It seems like every day there's a new announcement about an out-of-the-box transmedia, cross platform or immersive project being developed in the creative community. Film producers, network executives and game designers all know that in this disruptive environment you've got to go big or go home.

That's why we're excited about the launch of the TransVergence Summit, just a little over a week away. It's the first conference of its kind to cover the techniques, tools and strategies involved in developing these big, immersive stories. It's our fervent wish that this new event becomes a must-attend regular gathering of industry professionals who want to stay up to date on the art and craft of innovative narrative storytelling, content creation and business strategies as well as a greater awareness of emerging technologies that enable creators to design, execute and distribute stories and brands that persuasively engage and involve their audiences.  

At the Summit, you'll hear leading experts from a variety of disciplines sharing their insights and experience approaching new ways to tell and extend stories in the fields of music, television, live performance, feature film, web, social media, games, publishing and marketing and also from those engaging and creating in new and exciting technology platforms such as augmented reality, 360 full dome, avatars, virtual reality and more.

As the Summit producer, I'm extremely proud of the high-powered panelists and speakers that we've brought together. They represent the very best in the business, and they're ready to ffer up the knowledge and war stories on a number of up-to-the-minute topics. Session highlights include :

From Games to Gamification

Blizzard Entertainment's James Waugh moderates a lively discussion between Xbox Entertainment Studio's Lydia Antonini, Obsidian Entertainment's Josh Sawyer, cross platform strategy consultant Lenny Brown, “Halo” director Stewart Hendler and all-around game pro Flint Dille about the design of expansive storyworlds and the emergence of ramification across multiple platforms.

The Future of Content — Transmedia and Cross Platform Storytelling

A diverse panel of industry leaders will kick off the summit with their perspectives on transmedia, cross platform storytelling, audience engagement, storyworlds and franchises. The Hollywood Reporter's Alex Ben Block moderates the panel that includes Brian Seth Hurst, The Opportunity
Management Company; Pablo Frasconi, USC; Kathy Franklin, Lightstorm Entertainment; Zak Kadison, Blacklight Transmedia; and Alex McDowell, 5D.

Producers Guild — The Transmedia Producer

The Transmedia Producer is a legitimate credit recognized by the Producers Guild of America. Hear from some of the top new media producers and creators working in the field today whose contributions add incredible new dimensions to storytelling and audience engagement, including PGA New Media Council's Chris Thomes and Alison Savitch; No Mimes Media's Behnam Karbassi, Bernie Su, writer/director/producer of “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”; Mauricio Mota of The Alchemists and Michael Bellavia of Animax.

These are just a few of the many sessions that also include keynotes with game genius Will Wright, Yahoo!'s Adam Besserman and Samsung's Juan Pablo Gnecco. It's an essential couple of days you must not miss if you want to stay abreast of the new trends and give your career a boost. Go here to see everything that's happening and to register.

I hope to see you at the Summit!