We know we always say we’re busy with exciting work, but this time, we REALLY mean it. It’s been a crazy packed spring here at CloudKid HQ, and it’s shaping up to be an even busier summer. We’re thrilled to announce that one of many exciting projects we’re working on is our first short pilot for Nickelodeon Digital. With all of the exciting coverage recently about Nick’s app and shorts, we’re pumped to be working on our first project with them at such an innovative time.

We wish we could share more about the project, but just trust us that it’s going to be worth the wait! Stay tuned!

As artists, creators and producers, we love any and all types of media that come our way. From video games and books to movies and web series, it’s often from this very media that we draw our inspiration. So in a small shout-out to the things we love, we thought it would be cool to give you a glimpse of some of the media that the folks here at CloudKid are really digg’n in the month of April.  We’ll be posting more updates like this in the coming months in a feature we’re calling “It’s what we’re into”.

An App!: The Animators Survival Kit

The Richard Williams Animator’s Survival Kit has been a staple educational resource in the animation industry since its initial release on paperback. The book amazingly details the basics of animation while also giving great tips and tricks to even the most seasoned professional animator. We are pretty stoked that the book is now available as an iPad app for the price $34.99, a seriously amazing deal considering the DVD could set you back close to a grand. Ouch. Full of tons of animated examples, easy navigation, and even videos of the author himself, this is definitely a must-buy for anyone pumped about the art of animation.

A Web Series!: StripSearch

StripSearch is a “reality game show” web series about several comic artists facing off to become the next successful web comic. There is nothing groundbreaking about the concept or the production in general, but it is great to see so many talented artists put in the spotlight and demonstrating their skills via competition. Created by “The Penny Arcade Guys”, the bi-weekly series which initially kicked off as a KickStarter campaign is hosted on the PennyArcade website with all sorts of behind-the-scenes art and commentary. We think the series is a great look into the process of creating webcomics and a pretty sweet way to see some awesome artists display their skills.

You can check out the show archives here.

TV!: Gravity Falls

Disney’s Gravity Falls is a TV show about a brother and sister living in the Pacific Northwest with their “Grunkle,” who runs the Mystery Shack (a roadside museum of oddities). It’s a bit of Twin Peaks mixed with a bit of Scooby Doo – spooky and fun with a great cast of characters. The writing is well done – funny without trying too hard, with just enough weirdness to keep you guessing. The thing that really caught our eye was the background design… every scene has beautifully detailed backgrounds that you’ll want to freeze frame and drool over. Oh, and that title sequence. Can’t forget that sweet, sweet title sequence. Speaking of which, check out the animatic that the director of the series Joe Pitt posted on his YouTube page. You can watch Gravity Falls on the Disney Channel, or go to their website where they feature a few full episodes and a bunch of clips!

A Book!: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

A riff on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book is the tale of a living, orphaned boy who is raised by the deceased inhabitants of a graveyard. Though perhaps originally for kids, The Graveyard Book has enough creepy mystery to keep an older audience entertained as well, and fans of Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline” will not be let down. There are ghouls, ghosts, monsters, and rhyming, so it’s not surprising that an upcoming graphic novel adaptation has been announced. For those interested who don’t feel like reading, definitely check out the audiobook excellently voiced by Neil himself.

A Classic!: Fraggle Rock

While it’s not “new” by any stretch, we’re huge fans of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock. The series is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, complete with press, new product and merchandising pushes. This recent spotlight prompted us to revisit the beloved series, and we’ve been blown away as we re-watch episodes created three decades ago. It’s rare that a series holds up so well, but Fraggle Rock is as great as we remembered it to be! It’s also fascinating to experience Jim’s genius as adults, when we can appreciate the complex themes of coexistence, respect and peace that are presented so subtly and artfully in this classic program. And on a lighter note, we were really excited to pick up a Doozer plush toy or three at FAO Shwartz’s Fraggle-themed feature shop. For more on the 30th Anniversary Celebrations, check out the official press release from the Jim Henson Company.

Last week was rough for those of us in the Boston area. Despite all the craziness, we managed to have a bright spot in our week – this year’s Sandbox Summit at MIT. We’re always energized by gatherings of fellow kids’ media professionals, and this year’s summit was no exception. With folks in attendance from all over the country, it was a great forum to discuss the current and future landscape of children’s media.

This year’s summit was titled “Pixel the Possibilities: Nurturing Kids’ Imagination in the Digital Age”. We were welcomed by Scott Osterweil of MIT’s Education Arcade, and then treated to a series of diverse presentations that related to creativity in the digital age. Among the highlights for us was a conversation with Harvard professor Howard Gardner, who spoke about his concepts of five minds for the future, and his concerns that the disciplined mind will be threatened by an increasingly digital world.

In addition to thought provoking conversations and presentations like Howard’s, we were inspired by our time in break-out sessions. We attended workshops on timeboxing (which resulted in the brainstorm session pictured above), IP creation and marketing, and digital creativity tools. We took a lot away from each of these, and have already been putting new brainstorming practices to work at CloudKid HQ. All in all, the Sandbox Summit and the CMA Boston Kickoff event that followed were great opportunities for us to grow as content creators and connect with others who love what they do as much as we do.

