Before filming with Justin Bieber in November 2013, Tyga took my new Tesla for a spin. It was November 2013 when Tyga and Justin Bieber headed down to Thunder Studios to film the video for their single “Wait for a Minute”. The studio phones started running hot that morning after the “Beliebers” caught wind…
DISTRIBUTION 102: Media, Movies, and Mobiles
This is the second of a three-part series by Rodric David Historically we have viewed distribution primarily as the physical movement of goods. This changed in 1440 with the invention of the Printing Press by Johannes Gutenberg which enabled knowledge and information to be distributed on a large scale. The printing press was the foundation…
Paywalls and Gaming: The Canary in the Coal Mine?
Paywalls in Gaming could predict the future of the entire content business. Blocking audiences from exploring content through subscription paywalls can be a double edged sword. There has been enormous consumer backlash against subscription fees (over $100/ year) for Xbox Live and PSN, and it took years for irate Xbox owners to actually be able…
The Backlot: Ken Block’s Gymkhana Eight Livery
This 650 HP Ford Fiesta glows in the dark and goes 0-60 in under 2 seconds Wowza, check out Ken Block’s insanely exciting Gymkhana Eight: Ultimate Exotic Playground; Dubai filmed in my old UAE stomping grounds. Just wait until you see Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta obliterate a Bugatti Veyron in a drag race before drifting its…
Great content? That’s only the half of it.
The next ten years of wealth creation in media will equally be determined by mastery of emerging platforms. By Rodric David OVUM, a leading analyst house across converging media, telecoms, and IT markets, recently released its research analysis on the coming 10 years in the media business from the consumer perspective. Based on the content…
DISTRIBUTION 103: The Tipping Point
By Rodric David I believe that we are now at the tipping point of massive change in the global distribution of video content in all its forms. Within the next 10 years I predict the complete overhaul of global video content distribution which will radically change the way we consume it and the way we…
THE BACKLOT: WHOOPI GOLDBERG
By Rodric David In todays installment of The Backlot, I was fortunate enough to spend some time with accomplished actress, comedienne, and TV host Whoopi Goldberg this past spring. Whoopi is an American icon and movie star. She is one of the few performers ever to have won an Emmy Award, Tony Award, Grammy Award,…
THE BACKLOT: BAFTA BRITANNIA AWARDS
By Rodric David BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, hosts an annual gala dinner to honor the achievements of distinguished individuals and companies in the entertainment industry. The Britannias were most recently held on October 30, 2015 at the iconic awards venue The Beverly Hilton. Thunder Studios was delighted to be a…
A Content Revolution
By Rodric David 9 June 2016 A tipping point was reached in 2015 when consumers spent more time engaged on mobile devices (198 minutes per day) than they spent watching programming on television (168 minutes per day). I find it extraordinary that this fact remains largely under reported in the mainstream media, as it is…
Big Media is Missing the Big Picture, but it’s Not Too Late
Mathew Ball’s excellent article explores the failure of traditional media companies to recognize pressing risks to their businesses due to the upheaval in content distribution systems. The article makes the argument that technological changes are driving a wholesale shift in content distribution infrastructure. I’ve also addressed this topic in an article of my own. Mr….