OTT & Transmedia

This is such a fantastic breakdown, Waheed Rehman. I love that you highlighted how intentional and adaptive each of these transmedia examples has been.

As someone who writes in the fantasy genre and dreams of building transmedia worlds, I found your takeaways really inspiring. It’s true, you don’t need a Marvel-sized budget to build something lasting. You just need intention, passion, and a smart understanding of your audience.

I’d love to see you share more posts like this here in the Stage 32 Transmedia Lounge on a regular basis. You clearly have a strong grasp of what makes these franchises tick, and that kind of insight is invaluable for creators navigating IP development.

Great topic, Ashley Renee Smith! I was at an online pitch event yesterday, and I pitched my short script Department of Fairy Tales. Someone commented on one of my posts, and I told him there's enough story for feature films/a TV series, TV spin-offs, comics, and video games. If DFT was a video game, it'd be a open-world Grand Theft Auto type game (a lot of the fairy tale characters are criminals in the DFT universe).

Ashley Renee Smith That's a brilliant idea! As you know, I'm turning my award winning scripts into novellas/novels, but now I'm looking into Transmedia (video games, comic books). Having the ability to create story, lends me to the opportunity to expand my script in ways that can make it so much more.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan! That’s such a fun concept and I love that you’re already thinking across mediums with Department of Fairy Tales. An open-world GTA-style game with fairy tale criminals sounds like a blast and such a natural fit for a transmedia expansion. You’ve already planted the seeds for a universe that could grow in all kinds of creative directions. I’d be so curious to hear more about which characters you’d spotlight in the spin-offs or how you’d structure the game mechanics around their abilities and backstories.

Anthony McBride, Transmedia is such an exciting next step. Thinking about how your story could unfold across a video game, comic, or even a short-form series can open up so many new creative and professional opportunities. Do you have a particular project that you think would lend itself well to game development? Can’t wait to see what you dream up next!

You’re welcome, Ashley Renee Smith. Thanks. The protagonist’s new – and first ever – partner could have a spin-off show about his time working for the Department of Legendary Monsters. Some of the agents at the Department of Fairy Tales and some of the fairy tale criminals could have their own spin-offs too. Or maybe their own comics. And there are original fairy tale criminals in this universe.

The agents and criminals would have weapon wheels like in the GTA games and special attacks. The fairy tale stories would be the missions and side missions in the game.

I'm pitching DFT as a short script, but I've been thinking of turning it into a feature script or TV series and pitching that.

Great post, Waheed Rehman! I like to really develop a world when I outline. I think of the rules, the technology, the way characters dress, companies, etc. A lot of the world-building doesn't make it into the script, but it helps me understand the world and characters better. I like to wrap up the story in a spec script while leaving room for a sequel(s) and other media (TV series, spin-off shows, etc.).

This is such a thoughtful and insightful post, Waheed Rehman. I love how you’ve defined the role of an IP architect, not just as someone who protects ideas, but someone who builds with longevity and adaptability in mind. That blend of strategic structure and creative vision is so often overlooked in early-stage development, especially when creators are eager to jump into production without a long-term roadmap.

Your point about giving worlds the space to grow across platforms really resonates, especially in transmedia storytelling where expansion is the goal, not just adaptation.

Ashley Renee Smith Thanks so much for the kind words! I totally agree with the idea of longevity and adaptability, but I feel like a lot of the world-building I see these days just feels rushed and kind of surface-level. I think the real magic happens when you take the time to observe the world around you and really soak in how dynamic and constantly changing it is. Before jumping into characters or thinking about expanding the story, you need to lay down the rules of the world first. Let it breathe and grow naturally. It's that solid foundation of rules and consistency that makes the world feel real and gives the story the depth it needs. Without that, even the most interesting characters can end up falling flat.

I think YouTube has had a huge impact on transmedia storytelling, Sam Sokolow! A filmmaker can post their film, a web-series spin-off, etc. on the platform. Different parts of the same story universe for viewers to watch in one place.

The article says, "It’s the No. 2 most-visited site in the world, behind only Google.com, and the second-biggest search engine after Google." Besides search engines like Google and Bing, I use YouTube as a search engine when I do research for a script.

Thanks for sharing the examples, Ashley Renee Smith. Interactive promenade theatre, text and voice messages, puzzles, role-playing and collaborative experiences on platforms like WhatsApp. I didn't know transmedia covered so much! I played games on the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network websites growing up, and I just realized the games were transmedia.

Those are very cool Ashley Renee Smith. Of course, my eyes first read: Clockwork Orange. Now that would also be quite an adaptation into Steampunk. lol.

Hahaha! I can understand why you would have read it that way at first, Debbie Elicksen.

@Ashley Thanks for the share. Very interesting. Never before has there been so many outlets available to reach wide audiences & often some apps are free to low cost. Engaging people on a personal level, to become part of the story themselves or drive it in a new direction is key to building epoch fan bases. Major film studios could fund extravagant interactive worlds EG (Past) The Dark Knight live political campaign, secrets in cakes/mobiles/ phone booths. Planes over Central Park, Joker dollars. (Recent) TV franchises/Film studios mergence with Gaming/ Immersive 3D/Live/Virtual/Retail Products. EG Marvel universe, HBO’s The Last Of Us, Super Mario Bros The Movie, Barbie universe etc. Yet Transmedia growth is shifting traditional industry gate keepers. Now artists with well crafted & unique intellectual property can build a story universe at their finger tips. IP is king. The WhatsApp group is a cool idea I hadn’t thought of. Has anyone here made any of their characters a personality on social media yet?

