Zeros 2 Heroes framework for non-Canadian writers, entitled Direct to Development. This initiative sees an advisory board select six pitches created on the company's website for eventual selection for the Direct to Development deal.
The winner of each round receives the same contract deal as Comic Creation Nation winners, i.e. a team of professional artists creating a 22-page comic using the writer's script and background elements, shared ownership of development rights, a publicity campaign built around their property, and the Zeros 2 Heroes team pushing the property towards other entertainment venues.
The pitch selected by the Zeros 2 Heroes community to be the first "Direct to Development" story will be announced during the San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2008[18].
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.z2hmedia.com/about-us
- ^ http://www.animism.com/partners
- ^ http://www.animism.com/content/editorial/view/id/130
- ^ http://www.argn.com/2010/08/animism_the_gods_lake_project_attends_fan_expo_sends_package/
- ^ http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-animist/id387609876?mt=8
- ^ http://www.animism.com/
- ^ http://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/movie-guide/first+projects+making+impact/3422225/story.html
- ^ http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Vancouver+producer+project+looks+like+comic+book+comprises+social+network/3624127/story.html
- ^ http://areyouawake.tv/content/exclusive/view/id/161
- ^ ReBoot Comic Writer takes the next step
- ^ ReBoot - Brought to you by Rainmaker
- ^ New Media BC announces PopVox award winners
- ^ From Strip to Screen
- ^ Canada: Comic Creation Nation winners to date
- ^ Andrew Foley, Z2H associate editor, talks about CCN deadline
- ^ NSI playWRITE contest winners
- ^ Comic Creation Nation: APTN
- ^ Direct to Development goes live
