For producers of advertising and content creations, John Heinsen wants to be your connection to important internet issues and decisions, such as credits, royalties, education and technologies.
Heinsen was recently appointed co-chair of Mobile, a new and timely, if not overdue, position by L.A.-based Producers Guild of America New Media Council (PGA-NMC).
As he contends, “Chicago has a lot of big brands and ad agencies that could benefit from stronger relationships with studios and production companies,” which is what PGA-NMC offers.
He wants to be the missing link between new technologies, storytellers, whom he knows well, and brands looking for a way to communicate with their audience.
“Like early TV, mobile media is an immature market,” he states. “It’s not about Lucille Ball selling Chesterfield cigarettes; it’s about brands being deeply involved in storytelling, from its creation and taking chances on content they know is good.
“The advertisers don’t know, the studios don’t know ? they’re all trying to figure it out,” he continues.
“Einstein said, ?We can’t solve problems by using the same kinds of thinking that created them.’ I’m saying, ?Let me help you think in new ways.'”
And with the golden age of prime time television and the 30- second spot seemingly behind us, Heinsen says he finds himself in that middle ground, driving forward.
“Advertisers are finding the need to expand categories to include short form content that’s branded for an advertising purpose and to find ways to integrate brands into content.
“There’s a lot of crossover in order to figure out how to make everyone’s role succeed,” he states, and that’s how the PGA-NMC can be of help.
For example, the PGA-NMC is preparing to announce its credit guidelines for web/mobile content ? a first. These rules will help determine how people who produce new media are compensated and credited.
Chicago native Heinsen, president of L.A-based Bunnygraph Entertainment, producer of comedy shorts for the web, has been focusing on emerging video platforms. He scours the earth for technologies that have a future delivering targeted demographics to advertisers.
He worked for Fox Programming, and earlier he was with internet giant ICM Network’s global branding division. “The idea there was to represent brands, such as the Gap and Starbucks, and get them involved with TV series development at the studio level to offset production costs,” he relates.
“This branding model has now become very relevant to today’s mobile space.”
