May 1, 2011

The No Story of Forbes

Kfir Pravda Business, Forbes, Google, Like.com, Modista, Morgan Stanley, Patent Business, Media 0 Comment

Cover of Cry Baby (Director's Cut)

Come on, this is perfectly ok:

The technology was of interest to a number of acquirers, including Zappos.com which tried to buy it, and Kumar rounded up a group of angels for its first funding–a $500,000 angel round in August/September 2009.

The only problem—another start-up, Like.com, was doing something similar. Modista’s technology was better, according to Kumar….. But Like.com had a patent on product applications of computer vision. Like.com, which was well-funded with $47 million in venture backing, filed a lawsuit against Modista the day before its funding was going to close. (Like.com was later acquired by Google in August 2010, showing the value of the idea.)…The lawsuit caused investors including Kumar to drop out, for fear of dealing with an expensive lawsuit that could cost more than they had even planned to invest. Because Modista had no money to defend the suit in court, the company later shut down.

So where is the news here? Companies are built to win, not to be nice.

The investment that didn’t happen (k9ventures.com)
The Story Of The Greatest Shopping Technology That Never Was (businessinsider.com)

Apr 18, 2011

Now that's what I call OOOPS

Kfir Pravda ads, adweek, Funny, walking dead, zombie Marketing, Media, Shows, Films, and Creators 0 Comment

I love zombie flicks but this is too much:

“If you encounter this just as you are going to the funeral service to make arrangements for a loved one, it could be upsetting. People of a certain age group could find it particularly challenging.”

More about this here

Apr 17, 2011

Gatekeepers Make a Lot of Sense

Kfir Pravda Facebook, Google, Publishing, Searching, Social Networking, techdirt Business, Media, Technology 6 Comments

I love Techdirt. Their cynical writing style is fun to read. Their in-depth knowledge is amazing. But they are missing the point in their post about entertainment industry:

Gatekeepers don’t make much sense.

Actually they do. In a world where media distribution was complex and expensive, gatekeepers enabled the whole industry to exist. But now, the internet is changing the game, as Mike says clearly in his post:

But the amazing thing about the internet is that it knocks down fences and walls with ease.

In a world without fences there are still gatekeepers – they are just different ones. Facebook and Google are the new gatekeepers. We need them. We need them to help us find what we want and communicate with our friends. By providing this value they become the new gatekeepers.

I fully agree with Mike’s statement, that the entertainment industry doing as much as possible to cripple innovation. These guys are not ready yet to change their business model. It is probably because there isn’t any viable alternative that will provide the same revenues and profits. But there is no free love – when one gatekeeper collapse, another one is taking its place.

Image by Pink Sherbet

Apr 14, 2011

On Writing

Kfir Pravda Writing Media 0 Comment

Emotion, honesty, truth, passion. These are the backbones of writing.

Shawn Blanc

Apr 12, 2011

Extraordinary Storytelling – Apricot

Kfir Pravda Alexis Bensa, Alice Zahalka, Apricot, Ben Briand, Ewen Leslie, Gaspard Chevance, Joshua Rozzi, Laura Gordon, Matt Dooley, Michele Bennett, Storytelling Beautiful Things, Media, Online Storytelling 0 Comment

There are rare occasions, when I see a piece of creativity that tells a story in a condensed format, but manages to convey so many emotions.
This is one of them. Enjoy.

Additional information about the creators could be found here

Apr 10, 2011

New Media Roadshow to NY – Last Chance to Apply (HBO, Time inc.,News Corporation)

Kfir Pravda IEI, Media, New York, News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, Time Business, Events, Media 0 Comment

Image via Wikipedia

The Israeli Export Institute, New Media Branch, is organizing a delegation to News Corp and Time Warner. Israeli companies participating in the delegation will meet decision makers in these leading media companies. Key technologies of interest include Internet TV, innovative user interfaces, multi platform solutions and location based services.

