Transmedia Activism in Action

Having first written about Transmedia Activism two years ago and, after spending much of last year working alone or with partners and clients to build out the framework (more to come on that later this year), I am gratified to see the concept take off in a number of realms. One of my favorite moments came at Lance Weiler's DIYDays in April of this year when a participant told me my work sounds like transmedia activism, asking me "Have you heard of it...?" There's a simple thrill that comes from having one's ideas move past oneself and into other people's theories and projects.

A few weeks ago came a second thrill when Robert Pratten of Zen Films-- a creative thinker on the methodology and practice behind transmedia-- sent me a proposal he presented to Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco for a transmedia campaign aimed at increasing support and donations for the organization. He cites our work on the transmedia activism framework as inspiration for building out his campaign and adapts part of the framework directly to his strategy. The proposal is a good, real-world example of how transmedia can enrich a charitable organization's communication platform. (A sustained transmedia effort, which starts to build content and context around systemic issues, can also help in the organization's programming and direct impact-- and I would be excited to see where the organization takes this strategy in the future.)

Another thank you to Robert for sharing this presentation, here:

Transmedia Activism And LowLifes

View more presentations from Zen Films.