Jeff Gomez, president and CEO of New York-based transmedia producer Starlight Runner, will be stopping in Toronto next week to host KidScreen’s Transmedia Bootcamp. Ahead of the workshop, he shares a few insights with Playback Daily.

“What’s interesting is that over the past two years, I no longer need to spend a lot of time defining transmedia narrative or its value proposition,” he explains. “The entertainment industry has begun to grasp the basic concepts of taking their IP and maximizing their ROI by extending the narrative across media platforms.”

For Canucks, figuring out the space is more critical now that the Canada Media Fund has mandated all projects have an interactive component. Gomez and his team have already consulted on a number of Canadian projects, including Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Battle Castles and will soon be delivering a talk at game publishing giant Ubisoft Montreal.

“We’re all for interactivity,” says Gomez, noting that one common mistake is that producers often think they have to create games. But because some games require rules, that can make it very niche, and unintentionally exclusive.

“Transmedia for us is about reaching the broadest possible audience who may not have tuned into the TV show, to get access to the story world through other platforms which can then lead to the show.”

It’s also about finding the right fit for the IP, which may not work in a multiplatform universe. Serial dramas or storyline revolving around sports or music, for example, can lend themselves to potential extension. A family drama movie that takes place entirely in a living room? Not so much.

“We tend to favor IPs with very rich narrative worlds,” says Gomez. But he’s quick to explain that this is often confused with genres, such as sci-fi or fantasy. “If the world in your story has a past and a future that exists beyond the borders of the TV or movie screen, that makes it a candidate.”

KidScreen’s Transmedia Bootcamp runs December 3, where Gomez will delve into development, business practices and how to promote content and distribution over different media platforms.

“[Transmedia] is no longer some odd experiment,” he says. “These practices were theoretical only a few years ago and that’s no longer true. It’s something that has to be taken seriously by any production company or film studio in the world.”