Transmedia storytelling. I had never heard of this term, but I’m familiar with the concept.

Most of the examples we’re familiar with are from massive brands who have the buying power to cross into multiple platforms. I’m talking Star Wars, Marvel, and as outlined in the readings, Pokémon. For the longest time, we wouldn’t see this type of storytelling from smaller players, but that has started to change in the recent decades. One of the first prominent examples of a smaller, independent group using transmedia storytelling was The Blair Witch Project. This was before my time, but I’ve read all the stories of the crazy ad campaign, in part driven by the internet. The Blair Witch Project was clearly ahead of it’s time, as now online advertising is so intricately intertwined with almost all media. One of my personal favourite examples of transmedia storytelling is Death Grip’s ARG for their third album, NO LOVE DEEP WEB, which I went over in last week’s process post.

But I don’t personally know many creators who are trying to dip their toes into transmedia storytelling. I’ve done it to an extent with this site. Dripowensonline.net is an extension of the dripowensonline universe which started on Instagram. Each platform shares most of the same content, but you can’t grasp the full picture unless you’re checking both. My website will have writing, something never featured on my Instagram, but my Instagram carries the bulk of my more low-key creative endeavours (shitposting on my story). They both compliment each other, but not nearly to the extent of something like Pokémon.

My good friend, drainpercapita, is trying to revolutionize this sphere. Earlier this year, he officially announced the newest addition to the drainpercapita ecosystem, the DrainPerDoodads.

What are the DrainPerDoodads, you ask? Well, I reached out to the man himself to describe that:

dripowensonline: How would you, in your own words, describe the DrainPerDoodad system

drainpercapita: In the modern age, the average consumer is overwhelmed with content from subpar creators. The Doodads™️ are purpose built to deliver only the highest quality content (mine) to my fans. My hope is that, with their widespread adoption, the DrainPerDoodads™️ will revolutionize the way that people interact with the DrainPerCapita Universe.

dripowensonline: What can the DrainPerDoodads do that a traditional instagram feed can’t?

drainpercapita: On Instagram, you’re limited by the medium. There are a thousand minuscule barriers between you and my content that you might not even notice at first sight. With the Doodads, I seek to collapse these barriers and bring the people closer and closer to seeing my vision the way that I do.

dripowensonline: And this vision, it wouldn’t be possible without the Doodads, correct?

drainpercapita: There will always be a place for my content within the Instagram app, but for those who truly want to engage with me, anytime, anywhere, the Doodads are the very best possible tools for the job.

This is no social media platform. This is no website. It’s a doodad. A doohickey. A tangible object you can hold and love. Is it an ambitious project? Absolutely. But who else is doing something like this? Making a physical product to take your reach to levels never before seen. This is what transmedia storytelling should be about. Not just moving to other channels but creating new channels entirely.

Transmedia storytelling is about pushing boundaries. When Pokémon introduced the Pokéwalker, it probably seemed gimmicky, yet here we are talking about it. That company is only where they are because they took risks, they made innovative products that people found novel. If people continue to stick to the same old channels, how can your brand possibly improve? This is why we have things like dripowensonline.net, this is why we have things like the DrainPerDoodads.

And I’ve never been more excited.

Special thank you to drainpercapita for the behind-the-scenes look at the doodads.