Commentary

McClatchy Readies Journalists For An AR-Centric Future

Earlier this year, newspaper publisher McClatchy announced its AR Storytellers in Residence program, an initiative of its New Ventures Lab intended to train early- and mid-career journalists to use AR technology in their storytelling.

The program launched soon after Memorial Day and will last six months. The four residents — Cassandra Herrman, Eric Howard, Stanley Okumuraand Nani Sahra Walker — working in teams of two are based in McClatchy’s Sacramento Valley Station.

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The program is geared toward creating episodic 3D AR series for the more than 500 million AR-enable mobile devices circulating today. It also allows McClatchy to take a deeper look into understanding audiences, desirability, distribution and monetization. 

Resident Eric Howard told Publishing Insider: “[Critical opportunities and institutional support and resources] coupled with my technical and creative skills, make a very compelling environment for innovation in the non-fiction AR space."

Nani Sahra Walker, also a resident, added:"Embodiment, empathy and the ability to redefine one’s environment is amplified by new technologies like AR/VR, giving journalists new methods for powerful non-fiction storytelling." 

Meghan Sims, director of strategic Video Initiatives at McClatchy, spoke with Publishing Insider about the program and the importance of new technologies in journalism. 

Publishing Insider: What is the New Ventures Lab?   

Meghan Sims: McClatchy New Ventures Lab is an outgrowth of the company’s extensive and award-winning video group. It represents an increase in our investment in the future of visual journalism. We’re one part practical and one part dreaming big.  

We partner with our 30 local newsrooms across the country on forward-thinking projects and products. We also put efforts into understanding emerging mediums and technology that are on the horizon. Our job is to prepare our organization -- and the industry -- for what’s next in visual journalism.

PI: What's the genesis of the Storytellers in Residence program? 

MS: We know producing immersive media requires people with diverse and unique skill sets. The next milestones for nonfiction AR are volumetric capture and the ability to deliver this content in an episodic or serialized way. That’s precisely what the Storytellers in Residence program is out to achieve. This project is a series of small bets that will inform our strategies down the road. 

PI: What will McClatchy gain from this program? 

MS: What makes New Ventures Lab unique is that we’re not all about moon shots. Most importantly, our work must have scalable results to ensure that McClatchy continues to be essential in our communities and fast-paced industry. We developed the Storytellers in Residence program with the goal of creating practical projects that engage audiences at a deep level.

We’ll test new narrative formats and understand what makes standalone AR desirable. We’ll put our work in front of advertisers to get their feedback on future business models. There is also a focus on audience testing with real users. We’re fostering a rapid learning environment where we will experiment, create, test and evolve.

The operation is a testing ground for new features and products that will scale over the long-term. In the short-term, the space itself will serve the video and audio production needs of various groups across McClatchy, such as The Sacramento Bee.

PI: How does this program fit into other innovations coming from McClatchy

MS: The program is one of many initiatives happening all over the company, such as voice assistants products and episodic video series on streaming platforms. Great storytelling has been in McClatchy’s DNA for 161 years, but the platforms we deliver on are changing.

1 comment about "McClatchy Readies Journalists For An AR-Centric Future".
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  1. Ginger Cookie from Consultant, July 13, 2018 at 8:53 a.m.

    Am a big fan of AR storeytelling's potential and focusing higher engagement with more episodic content, though the McCluatchy(above) staff didn't really say anything special, its the same recycled talk with AR pursuits/the general value prop, just spun another way.  Seriously, 

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