CD-ROMs generally do two things: they entertain and inform. For Toronto-based ICE, Integrated Communications and Entertainment, the platform has the additional role of providing the ways and means of expanding the consumer products side of the business.

With the development of its cd-rom titles, Ideas that Changed the World, released last January, and Events that Changed the World, released in November, ice has developed a template for creating cd-rom products that rationalizes the process and reduces resources necessary for further publishing initiatives.

ice has built the base of its business around corporate media services encompassing graphic design, events, strategic planning and developing new media applications for clients like Apple, Stentor and Northern Telecom.

Last September, ice officially entered the cd-rom publishing fray to bring its expertise to authoring multimedia titles and set about developing a standard method for creating cd titles that retains enough flexibility to address any subject.

The template was created in the development of the first title and improved upon with Events. Between Earth and the End of Time, a cd based on anthologies of the work of illustrator Rodney Matthews, was also released in November, and ice director of marketing for consumer products Mike Giamprini says the company has four additional titles in the works for 1996.

Titles may include another in the Ideas and Events series, a children’s title, and two ‘culture’ titles.

‘Our goal is to use the template over and over on new consumer titles,’ says Giamprini, adding the template can be used on any corporate or consumer project which would call for a similar search engine. ‘We will spend several hundred thousand dollars launching and establishing ourselves as publishers in the cd-rom business over the next 12 months.’

Giamprini says while the first cd title to utilize the template cost several hundred thousand dollars to develop and took about eight months, the second title was produced in two-thirds the amount of time and for about half the cost. He estimates costs will probably be amortized once more, with both production spending and time decreasing another 20% before leveling out.

Events that Changed the World is based on a book from u.k.-based Dragon Press and explores 60 significant historical events.

ice art directors Sean Patrick and Steven Wicks set about integrating the creative work with a common programming theory: ‘Any good program gives you a variety of ways to do the same task; that’s what we’re trying to do,’ says Patrick.

Five writer/researchers were contracted to do the groundwork on the cd. The text was condensed and broken into discreet units, which were given one or more hooks linking it to related events.

The text chunks became the building blocks for the disc and the material that didn’t fit the format was set aside as italicized text. Diversions were created throughout the disc using the italicized elements. Artwork, animation and video were added at every opportunity. Load times for animation and video sequences were kept to a minimum so users with modest systems would have little frustration when using their discs. ‘Anything over two megs is too much; we learned that from corporate presentations,’ says Patrick.

Dawna Henderson, account director at ice, says while corporate work is the core of the business, the company is actively planning to grow the consumer portion of the business and has hired away two of cd producer Discis’ consumer products marketing experts toward that end.

Giamprini says while it’s hard to estimate the revenue split between the two facets of the company because of the youth of the publishing business and its seasonality, ice’s publishing arm could currently account for as much as 20% of overall revenues.

ice has set up its own distribution channels through several of the largest North American distributors, and Giamprini reports a pending distribution and copublishing deal with a European company that would take ice titles into Europe, Latin America, Japan and Korea.

ice titles so far have sold about 10,000 units in North America and Ideas that Changed the World received an award for best edutainment title from Communications Arts magazine.

Giamprini acknowledges the intense competition in the business, but adds that because the margins on the products are large ­ over 50% ­ once production costs are recouped, there is money to be made.

‘If you have the infrastructure as ice d’es, and the financing as ice d’es, and you’ve got a good handle on the distribution, then you can make money in this business,’ says Giamprini. ‘If you don’t, my advice would be to hook up with a publisher who d’es.’

Chris Girotti is a second-year media writing student in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto.