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Tradition Meets Technology

1 Apr , 2001  

Written by Alex Rapp | Posted by:

The local production company, the Curt Worden Group reinvents itself as Context Media for the Internet age.
As a director of photography since the late 60’s, Curt Worden has witnessed an array of events. Everything from presidents to wars to the fall of the Berlin Wall were regular assignments for this ABC newsman. But not only has he experienced a lot of changing political landscapes, he’s also seen a lot of change within the industry itself.

For example, Curt and his fellow film purists cringed while the video revolution was taking hold of the TV news business. Yet eventually, video was accepted as a necessary advancement of the business. Now, he says, the Internet age is being met with this same reluctance. Serious television people simply don’t want to "lower" themselves to Internet broadcasting. But Curt sees it differently. In fact, he’s helping to speed it along.

In 1999 Curt merged his production company, the Curt Worden Group, with a new Internet venture started by Dan Harple, a former senior vice president of Netscape. The result is Context Media, a video production facility and Internet technology partnership. Their goal — to fill the Internet with compelling audiovisual content, and distribute it in a new way.

"To be challenged, to grow, to do something different." These are the main motivations for Curt’s new venture. Well that, and he admits, he’s getting a little old to keep schlepping heavy cases around in the rain and snow every day. But how different will life on the Internet really be?

‘There isn’t much change from what I do because I’m a storyteller at heart," admits Curt. "People are used to watching good stories. The principles are the same whether they’re on TV or on the Internet." And it’s true. To a large extent, the production side of the company still creates similar programs for the same clients as before, including ABC News Nightline and the Discovery Networks. However, they assert that the process is new and improved.

"We’re more open to different angles," adds producer Gloria Bailen. If you know a story is headed for the Internet as well as for TV, she explains, then you take the extra time and ask the additional questions. Then viewers on the net can weed through all the material at their own leisure.

However, it is also this viewer freedom that is one of the more difficult concepts for people in traditional media to get used to. "In TV," says Curt, "A producer makes something and it’s their baby…everyone gets to see it on TV at the same time." But on the Internet it’s more about letting the user choose when, how much, and what path they want to take. Producers lose almost all control over the viewer.

In addition to creating this Internet-ready programming, Context Media, located in Providence, RI, also intends to bring it to viewers in a new way. The technology concept, which was conceived by Mr. Harple, is based on distributing content through a network of web sites.

On the Internet today, if you produce audiovisual content, your only viewers are the people who find and visit your site. The result — the size of your marketing budget rather than the quality of your content is what will determine your survival.

In that model you have "Providers" and "Viewers." But Context Media’s technology, known as the Interchange Platform ™, enables a third group — the "Subscribers." They are essentially web sites who act as additional distributors, by providing your content as an extra bonus to their own viewers.

A good example for a potential Context Media client would be a sports league (in fact, the NBA is currently signed on for this service). They are the "Provider," producing daily highlights and offering them up to the world. Then, "Subscriber" web sites, for example fan clubs or even personal web pages, would simply, one time only (depending on the "Provider" rules), cut and paste a small piece of code, and like magic, it appears as if they have their own video highlights page. But in reality it’s the "Provider" who does the work of designing and maintaining this page. Plus, the streaming video remains on the server of the "Provider."

The important result is that the "Provider" gains new viewers, but never loses control of it’s content…a big selling point with today’s Napster style, free for all Internet. And naturally, sports are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, AtomFilms, champions of the mindless short, are also signed on with Context Media. Presumably, we will soon be able to catch "Bikini Bandits" streaming on web sites around the world.

But that brings us back to the point — if you don’t already have quality content to offer, Curt and company will be happy to create it for you. As a technology and production company all in one, Context Media seems to have found a solid balance between the traditional and new media, which could spell success for years to come.

For more information about Context Media go to www.contextmedia.com or http://content.contextmedia.com/contextmediastudios/.


For more information about Context Media go to www.contextmedia.com or http://content.contextmedia.com/contextmediastudios/.

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