Entertainment Licensing & Branding Blog

Vancouver, BC, CANADA July 1, 2010 — Playdigm Entertainment has provided entertainment content for multiple formats since 1985 and continues to create new properties, as well as, develop their original brands.

GALACTIC GLADIATORS, originally released as a comic series distributed by Diamond Comics (distributor for Marvel Comics, Image, Darkhorse, Top Cow, DC Entertainment), is now being developed into a graphic novel.  For further information on this stage of the project contact admin@Playdigm. com.

The GALACTIC GLADIATORS screenplay is being written by Sandford Tuey, (the creator of the brand) with input from  the original team.  As soon as the second draft of the screenplay is completed, directors and producers will be approached. This highly charged action adventure leads Tessa, an animal rights, environmental activist to quit her dream, only to be abducted and forced to join a coalition of aliens and mutating humans to save our entire planet from an evil extraterrestrial species or our galaxy will be destroyed.

For more information on this project:  Contact Sandford Tuey admin@Playdigm.com.

Join a franchise in the making!

Thanks to Nicolas Chartier of Voltage Pictures, one of the producers of the Oscar winning picture THE HURT LOCKER, suing pirates has become the hot topic once again.  This entertainment war between the makers of films and the audience who don’t pay to watch them, is about to go to another level.

Being a creator of entertainment products, I am a firm believer in copyright and making a living from one’s art/work.  It takes quite a bit of time to write a screenplay and even more to produce it.  You wouldn’t want to produce something you made and then not be able to earn fair market value from it so you can exist and continue to do what you love.

I don’t go into a store and borrow/steal things because I know that it ain’t worth getting caught.  Aside from the fine there is the criminal record which is worse than any monetary loss.  Is it fair to sue someone if they buy a DVD of their favorite movie or a CD of a great band and lend it to a friend? In this case I don’t believe they are a pirate.  They are not making a profit from this transaction. You can sue them (you can sue anybody these days for almost anything) but it is unlikely you will win.

It is my opinion, that to solve this piracy problem, go after those websites that upload copyright material illegally and ensure they can not offer people to download this material.  Are they not the ones who are breaching the creators copyright?  This makes more sense and could be achieved by getting the Internet Providers to ensure this is not being done.  Sure it is a complicated and expensive process, but suing someone for thousands of dollars because they (may or may not) have stolen a DVD/CD off the internet is not proportional to the crime.  If you stole an item from a store the fine is directly related to the worth of the item stolen and again, the criminal record is the worse part.

The entertainment industry needs to go after those that offer their goods online - not the viewers.  I have bought the Beatles White Album too many times and copied it from record to cassette tape then to CD and MP3 digital files.   I also will be lending my cassette of Alice Cooper tunes to a friend - does that make me a Pirate?  Or him?

I shake my head and wonder how all this will play out.  Either way, hope you all are rocking to good tunes and enjoying great movies because it is what helps make life worth living!  Mind you, if you do come across one of my entertainment products - please pay for it.  lol

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

How much are the rights to the TERMINATOR brand worth?

Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek acquired the sci-fi franchise in 2007 for approximately  $25 million and produced  ‘Terminator Salvation’.  They are   looking to sell their brand rights as the  companies they own are fighting off bankruptcy and not cyborgs.

Anderson and Kubicek’s Halcyon Holding Group retained FTI Capital Advisors and have requested court approval to “evaluate strategic alternatives.”

The Original Terminator was released in 1984.  Production company Hemdale Film Corporation owned 50%  and creator James Cameron sold his 50% to his producing partner and future wife Gale Anne Hurd for $1.  They have since divorced.

In 1990, Carolco Pictures, owned by producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, bought Hemdale’s position for $10 million then promptly released ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’.  However In 1997, Carolco went bankrupt, but the partners started C2 Pictures which purchased their old firm’s stake for $8 million and paid around $8 million for the remaining 50% from Hurd.

