Startup Tunes Up New Second Screen Attraction

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The so-called second screen experience, or “social TV,” has grown in popularity, at least among more tech-savvy TV watchers. The term refers to the use of a tablet or smartphone while watching TV, for example tweeting about a show or downloading an app for extra content.

Now, Brian Shuster, founder of Beverly Hills entertainment technology startup Actv8.me, sees an opportunity to let second screens do even more.

Shuster is developing a TV series called “Streets of the City,” that will feature performances by street musicians. Using an app, viewers will be able to contribute money to the artists’ virtual guitar box by using their second screen device. The money will be routed through PayPal or other payment processors.

“This enhances your connection to the show and your relationship to the people on the show,” he said.

Shuster wasn’t ready to reveal details of the show’s structure, but it seems the audience will select performers who will move up in the ranks and be rewarded.

“You can participate in a way that changes peoples’ lives or changes the show,” he noted.

Shuster and his partner, veteran music promoter Irving Azoff, found a broadcast network to air the series next year, likely in the summer. The two were connected by United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills.

It’s a significant expansion for Actv8.me, whose investors include reality TV producer Mark Burnett and Fox Broadcasting Co. The company’s business has to now been providing supplementary technology to TV series, including “Celebrity Apprentice,” and “Master Chef.” The apps use audio recognition technology to find a viewer’s place in the show and provide them with supplementary content and advertising.

Actv8.me, which has about two dozen employees, is paid as much as several hundred thousand dollars per series in addition to a share of ad revenue generated by the apps it provides to the shows.

By developing its own series, Actv8.me will have both an ownership stake and the ability to share in backend profits. It’s a strategy Shuster plans to expand. He said he has 16 series in development.

“It’s part of my longer-term vision,” he said. “The company needed to prove its technology worked and build credibility. Once we achieved that, we started on the second stage, (creating) unique concepts that marry interactivity to TV.”

Campaign Conducting

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has launched an online marketing campaign to convince orchestral neophytes that there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to buying a ticket for a night of classical music.

The non-profit Los Angeles Philharmonic Association hired L.A. Web design firm Hello Design to develop the new digital offerings, which were rolled out late last month before the orchestra starts its new season at the Walt Disney Concert Hall late this month.

Shana Mathur, vice president of marketing and communications at the association, said the campaign shows the accessible side of the orchestra, for example, by giving interior tours of the concert hall.

“We just said, let’s find an answer that makes it more appealing and approachable,” she said. “It’s a long-term project to engage people with classical music.”

One new feature is the “concert master,” which lets visitors pick an upcoming philharmonic performance to attend by answering simple questions about their preferred work and play balance or which wallpaper design they prefer from four selections. The non-profit was able to finance the development of the feature, which cost about $50,000, with a donation from the Ahmanson Foundation, a Los Angeles philanthropic organization that supports the arts.

Another new feature is an interactive video that lets users navigate their way through a 360-degree panoramic video of a philharmonic performance. People can, for example, focus on the flute section, violins or conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

The idea is to reach new audiences and make fans feel more inclined to share information about the philharmonic on their social media accounts.

It’s not the philharmonic’s first foray into digital media. The non-profit has a staff of four devoted to developing new digital features. In 2009, the philharmonic worked with Hello Design on an online campaign to hype the arrival of Dudamel. The campaign included an iPhone game that allows users to conduct an orchestra by waving their device through the air.

Comings and Goings

Technicolor has hired Sandra Carvalho as chief marketing officer at its North American headquarters in Hollywood … KNBC (Channel 4) hired Adrian Arambulo as a co-anchor for the weekend edition of “Today in L.A.” and Gadi Schwartz as a weekly general assignment reporter at the station … Reality TV producer All3Media America named Danny Villa executive vice president at newly formed studio MME/Filmpool USA.

Staff reporter Jonathan Polakoff can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 226.

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