I think expanding a story across multiple mediums enhances its impact because people get a chance to see and do more in the story universe, Ashley Renee Smith. Someone might like a movie and want to see what happens to the protagonist after it ends. They can if there's a comic, novel, game, etc. to go with the movie.

I like transmedia storytelling, Ashley Renee Smith. I get to enjoy the same characters and stories on different platforms. I haven't tried transmedia storytelling yet, but I have some scripts and ideas that could be transmedia projects.

I thought about something while reading your post. STRANGER THINGS has stores. Do you think stores and restaurants are part of transmedia?

I think that they can, yes! As long as there's a narrative component to it in some way that builds on the world of the story. So if there's an immersive quality to the popup restaurant or shop where you're a customer on a specific day while something noteworthy is happening around you, then it's continuing the narrative.

I agree, Ashley Renee Smith. There should be a narrative component to the store/restaurant in some way that builds on the world of the story. I'd like to go to a STRANGER THINGS popup one day. I saw that there's one in Las Vegas.

Thanks for the info, Debbie Croysdale. "Funds needed by artist to execute Pre Awareness can be minimum or even free. EG Podcast, Self Publish Novel, Whattpad etc." You're right. I've seen articles and short stories get bought by producers and production companies, and it doesn't cost much for a writer to publish an article or short story.

Nicely done. :) People outside the comics industry are often surprised when they learn the "Big two" comics publishers can be beaten or when they learn that manga far outsells superhero books ...even in the USA.

As an entertainment lawyer, I rep filmmakers and comic book creators and publishers on every day; the past few years there has been an uptick in screenwriters dusting off their old scripts with an eye towards turning them into comic book scripts. The biggest mistake I see screenwriters make is the still think in terms of movement as opposed to still panels which suggest movement.

Let me explain. In a screenplay you might have an action line which reads, "But as Dr. Nefarious triumphantly steps up on the Soap Box of Evil to announce his plans for world domination to the terrified crowd, Capt. Cauliflower loosens his bindings just enough to flick the power switch his cruciferous cannon and switch it to “overload.”

We all can see different ways to direct that scene, and possibly even have a single shot in mind. But when it is time to turn it into a comic book script, we must break each moment into a separate panel, and the general rule is one action per character per panel. It’s almost more helpful to think of panels as individual photos.

Which means that Dr. Nefarious stepping up on the Soapbox of Evil may take one or two panels, another one or two for Capt. Cauliflower to loosen his bindings and switch on the cannon, and maybe a fifth or sixth to show the canon overloading. At approximately five-six panels a page, and 22 pages per comic, filmmakers often realize too late that they’ve run out of pages. Bottom line: when you shift from films (motion) to comics (stationary illusion of motion) you need to envision your story in a fundamentally different way.

If anyone is interested in what comic book contracts should look like, I wrote the first book dedicated to comic book law a few years ago: https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Lawyer-Comic-Book-Creators/dp/0415661803

Hi, Thomas Allen Crowell. I've been thinking about turning scripts into comics. Thanks for the insight and book rec. I added your book to my Amazon list.

Maurice Vaughan- One piece of advice I'd offer is to really focus on defining your core story and understanding how it can naturally expand across different platforms. Each medium—whether it’s film, social media, gaming, or podcasts—should add a unique layer to the narrative while staying true to the central theme.

Another key factor is audience engagement. Transmedia thrives when audiences feel involved and invested in the story world. Consider how you can create interactive elements or opportunities for your audience to explore different parts of your project in ways that feel immersive and organic.

Lastly, start small and scale up. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the possibilities, but focusing on one or two platforms first can help you refine your approach before expanding further.

Great advice, Ashley Renee Smith! Thanks for sharing them. I like that you said "Each medium—whether it’s film, social media, gaming, or podcasts—should add a unique layer to the narrative while staying true to the central theme." I think each piece of a Transmedia project should bring something new to the table. I don't think it should be a copy and paste kind of thing across different mediums. Like the show I'm watching now THE LAST OF US. It's true to the game, but there are new things in the show that aren't in the game. There are things in the show for gamers and fans of the game as well as TV show fans.

I've heard of Grand Theft Hamlet, Pat Alexander. I've seen similar videos on YouTube, but this is the first time I've heard of one of them getting distribution. I'm looking forward to checking out Grand Theft Hamlet.

That's awesome Billy Kwack. I'm running a Kickstarter for the local comic store edition of my comic book you may want to check out. Links on profile.

Cool Preston, I'll check it out and good luck

Happy New Year, Preston Poulter! That's incredible and inspiring! I've been thinking about turning scripts into graphic novels and comic books for a while. I'm gonna look into it this year. Thanks for sharing the video.

This video was very eye opening and thanks for sharing Preston Poulter Also Subbed, Happy 2025!

Extremely cool on so many levels. Wow. Thanks for sharing, Preston Poulter!