More Brand development information:

Stage 14

With the first issue’s preproduction completed, mock-ups approved by Diamond Comics (Distributor of Marvel, Image, Darkhorse, DC Comics and others), the next step was to find a reasonably priced printer.  The search began on the internet and through word of mouth.

Trying to get printers from around the world to quote on apples and not oranges became a chore.  Faxes and emails were fired back and forth so that we could truly ensure the quote details were what we were after. When we finally received a solid good quote with full printing details, it was copied and this master quote was sent out to many other printers.  After receiving misquotes and clarification on newly submitted quotes we decided to use Quebecor World out of Montreal for two reasons.

1) They printed comic books for the major comic book publishers so quality would not be an issue with our distributors and retail stores.

2) Diamond already had delivery trucks picking up other comic titles and shipped them into the USA for their distribution centers.

So the only thing remaining to do was decide on how many issues to print of Galactic Gladiators issue number one.  We all realized that a first print run would be of interest to collectors and could be sold forever if enough were printed. The more units produced would make the per unit price much lower.

Of course we also knew that the number of units would be limited to the amount of money we could raise.  So it was time to raise funds.

The next post will go over the Raising Funds stage:

Next Report will be #9.

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FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKET – Pre-Order this ebook by sending an email to info@Playdigm.com (put ‘Book Order’ in the subject line).  This ebook is expected to be available in late 2009.  Reserve an issue with no money down. Payment to be required later.

(c) Sandford Tuey All Rights Reserved.

The San Diego Comic-Con is the world’s major pop culture event and happens annually in late July taking place at the San Diego Convention Center. This site becomes a bizarre geek-fest, uniquely charming, rare mix of amusement park, costume party and Mardi Gras.  I love it!

When my company exhibited there a few years back, I noticed a satisfying contrast between families pushing children in strollers, right beside die-hard fans dressed as their favourite comic, movie or animae characters. It was not unusual to see  Spider Man, Darth Vader, Iron Man, Vampires, Xena and a cornicopia of pop culture icons wander by our booth or even stop in and purchase some of our merchandise. Celebrities even don costumes so they can walk the floor anonymously.

First time I autographed Galactic Gladiators issues with Scott Lee (our artist), my wrist was sore for hours.  He had  a lot more fans than I expected and I made many new ones.  Everyone loved the look and story, which is always a good sign for a new book.  Next stage is to sell the Galactic Gladiators screenplay (call me).

What surprised me the most, is that all of Hollywood seems to move south for the weekend as filmmakers and stars descend on the event.   Comic-Con is the place to launch an upcoming new property, film, video game, toy or comic/graphic novel.   Exhibitors sell their wares, gaming companies display their newest products, even comic dealers and buyers look for excellent stuff to complete their personal collections.  After all, it is one of the biggest marketing opportunities of the year for companies involved in the entertainment and pop culture industries.

I highly recommend showing off your brand at San Diego, as it is a great way to get a buzz started on your upcoming project.  Word of mouth at this event can make or break a new entertainment property. Getting the Comic-Con stamp of approval is essential for those creative people inventing and designing the next big hit.

The Comic-Con has always drawn celebrity and superstars from the film, television, video game, comic and book publishing world and is the main reason I love this trade show. Where else can you meet famous science fiction and fantasy writers, watch premieres of movie trailers and/or films and animation shows,  while at the same time see legendary film, comic creators and artists past and present.

With over 125,000 people expected to attend this year as it is sold out. Expect line ups to see the more popular panels, guest appearances and presentations.  Be prepared to do a lot of walking, a lot of talking and having a lot of fun.   At Comic-con you will find tens of thousands of people just like you and me. Have a great time…

Cheers!

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

Writers and Creators of stories, characters, novels, comics or any other intellectual property must not just think about the industry they are in.  A brand is much larger than the initial concept and how it is introduced to the public.

The original one page short story you write may be expanded into a 90 to 120 page screenplay, which in turn could be copied and pasted into word processing software and then reformatted and expanded with more details into a 300 page novel or non-fiction book. You can also reformat all this into a comic series or graphic novel (like I have done) or reformat the text into a video game script.  This allows you to diversify your one idea into many separate markets and saves a lot of time and work in gaining brand awareness.

The short story can be submitted to magazines, the screenplay to film and television producers, while the novel version can be sent to book publishers. The comic/graphic novel and video game script can be sent out to comic and video game publishers

This is a great way to move your writing project further if it is not selling or being optioned in another medium.  Diversify your brand for better sales, interest and awareness.

Multiple markets are the way to go.

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(c) Sandford Tuey All Rights Reserved.

Bratz in Federal Receivership

MGA Entertainment’s Bratz business was forced into receivership because a  court ruling upheld last year’s $100 million jury verdict against MGA.   Who owns the rights to the doll franchise?

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson directed the government to decide who and how Bratz dolls will be sold. Larson ordered MGA to stop its sales of Bratz dolls by the end of 2009.  MGA will most likely appeal the ruling.

This four year court ordeal could have been prevented by MGA by first ensuring that Bratz copyright designer Carter Bryant actually owned the rights prior to manufacturing any Bratz products.  The creator of the Bratz brand  and characters was an employee of Mattel at the time and if he signed a Work-For-Hire agreement with the world’s largest toy company, then clearly Mattel owns this intellectual property.

If MGA would have purchased the Bratz rights properly by first establishing that Bryant actually owned the copyright, then this would not be the $100 million dollar mess it has turned into.  The jury awarded Mattel $90 million for breach of contract and $10 million for copyright infringement.

The lesson here for creators of copyright and brands is to protect yourself and what you create first, then make sure any contracts you sign allow for you to continue to design whatever you like without the company you work for automatically owning it.

Read every contract prior to signing and seek legal counsel to ensure it says what you think it says.