The good news is that it is an affordable business development event. The bad news is that last application date is TOMORROW.

More details here.

Feb 23, 2011

Looking for event-videographers!

Itzhak jersey, middletown, Videographer, Videography Marketing, Media 0 Comment

Pravda Media is looking for an experienced event videography team.
In March 08/09 we will produce a two-day event in AT&T Labs (Middletown, NJ) with high-ranked professionals from the Telecommunication Industry.
We are looking for an experienced team to videotape the event, including its lectures, panels and personal interviews.

Requirements:
* Two experienced photographers, with 3 HD video cameras (2 cameras for lectures, 1 for interviews).
* HD 1080P recording, PCM/WAV Audio Recording (with professional audio equipment, including omni-directional boundary Microphone/mixed microphones for table speakers).
* Lighting equipment/any other required AV equipment.

If you think that’s a perfect job for you, contact us for more details via the following e-mail:
Itzhak@pravdam.com

Feb 21, 2011

Atavist and the New Content Ecosystem

Kfir Pravda app store, Bank robbery, Business model, IPad, iphone, New Yorker, Publishing, Sweden, wired Media, Online Storytelling, Technology 0 Comment

Couple of days ago I ran across Atavist, a simple and well designed iPad app. This application is simple. You download it for free, but every story you’d like to read costs ~$3. What you get for your hard earned cash is an in depth article, 12,000 words length, with additional multimedia content. All storied are non fiction, and based on long and in depth research. The writers are well known journalists, writing for Wired and The New Yorker.
As an avid fan of crime films, I bought the story of a famous bank heist in Sweden. The long and detailed story included videos from the heist itself, photographs of the suspects, maps of the event, timeline and more.

I am intrigued by the business model of this publication. Selling individual articles was a model that was discussed in the past. I didn’t believe in it, but the fact that I bought the story, read it from beginning to end, and would gladly pay again for interesting articles, makes me wonder if this model is more viable than I’ve expected. Is this another glimpse on the future of publishing? I am not certain yet. But in the mean time, go, download the app and judge it yourself.

The Atavist seeks paying iPad audience for long-form journalism (teleread.com)
How the Kindle Made Single-Story Sales a Reality for Magazines (pbs.org)
The Atavist for iPad [Video] (gizmodo.com)

Feb 17, 2011

iPad and the (Bleak) Future of Publishing

Kfir Pravda Apple, Business, Business model, Digital media, IPad, Publishing, Publishing and Printing, Subscription business model Media, Technology 0 Comment

eMediaVitals, website geared toward publishers going digital, and FIPP digital content partner, invited me to write a column about digital media, platforms and business models.
The first article describes why Jobs is not the knight in a shining armor for publishers, and why technology is not the answer to the challenges the industry is facing.
Would love to hear your thoughts.

You can find it here.

Jan 31, 2011

Digital Innovation – Better Left Unsaid

Kfir Pravda Media 1 Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

This is a post by a dear friend Kathryn Johns, describing her Kickstart funded project. Tons of innovative elements here.

This past friday my partners and I open a revolutionary, live theatrical event. Better Left Unsaid TV is the first of its kind, interactive live streamed video/play. Staged in New York City, Better Left Unsaid will be shot with multiple cameras, mixed in real time via a NewTek Tricaster XD850 and streamed live to a global audience. We are not an established company, we are not famous or powerful or rich or connected. We are however, living in the Age of Yes.

For an independent artist, this is an unprecedented time in terms of an individuals ability to green light their own creative projects, and to have their work seen, not by the hundreds but by the hundreds of thousands.

There are two factors that have changed the scope of what an independent artist can create. The first is the ever growing accessibility of technology that allow us to shoot, edit and distribute our own work for a minimum of cost. The other is the unlimited community that we can foster to support our work. Gone are the days of postcards and prayers‚ this is the era of Twitter and Facebook.

One of social media’s greatest gifts is its ability to introduce us to people and events that we would never before have encountered. More