Days #54-64: 30 Days to 30: 10 Days in One Blog Post

And then, the first ten days without blogging happened! I confess that I have no idea where these days actually went. I am guessing PodCamp Toronto + my thesis project + Primetime in Ottawa + grading a whole bunch of exams was the lethal combination that prevented me from performing my daily task. I spent the whole day thinking about how I should report the last week and a half and still show my commitment to the project. The mash up solution seemed viable. It’s not the same, I know… but is a restart, at least!

Days #13 – 23: It’s happening and I am even starting to sound like a 30-year-old woman. I have memories, a busy life and responsibilities that are keeping me away from guiltless web browsing and my terrible habit of reality TV watching. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining,  just learning that the things that I wished for are really happening and therefore, I have no time on my hands to spare. Victory will be mine (sometime soon!).

PodCamp Toronto 2012

The craziness started at PodCamp Toronto last weekend. Renée, Roberto and I spent last Saturday preparing for one of the most exciting events in the local social media scene. Since I had two talks scheduled back-to-back on Sunday morning, Saturday, Feb 25th was a day that didn’t exist. My only memory is from allowing PhotoJunkie to take this great portrait of me (a skilled photographer performs miracles even when you look really tired!) and meeting some great people at the Search vs. Social session.

Both my talks went really well. Roberto kicked butt presenting our impressions on the Brazilian market while I added a practical approach to all the data discussed.  When the time to talk about transmedia and fandom arrived, Renée and I made a lot of people laugh and talk about their favourite TV shows and films. I am not going to point any fingers at anyone here, but Buffy, Dr. Who and Harry Potter were very popular amongst the PodCamp Toronto peeps this year.

Back to school (sort of…)

Last Monday was back to school time. The week before was what they call “reading week,” which is kind of a second chance to catch up with the course load and not commit suicide in the middle of the winter. Since I was heading to Ottawa on Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday were only for catching up with what was going to happen during the week, give a presentation on Funk Carioca at my Cross-Cultural Communication class and deal with my graduate assistant work.

(The research for the cross-cultural communication presentation resulted in a very interesting interview with the Amerioca Don Blanquito, which will be published here soon).

Primetime in Ottawa 2012

I left Toronto on Wednesday to join the Ryerson University team at CMPA’s Primetime in Ottawa conference. My fellow panelists Rob Haydari, Britney Darmanin, Wil Noack and I took #44 Via Rail train to tell media producers and broadcasters our impressions of the industry and forecast its future based on our experience as consumers and media professionals.

The conference was a great opportunity to “bump into” thought leaders like Digital Media Visionary Robert Tercek and author Robert Levine.  Even before our panel went on stage, I think it was clear to the delegates that the future of “free” content and online streaming was already a reality.

We, GenYs, haven’t shifted completely to online platforms in Canada only because of the “metering” in effect in some provinces, including Ontario. The truth is that is easy to get engaging and quality content for next to nothing online today. The current challenge is to find ways to fund productions and profit on ads and product placement.

 Primetime deserves an exclusive blog post, I know… I promise it will be live before the end of this week!

Sleeping, Marking, and Sleeping…

Back in Toronto, my weekend was dedicated to catching up on my sleep and marking exams for two different classes. I know that the post started with a life of glamour, girl power and fame; but I’ll end it with my tough reality… Graduate assistants have to work when students are relieved and trying to forget their latest exams. After a week of stardom, I am back with my answering keys, assignments, graduate research and blog posts…

About Veronica Heringer

An award-winning digital strategist experienced in creating integrated campaigns for local and international brands and non-profit organizations, Veronica Heringer currently serves as Transmedia Strategist for Smokebomb Entertainment. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), and recently completed a Masters of Arts in Media Production at Ryerson University. Her Ryerson project, My Name is Jessica Klein, explores the connection between content, new technologies and audiences through the use of social media and won the 2012 Innovative Storyteller $20,000 Mentorship Initiative Award from marblemedia, a Toronto-based transmedia producer, and Corus Entertainment.

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