My personal opinion is that companies should not own something you invented at 2am while at home, especially if it has nothing to do with what you are working on at work.  I mean, do they own your brain for $20 per hour?  I don’t believe that is fair, so keep an eye on the small print…

Sandford Tuey

Well, I am back from my holiday and the long weekend was a blur of BBQ’s, family and friends.  Which is after all, what life is supposed to be all about.  Hope you all enjoyed your break as we all get back on track.

Those that know me, know that I am a work-aholic.  In my mind, what I do does not seem to be work.  It is something I would do, even if I did not make money doing it.  Mind you, it is great to be paid for it.

So if you love to do something – do it.  Some people say that it is only a hobby until you make money from your efforts.  I don’t agree with that.  If you write a script, you are a screenwriter (although I think a person should have finished one before telling anyone they are).  When you have a screenplay of yours produced – then you become a produced screenwriter.

Look at it this way:  If you allocate time to write a screenplay or develop your acting skills or what ever it is you do, think of this as investment time.  You are building your project step-by-step.  You’ve taken the time to write out your goal and break it down into small tasks so you can achieve that goal.  As you accomplish each step, you will soon reach the goal and most likely, make more goals.

You only have one life and you are in control of it, so do what you love and the money will follow.  If your project does not earn revenue, you are still doing something you enjoy.  There is nothing wrong with that.

I personally know of screenwriters who wrote constantly with their dream in mind but no sales happened until after they completed ten scripts.  Thats a lot of practice/training and time before earning a financial reward for all that work.  I also know of projects that failed in the novel or comic stage, only to be resurrected in another medium to become successful.

So if your screenplay does not sell right away, expand it into a novel or comic and try to market it into different industries. Diversifying your brand is one key ingredient in your project pie and is as important as persistence.

Check out other posts on this site to learn how to develop your brand, even if that brand is you or something you create.  Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do something, because if you put your mind to it, you will one day achieve it or meet someone who will help you get to the next level.

Wishing you the best with your endeavours…

Sandford

I am sure most of you already know that tomorrow at 8:30pm local time – Earth Hour commences around the world.  Everyone should shut off or limit power use for one hour and join people in 3,000 other cities in saving energy.

Even though there are those who say the energy saving is insignificant, those that do this will save money, especially since this will remind them to be cautious of their energy use in the future.  Even shutting off lights for an hour is better than keeping them on, especially if no one is in the room.

This is a great young brand that is all about awareness and uniting humankind by reminding everyone that this could be one piece of the puzzle in solving global warming.  You have to agree that it is better than doing nothing.

Earth Hour also confirms that we are one human race on a small planet in a vast universe with the power to change our use of energy to ensure that our childrens’ children will be able to have electricity and fuel.   So don’t just think this means turning off the lights, try not driving or using any energy often.  Your wallet and the world will appreciate it.

This is an environmentally positive brand just like Earth Day and everyone can participate for free.  Join the human race…

I know what I’m going to do in the dark (wink-wink). What are you going to do in the dark? Be safe.

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© 2009 Sandford Tuey. All rights reserved. Tuey content is the intellectual property of Sandford Tuey. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Tuey’s content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Sandford Tuey. Sandford Tuey shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Tuey” and the Playdigm Logo are owned by Sandford Tuey. For additional information on Sandford Tuey and related media visit http://GalacticGladiators.com or www.Playdigm.com.

It’s interesting to see domestic box office accounting for only about 30% to 40% of a film’s gross these days and is only used as an indicator for how it will do in the far more important “after markets”. Dvd is now a huge piece of the pie, accounting for 50-60% of the revenue a film earns. With Foreign markets the next major source of revenue, then  ancillary tiers of broadcasting earning the final income position.

The main difference between television and film, from a brand creator’s point of view, is that tv is the more writer friendly and powerful medium.   Maintaining an ownership position for the writer/creator is easier with a tv deal than with a studio who will send your film into theaters.

The marketing lifespan of a theatrical released film depends on its opening box office revenue.  If it is earning money, the distributors will keep it playing.  As soon as it earns less than the cost of running the next film they like (promoted heavily prior to playing in their theaters), it is replaced.

Whereas, the lifespan of a television series can run many episodes and if successful, repeated.  Many times I have watched a series to only see all the episodes rebroadcast again and again.  Great for branding and attracting sponsors for product placement and adverting in commercials during their time slots.

From a branding point-of-view: The ninety minute movie is just a commercial for your brand. Same as the tv series or Saturday morning cartoon.  All the ancillary products are promotional material for the brand.

Some executives believe that as long as you throw money at marketing and promotion, the audiences will keep coming.  Not true, but a great way to ensure the public is aware of your project for its initial launch. I personally believe that cross pollinating several different industries with your brand is the better method to gain audience acceptance and support.

By creating a great brand concept the fan base will grow.  The more fans that become loyal, the stronger the brand, which translates into more interest and more sponsors wanting to become involved.

The more products with your brand on them, the better chance someone outside of the film viewing audience will know your brand exists and may even fall in love with it.  That is why allocating marketing money into developing graphic novels, comics, novels, video games, clothing lines and other ancillary products is the best way to build a brand.

So the largest allocation of marketing funds for the introduction of a new brand is crucial, but it is also important to direct funds into keeping the brand alive with promotions for the graphic novels, games, toys and other spin off products.  It is these ancillary products that utilize your brand and  earn the lion’s share of the revenue.

So keep focused on the marketing Figures.  You want to see funds directed to the development of new territories once the main markets have been saturated, if not released simultaneously worldwide.  The better presence in many market niches, all the better.

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Orders for the FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKET – e-book will be available in 2009. Preorder now by contacting Info@Playdigm.com and for further information. (c) Tuey All Rights Reserved.