Stephen Embleton

I was interviewed for the "The platform and content revolution"  article in the October/November 2013 issue of TBI Vision. South African producer Earth Touch’s earthtouch.tv destination was initially set-up as a classic ‘long tail’ site for the company’s HD off-cuts. It then morphed into an online version of a traditional TV channel. “We’d built an audience, and it occurred to us that we could use the site to try out new, cutting edge material covering controversial topics that broadcasters wouldn’t necessarily jump at,” Earth Touch’s online manager, Stephen Embleton says. “When we launched the nature series Wild Sex, we were well aware that the one thing that most nature docs don’t talk about is sexual behaviour. But we approached the topic seriously, bringing in Carin Bondar, a leading biologist, to produce a show that fused solid science with entertainment value.” Earth Touch took the digital connection one stage further by sourcing every single clip on the show from the i...

 I was invited by the organisers of the 2013 Wild Talk Africa Film Festival to present on the topic of "Making Content for the Internet" in Durban on 25 July 2013. Stephen presenting at Wild Talk Africa on 25 July 2013 Stephen will be probing the audience to find out why they would embark on online video in the first place – the good and bad reasons. Then covering viral vs. value: differentiating between viral content and valuable content – the pros and cons of both. The importance of titles and thumbnails at grabbing attention of viewers. Choosing the right platform for an online presence and how You Tube and Vimeo differ in audiences. The value of listening to your audience feedback and drawing the line at internet trolls – damage control. Cultural and Geographic context – who your audience is, their culture, and where they are (access to internet) all affect consumption. Spendthrifts and Tightwads – just because it's online doesn't mean it has to look cheap or have...