Andrea Phillips 
Transmedia Writer & Game Designer
Oceanside, NY, UNITED STATES
A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling. Expert transmedia designer Andrea Phillips shows you the future of digital marketing
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Biography
Andrea Phillips is an award-winning transmedia writer, game designer and author. Her book, A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling, will be published by McGraw-Hill in June 2012.
Her work includes a variety of educational and commercial projects, including Floating City with Thomas Dolby, The Maester's Path for HBO's Game of Thrones with Campfire Media, The Drunk and On Drugs Happy Funtime Hour Quest with Stitch Media, America 2049 with human rights nonprofit Breakthrough, Routes Game for Channel 4 Education, the independent commercial ARG Perplex City, and The 2012 Experience for Sony Pictures.
These projects have won awards including the Prix Jeunesse Interactivity Prize, a Broadband Digital award, a BIMA, an IVCA Grand Prix award, the Origins Vanguard Innovation Award, and others.
Her indie work includes the Kickstarted collaboration Balance of Powers, the ongoing Twitter horoscopes of Madame Zee, the e-published anthology Shiva's Mother and Other Stories, and the forthcoming serial transmedia project Felicity.
Andrea is a co-moderator for the first community of ARG players, the Cloudmakers. This 6,000-member group created many of the methods and social dynamics used by the ARG community to this day. She is also a Fellow of the Futures of Entertainment.
She has spoken at SXSW, MIT Storytelling 3.0, the Power to the Pixel/IFP Cross-Media Forum, ARGfest, DIY Days, FITC Storytelling X.1, and Nordic Games Conference, among others.
Andrea cheats at solitaire (a victimless crime) and Words With Friends (which is less forgivable). Consider yourself warned.
Industry Expertise (10)
Writing and Editing
Computer Gaming
Media - Print
Social Media
Media - Online
Entertainment
Media Production
Advertising/Marketing
Publishing
Design
Areas of Expertise (7)
Transmedia Storytelling
Experience Design
Interactive Design
Game Design
Digital Culture
New Media
Social Games
Accomplishments (6)
Author (professional)
2012-06-22
From transmedia pioneer Andrea Phillips, A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling: How to Captivate and Engage Audiences Across Multiple Platforms is the first major, comprehensive resource to feature instruction on the principles of storytelling, platform selection, execution, big-picture strategy and structural considerations – plus case studies of milestone transmedia projects and interviews with more than a dozen leading transmedia creators.
Transmedia Writer & Game Designer – Deus Ex Machinatio (professional)
2007-06-01
Game design, writing, and experience consultation for transmedia projects, alternate reality games, pervasive and immersive games, and other net-native forms of narrative and entertainment.
Recipient – Digi Award (professional)
2011-12-06
In 2011, Andrea won a Digi Award for Best in Digital Advertising for her work on The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour Quest. Andrea was the Writer & Experience Designer for the project. The Digi Awards are Canada's premier showcase of the remarkable digital media companies, projects, products and pioneers that are putting Canada at the forefront of the international mediascape.
Recipient – IVCA Gold Award and Grand Prix Award (professional)
2010-03-26
In 2010, Andrea won a Gold Award in the Web 2.0 category and a Grand Prix Award at the International Visual Communications Association (IVCA) Awards. The recognition was for being the Lead Game Designer on Routesgame.com. The IVCA Awards are the most acclaimed celebration of effective business and public sector communications in video, interactive projects, business television and digital media across Europe.
Recipient – Prix Jeunesse International Interactivity Award (professional)
2010-05-29
In 2010, Andrea was recognized for being the Lead Game Designer for Routesgame.com when the game won the Prix Jeunesse International Interactivity Award, which honours excellence in digital extensions of a broadcaster’s multiplatform strategy, for a children’s TV program or series.
Author (professional)
2012-05-22
Shiva's Mother and Other Stories is a collection of moody, sometimes dark short stories about technology, magic, choice and sacrifice. Journey from cutting-edge nanotech to faery and back again, along the line where science fiction and fantasy blur together.
