The master is not the first to understand the IP

Absrtact: I never wanted to sit and chat with the artist Walter McDaniel, who was involved in Spider-Man, Wolverine, men, and so on, until one day he stumbled upon his other identity as an entrepreneur in China, and is taking over the Wei, DC, Disney

I never thought I'd be involved with Spider-Man. Wolverine, men, such as a superhero artist Walter McDaniel sat chatting, until one day, he accidentally found another identity-a Chinese entrepreneur, and is in the diffuse Granville, DC, Disney has not tried the way to do anime, The company name is Black Dragon. To know the moment of this fact, of course, to "about".

He is undoubtedly a super Star, but in his short day with him, the behavior between the show is his inner Kid, often said to enjoy the place will be with you to a high hep, in fact, so the fun to jump off the Capricorn I really do not know much.

A good story has to be explained from the beginning.

15-Year-old Adventures

It's not easy to start an art career, because in the eyes of the nurse's mother and the power engineer's father, learning art is a bit of a professional, or a doctor or a lawyer. And Walter is seven at home, and parents always have to worry about their livelihoods.

Walter, however, considered himself a "rebel" and never gave up on what he had decided. In order to let parents rest assured that he worked hard during the day to learn good results, spare time to go to the specialty classes to draw, often painted late, until he was 19 years old independent university tuition after the parents no longer complained.

In the real pen to create anime characters, Walter is engaged in a biased advertising marketing and publishing and so on. When he was 16 years old, he entered the internship at Prometheus Advertising company and later spent some time in Continuity Comics, a small company. He told me that the most rewarding experience for him was how to be a Pro and how to behave with each other. The most important thing in advertising is figuring out who to lobby, the experience settling into later, the story to tell who to listen to, and the product for whom. It can be said that before the art, Walter Lay the foundation of business. 19 years old, finally met with the Wei. The boss is really bold, come in not too long let him serve as "Deathlock" the main painter, a painting is eight or nine months, Walter confessed to a child is really pressure Alexander.

His favorite character is Wolverine, because this guy is a "true temperament of the antihero (anti-hero role), the style is straightforward, but also very insistent, very entrepreneurial pioneering spirit."

Why China?

Love to eat spaghetti do not have to run to Italy, want to do the Chinese element of anime also need not have to come to Beijing, and the air here is not good, Walter why come here?

In fact, he is here to busy channels, and then found that China has so rich cultural and philosophical thinking-"This is the essence of storytelling." This should not be a "foreigner" polite, he believes that China's IP industry is undergoing changes, this is a new territory. He also above the century in the late 80, the early 90 of Japan did an example, a dream, sea thief Wang these world-renowned anime image does not look like the Japanese, but its spiritual core is in line with Japanese culture. But after the in-depth understanding, he also found that the original source of Japanese culture is also rooted in China, to China's entrepreneurship is a bit of the meaning of tracing back.

More importantly, "This is the birth of a new brand of international animation of the Paradise, the Chinese dream is more than the dream of the American Dream, and based on the internet itself should have a new IP." "So Black Dragon's positioning is an international Chinese animation company, localized part will be with V film such a local platform cooperation."

The Internet not only brings the spread of borderless, but also nurtured the embrace of the internet, a new generation of cultural industry entrepreneurs, which Walter is very important. In fact, the domestic entrepreneurial team regardless of the size of the IP operating awareness are more and more strong (do not have to be anime), such as never thought, the line of the series of products and so on.

In fact, Walter has paved the way around the world over the years, "I've built a global arena for this Chinese company." ”

The master is not the first to understand the IP

We all know that the value of this industry is to high-quality IP operation as the core of the industrial chain, there is no "chain" also has no value. In fact, the master is not prescient, here is a story of Walter told.

Almost 20 years ago, the American cartoon publishing industry is in the ascendant, comic book is the most mainstream IP media form. Many of the creators of the spread came out to open their own company, when one of the peers in 1 months earned 10 million dollars, 24-year-old Walter has a car has a house in California.

At that time, a symbol of comic craze is a DC with a "death of Superman," The End of Superman series, so fans are scrambling to buy, in addition to reading, many people also bought a collection. This cartoon from the original 2 dollars was fired to 25 dollars, then someone suddenly understood, if I 2 dollars to buy a comic, two weeks later to sell 25 dollars, is not more than the stock of money?

Of course, like all bubbles, this bubble is broken, because people do not realize that the real value lies in those who are deeply rooted, rather than in the publication itself, and Walter is at this time more acutely aware of the importance of IP. In 1998, after the completion of the bankruptcy reorganization of the 10-year period after the sale of comic characters, and eventually unwilling to make their wedding dress and launched the "Diffuse film universe plan."

So, the value of IP lies in Transmedia

Walter spoke more than once about the word "transmedia" (Transfer media or serial media). For those who thrive on IP, they are always able to advance with each other in various media forms IP Update, will be able to resonate with the role of value as far as possible to release.

Walter more than 10 years ago in the United States to operate the independent studio WAM is "Transmedia" practitioners, Hasbro from a toy company evolved into a film and television company is inextricably linked to him, "GI Joe Special Forces" toys into comics, animation, As well as the new toy set is he led the completion of the "Transformers" film version of the early creative, planning and role set. IP to move.

We have reason to believe that Black Dragon is capable of inheriting the story-telling Cow B gene-the rich hero image but will always maintain a needle not broken, water poured into the cosmos system, so each year the writers of a single protagonist will sit down to discuss the evolution of the entire universe one or two times before they split up to create Spider-Man. , Wolverine and so on. The writers of Felder and DC, such as Joe Kelly and James, will also be used by Black Dragon.

So what is a new man?

On the basis of the diffuse Granville, the Internet is the Internet.

In fact, the IP update and flow, but the internet not only brought more rich media form, the key is that the user in the medium of instant interaction has the potential to change the past narrative way, the whole experience will be redesigned.

Black Dragon next year to the online play "Space Racer" (this also want to broadcast), the play will be synchronized with the hands of the release. Users in the pursuit of the play at the same time to "learn" the secret of the game clearance and tricks, but also played a rich role background benefits, and the player reached a level when their role can appear in the subsequent plot, they create new play may be used by the plot. Of course, players can also rank on social networks with their friends PK.

In addition to the big background of space racer being ruled by a group of robot clowns, the whole story has another set that people here live in an anonymous social network called Spacebook, which should be the current trend of anonymous socializing.

Walter says this is something that neither the man, DC, nor Disney has ever started. "The new technology will always bring the latest form of IP, after VR, even smart toys may be the object of our work." ”

Of course, these have to have a prerequisite-to have high-quality IP and content, Black Dragon has been in China for two or three years, he did not understand that some local team to quickly launch a project, and "The response is not good we will be a new one." Walter said that he had been polishing the team and the product, and was trying to make something that would keep the user in the mood.

If your character, the story can tell a specific audience, the children will not care about a role has existed for 100 years or 5 days. As long as the end user to win the scream, making money is the case.