In 2007,  novice producers Anderson and Kubicek purchased the Terminator rights.  Anderson claims that the Terminator rights are now worth more than $60 million - twice what he and his partner bought it for. The box office and DVD sales seem to prove that ‘Terminator: Salvation’  is worth more than expected and should even generate more sequels.  Predicting future revenue for any entertainment project is hard to do but this franchise is on solid ground as long as the next story plot is compelling and draws the fans.

How many more times will such a powerful brand change hands, no one knows.  My guesstimate is that the Terminator Trademark and brand will be a viable entertainment asset for generations to come and will hold its value.

I look forward to the next installment, as do millions of audience members and fans.  Be prepared for the Rise and War Of The Machines

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

How to develop a brand using Galactic Gladiators as an example:

Stage 10

I called Diamond Comics Distribution while the process of choosing which artist, colorist and graphic designer was ongoing.  After this company merged with Capital, it became almost a monopoly distributor of comics and related merchandising to mom and pop, hobby, comic and pop culture stores throughout North America and Europe.  One powerful corporation.

What I learned was that if Diamond did not pick up your comic book, you were not going to get sales into the comic retail stores very easily.  So negotiations started and the first thing I was told was that management would need to see a full color sample of the first issue and a total of three more issues synopsis laid out and described in writing.

I explained that the Galactic Gladiators story was based on my screenplay and that there were only three issues marking the three acts.  They said it was their policy that a minimum of four issues had to be committed to and they needed to know that the story was ready or they would not handle the product.

One of the hardest writing assignments I have ever had to do was turn a three act screenplay into four parts and make it tell the same story.  Each comic ending had to be a climax to ensure readers would want to buy the next issue.  This was a longer and harder process than I expected.

Next Report will be #7.

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FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKE - Pre-Order this ebook by sending an email to info@Playdigm.com (put title of book 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.

I was asked what the difference between Branding and Licensing is.

Here is the simple answer:

BRANDING is the method and strategies that help the public become aware of your product or service and to keep them interested, loyal and involved with your brand.

LICENSING is the system and work required to legally allow a person or company the right to use or produce your product or service.  Usually this is via a Licensing contract.

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

Okay. You have a product and a catchy name for it, protected by a registered Trademark and Copyright.

You should already be working on the packaging for your product, media, or whatever it is you want to produce.

For physical ancillary products (posters, books, toys, product merchandise). Make sure the Title is in a large enough font style that it can be seen in a store from twenty feet away or even if it is high on a shelf. Walk the aisles of retail outlets (I do miles every year) and notice how many packages catch your eye and how you skip those that don’t. Big titles are good and the lettering and coloring should make it stand out.

Titles must have ‘punch’ which can be achieved by highlighting letters with a complementary color border trim on an enhancing background. Check out Robert Ludlum’s Game Of Counter-Espionage and you will see what I mean.  I co-designed this book sized board game with Robert Ludlum directly (The Borne Identity series, Icarus Agenda). It was made to look like one of his hard cover books to attract his readers. This saved us time and money since we imitated layouts that Bantam-DoubleDay-Dell had already completed focus group tests to design and allocated funds to come up with.   If it isn’t broke…

Look at most novel covers and you will see what I mean. Keep it simple and show images/pictures that evoke emotion and cause curiosity from all viewers, no matter which country they live in.

The same goes for entertainment products (movies, video games, compact disks, digigital). A film and video game need the characters to click with a large audience (not just the target audience). This form of media needs to open big and have legs to see sequels made, which helps sell the ancillary licensed products. Focus the title as part of  the emotional images, yet keep it simple to read (more Baby Boomer’s eyes need larger print sizes).

Movies (ninety minute commercials) can translate into major market share and sales of  merchandise globally with the help of packaging. Choosing good looking talent, qualified producers and crews, great images used in commercials/trailers and posters that can be licensed onto  products supporting the brand, can produce more revenues than just the box office and DVD sales bring in. Everything is more interrelated than ever before.

Even music CD’s and posters, photographs and music videos should utilize the above recommendations. Brand the image and emotion to the band and its members, not just the songs. A perfect package is required to break a band’s sound.

Make your title and package enforce the emotion and theme of the entertainment product. Gain the media’s attention with angles that enhance the flavor of the press reporter’s message. Perfect packaging can only help!

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