Transmedia: Storytelling for the Digital Age

ABC Radio:  "Fans have long had a role in influencing and in some cases helping to shape the works of popular culture they adore. But when they get restless in the modern age, they now have the resources to take a piece of fiction and make it their own. Some content producers find that assertive approach threatening. But others, particularly in the gaming sector, have begun to embrace it."

Elizabeth Minkel:  "Hollywood has overtaken the fan convention with a vengeance, but its original spirit can still be found with the cosplayers - and at the Buffy panel" ...

lightninglouie:  "You've probably noticed this already, but it's a really good time to be a fan of genre stuff. The past decade-and-a-half has seen an explosion of movies based on beloved novels and comics, and most of them have been pretty good" ...

James Whitbrook:  "When a franchise is around for four decades, it can get impossibly unwieldy to try and grasp its lore — and Star Wars canon is no exception. Here's a guide to the origins of Star Wars Canon, the rise and fall of one of the most prominent Expanded Universes in fiction, and where the saga stands with Disney today."

Dan Soloman:  "There's a lot riding on the success or failure of Veronica Mars as a commercial entity--but all Rob Thomas cares about is whether or not the movie works for the fans."

Kendra Mack:  "The participatory nature of the Internet has arguably helped broaden the popular definition of a "fan community" from something exclusive to comic and sci-fi fans to being inclusive of many genres and people" ...

"The plots of Sherlock and Doctor Who are being shaped by their fans – but hit shows must appeal to a wide audience as well as a narrow band of obsessives, says Mark Lawson" ...

Another great article from Simon Staffans.

On the challenges of following in the footsteps of a hit transmedia series ....

A different take on building story worlds.

Mathew Klickstein:  "It all comes down to something called "parasocial interactions" and why we attach so fondly to the warming glow of the screen—any screen."

Michael Grothaus:  '"Our responsibility is to produce meaningful and playful toys for the kids, and also to help kids take the Star Wars universe and expand it in their own play plans," says [Steve] Evans. Unsurprisingly, in order to achieve that, he and his team work closely with the creative minds behind the franchise.'

Owen Duffy:  "The original card game has 20 million players worldwide. Now, its publishers are revisiting its leading characters’ origins in an effort to get bigger still" ...

Henry Jenkins: "Today, I want to highlight yet another effort to encourage civic and political reflections around the superhero genre. In this case, I am focusing on a study and reflection guide recently released by the Fandom Forward Project of the Harry Potter Alliance, to encourage conversations about the representation of gender, disability, and political/civic engagement within the extended Marvel universe."

Ethan Gilsdorf:  "Small productions are becoming better—and more professional—than ever. But the falling price of good equipment is only part of the magic."

"The science fiction classic is 20 years old. Lisa Granshaw reports on the franchise's growth and fanbase, and the buzz--and mixed feelings--surrounding its forthcoming big-screen reboot."

"Seven years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Caroline Siede looks back on the book series that defined a generation."

Rachel Edidin:  "Literary publishing's uneasy relationship with fan fiction has been complicated by the realization that fandom is a huge potential market—one already stocked with both prolific authors and enthusiastic readers.  But how to tap that market is a dilemma that few publishers seem quite prepared to engage."

Devon Maloney:  "Regardless of how much influence fans may seem to wield or how close the fans and creators may seem in a today’s era of meet-and-greets and panels, a chasm still exists between the people who make shows and the people who ardently love them."

Joe Berkowitz:  "Agency Sincerely Truman offers four storytelling rules to JJ Abrams in the hopes that he will make his Star Wars sequel more like the original movies."

If you're a writer of fan fiction then I suggest you also check out: What Fans Should Know About Amazon's Kindle Worlds Program from the Organization for Transformative Works.