Education (1)
Eastern Michigan University: Bachelor of Arts, Journalism 1996
Affiliations (2)
- International Game Developers Association
- Futures of Entertainment
Links (12)
- Blog
- Taking risks and dancing with audiences: Andrea Phillips on writing for transmedia and ARGs
- Interview with Andrea at DIY Days NYC
- Cautionary Tales in Transmedia Storytelling
- Future of Storytelling Expert Series: a Conversation with Transmedia Creator Andrea Phillips
- Interview: Thomas Dolby and Andrea Phillips
- Down the Rabbit Hole: Transmedia Disasters
- Web Consciousness, Unitasking, and Transmedia Trickery
- Transmedia Storytelling, Fan Culture and the Future of Marketing
- Andrea Phillips: The Terribleminds Interview
- Why Marketers Should Care about Transmedia: 3 Questions with Andrea Phillips
- TEDx Transmedia: The Ethics and Responsibilities of Fiction
Testimonials (1)
Lucas J.W. Johnson, Organizer | Vancouver Transmedia Meetup
Both smart and funny, Andrea has a great breadth of experience in the trenches of creation that grounds her talks in reality, with truly useful insights into the actual nuts and bolts of things. At the same time, her passion excites you by proximity, and she's one of the most gracious people I know. Having her speak to Transmedia Vancouver was more than worthwhile -- it was instructive and inspiring.
Event Appearances (17)
Transmedia Storytelling
Discovery Creative Speaker Series Silver Spring, MD
2012-05-30
Why Games Need Transmedia
Nordic Games Conference Malmö, Sweden
2012-05-24
Techniques of Transmedia Storytelling
Writers Guild of America East Speaker Series New York City
2012-05-15
The Transmedia Balancing Act
DIY Days NYC New York City
2012-03-23
A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling
SXSW Interactive Austin, Texas
2012-03-10
Writing for Transmedia
Transmedia Vancouver Event Series Vancouver, British Columbia
2011-12-06
Extending Your Story
Power to the Pixel/IFP Cross Media Forum NYC New York City
2011-04-19
Hoax or Transmedia? The Ethics of Pervasive Fiction
SXSW Interactive Austin, TX
2011-03-13
Perplex City
Transmedia New York City Event Series New York City
2010-11-30
ARGs and Women: Moving Beyond the Hot Brunette
SXSW Interactive Austin, TX
2010-03-11
An ARG on Every Corner and Two on Sundays: The Popularity of Alternate Reality Games
ARGFest-o-Con 2012 Toronto, Ontario
2012-07-27
A Conversation with Andrea Phillips
Convergence: Immersive Media at Lincoln Center New York City
2012-06-26
A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling
BIG Idea Breakfast Chicago, Illinois
2012-07-12
Touching the Storyworld: The New Emotional Landscape of Transmedia Storytelling
The Future of StoryTelling Summit New York City
2012-10-05
You’re Such a Character: New Roles for Audiences in Storytelling
New York Film Festival's Convergence Speaker Series New York City
2012-09-30
ARGs, LARPS, and Transmedia – What’s the Difference, Anyway?
Transmedia L.A. Webinar Series Webinar
2012-09-19
The Ethics and Responsibilities of Fiction
TEDx Transmedia Rome, Italy
2013-09-27
Sample Talks (5)
A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling
Transmedia is definitely a buzzword these days, and forward-thinkers from Madison Avenue to Hollywood are trying to get up to speed about what it is and how to get in on the action. Andrea Phillips will share lessons from her book, "A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling," a practical manual on the art and craft of telling a story over multiple media.
Extending Your Story
Moving from single-media to transmedia storytelling requires a new mindset and a new creative process. Andrea Phillips walks you through the possibilities and pitfalls.
Hoax or Transmedia? The Ethics of Pervasive Fiction
The classic ARG storytelling technique involves putting content into the real world and web as if the story were really happening. But the line between truth and fiction online is blurry—and getting blurrier all the time—so not everyone who finds your content will know it's not for real. One person's hoax is another's deeply immersive experience. So how does a transmedia designer learn to strike the right balance between immersive and responsible?
Why Games Need Transmedia
Games already feature many of the elements that make transmedia so compelling – but branching into transmedia storytelling can lead to richer games and more vibrant fandoms. Learn why and how game designers should extend their IP across multiple media.
Alternate Reality Games and Women: Moving Beyond the Hot Brunette
ARGs are often trotted out as a shining example of woman-friendly games. They boast unusually high rates of female developers and players, and a slew of kick-ass female leads. But if you dig a little deeper, are they still just the post-Buffy version of Princess Peach, always needing to be saved?
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Author Appearance
- Corporate Training
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