Bicoastal Tool of North America has signed The company P, a Swedish content and design studio that creates participant drama and social entertainment. This genre takes a single story and encourages active viewer participation by utilizing trans-media opportunities, including TV broadcasting, interactive technology, social media, mobile communication and online games. Tool will represent the company and produce projects with its digital and production resources, applying the participatory entertainment approach to those jobs.
The company P’s games, shows, and content are created in collaboration with their audience following the same basic open philosophy that has led to the success of open-source software programs. Leading industry experts, researchers from game and ICT academia, artists and enthusiasts joined forces to create the company, and the combined strength of their individual influences is reflected in the broad array of work that the studio pushes out.
“Today’s entertainment consumers are immersed in an environment in which their day-to-day lives are completely interactive. What they do at The company P is basically fulfill that growing demand for a say in the action by applying familiar concepts of participation with the familiar format of TV and the Internet, essentially creating a new genre,” noted Tool exec producer Brian Latt. “We want to expand this concept into the commercial world, and we think The company P is exactly the right partner to make this happen.”
Headed by CEO Christopher Sandberg, The company P has recently completed a production with Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and is currently in development on interactive entertainment properties with Tim Kring (creator of Heroes). The company P’s past work includes the Interactive Emmy-winning production of The Truth About Marika, a participant drams and TV series; Momentum, a techno-occult pervasive game; Outstanding, a participatory exhibition at the Museum of World Culture; scriptwriting and design for Furiae, an episodic dark fantasy RPG for mobile and PC; and XOver TV, an innovative broadcasting format that allows audiences to participate through avatars as studio guests.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More