Storygami set to change the face of web video

Storygami, a groundbreaking interactive video company, launched today with the premiere of its first major commission. The new British company, which has received the financial backing and support of Sir Richard Branson, aims to revolutionise online video viewing and storytelling with its unique new embedding technology.

Founded by London husband and wife team Guy Gunaratne and Heidi Lindvall, Storygami allows content creators to insert interactive elements and applications1 within online videos. Using their self-created HTML5 in-house editor, Storygami gives video producers the power to show the context behind their content, enabling viewers to explore what theyre watching from within the video.

29 year old co-founder Guy Gunaratne said: Other than getting shorter, online video has barely evolved in terms of technological capabilities or the viewer experience since YouTube came to the fore. Storygami has been developed to help content creators engage and retain audiences by enabling viewers to interact with the content in a way that has never been possible before.

Heidi Lindvall, 28, co-founder of Storygami and current Women of the Future Awards 2013 finalist2, added: Being documentary makers by trade, we'd become frustrated by the lack of tools out there for layering interactive elements into our videos. Existing solutions either meant having a clunky pop-up like an advert, or giving the viewer a few hyperlinks in the finishing credits. So we decided to develop Storygami from a storyteller's point of view, to create something thats led by the design, look and feel of the final videos rather than the tech thats under the bonnet.

Guy and Heidi are members of the Virgin Media Pioneers community of entrepreneurs and the duo behind the award-winning documentary film company, Codoc. Their first commission is for a Virgin Media documentary series called On The Line3. The series follows another Virgin Media Pioneers company, Elephant Branded, as its co-founder pushes his ethically-made bag company to new heights.

Ernestina Hall, head of brand for good at Virgin Media said: We commissioned Heidi and Guy because Storygami gave us the ability to bring the story behind Elephant Branded to life in a truly interactive way. Our series was transformed from a linear story into something viewers could explore without leaving the video player. Viewers can click on peoples' names to discover their stories, or on tags to mini-videos that delve into more detail, or even to vote for product prototypes they like the most. The ability to pull a Twitter feed into the video itself was also a big draw as a great way to drive social engagement with our series.

Guy and Heidi are currently partnering with brands, media outlets and educators to explore digital storytelling and how they can use Storygami in the best way possible. They are also actively seeking their first round of funding to take the company to the next level, which will involve developing an online editor that others can use to create interactive video content.

LINK:	http://about.virginmedia.com/press-release/9402/storygami-set-to-chang...
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