Spinning off of the “digital” theme of the summit, here are some great online resources for those who were unable to attend the event in person. Enjoy!

• A great overview of the summit’s highlights from iArt4Kidz
• Another great synopsis from the Pittsburgh Kids & Creativity Network
• Sandbox Summit’s Twitter handle with takeaways from lots of attendees
• Event videos courtesy of Scott Traylor at 360 Kid

We think it goes without saying that here at CloudKid, we love making games. We also love playing games. We even love making sure our fellow cube-mates have seen this video for this really cool game that we’re playing. This one, on my screen. Look here. I’m serious. You need to – no stop doing that, download this game right now.

So, we decided we would share our wealth of information with you…as well as give us an excuse to talk about games.

Ray’s The Dead

What do you think of when you hear “zombies” and “80s”? I’m sure none of you thought of ‘Thriller’ and instead named Ragtag Studio’s newest game Ray’s The Dead. In this single player narrative-based game, you control Ray, who is a newly ‘born’ zombie, and work to answer the afterlife’s biggest questions. Such as: “How did Ray die and become a zombie?” Or more importantly: “Why is there a lightbulb sticking out of Ray’s head?” If we had the answers, we sure wouldn’t tell you. Because you have to play it for yourself! Silly…

Work to create a team of various-type zombies, each with certain important skills – because zombies are not all the same and we shouldn’t judge them. Gameplay combines stealth, puzzles and action with a 1980s setting and soundtrack. Will be released on PC, MAC and Linux and can currently be voted for on Steam Greenlight.

Delver’s Drop

Looking for a new RPG with adorable artwork? Of course you are. Then you should check out Pixelscopic’s Delver’s Drop – their latest 2D action game. Using their patented Randungeonization™, every dungeon that you play through is a unique experience with shifting layouts, maze-like pathways and treacherous traps. Clearly there is some navigation strategy and puzzle-solving involved, as well as replayability. You control a certain categorized ‘miscreant’ who is imprisoned in, well, a dungeon. Rogues, Sorcerers, Gladiators – you name it, they’ve probably got it. Each has unique weapon perks, movement and skills. But, beware. If you die, you face being thrown down…The Drop. Will be released on PC, MAC, Linux, iOS, Android and even OUYA late 2013 – early 2014. You can currently vote for Delver’s Drop on Steam Greenlight.

Tearaway

Exclusive to the Playstation Vita, Tearaway is an upcoming adventure game set in a colorful papercraft world. It promises to feature some innovative gameplay by utilizing the Vita’s various built-in features. For example, use the camera to map a pattern on a character or interact with the touch panel to literally push your fingers through the paper ground and affect the in-game environment. The game drops on October 22; check out the game in action or visit the official site for more screens and videos. You can even print out and fold your own paper Elk, if you’re not afraid of papercuts.

Super Time Force

Super Time Force is best described as playing a multi-character co-op game with… yourself. Despite time-travel game mechanics being a thing of the past (pun totally intended), Super Time Force reinvents it by allowing you to play alongside your prior self if you’ve died in a level. With your previously-dead characters and your present character, you team up with yourself and can save your previous self from dying or use it to progress through the level.

Alright, it’s hard to put the gameplay into words, but if you watch the trailer and a guy telling you what this game’s about, maybe you’ll get it. Maybe. Either way, just know the game features some awesome pixel art and a great sense of humor, so you should look into it and try to grasp its awesomeness. Coming to Xbox Live Arcade sometime in 2013.

Transistor

From the creators of Bastion, Transistor is Supergiant Game’s newest action RPG. Transistor features some incredible art and music, and despite looking very similar to Bastion, it introduces a new battle system that feels like a hybrid of turn-based and real-time combat. If Bastion was any indication, Transistor is going to look and sound amazing, so keep an eye out for its release sometime early 2014.

Ridiculous Fishing

I mean, this game is called Ridiculous Fishing, what more do you want. Cast your lure into the watery depths to pull up loads of fish, then shoot them out of the sky with your arsenal of firearms to get money for your catch – just like real fishing, but more ridiculous. The game rocks some amazing art and design, and is a solid catch for your iOS devices.

Blendoku

Taking some hints from the grids of Sudoku, Blendoku is all about putting colors in order and is definitely not as easy as it sounds. Added difficulty if you’re color blind…

It’s been a crazy busy couple of months at CloudKid HQ. We’ve been hard at work on a ton of exciting projects, and can’t wait to share more with you all in the upcoming months (we promise, the blog is officially coming out of winter hibernation!).

In the meantime, we couldn’t contain our excitement about one of our favorite organizations, Children’s Media Association, making its official Boston debut next week. CloudKid’s very own Dave Schlafman had the pleasure of presenting a talk to their NYC members back in December, and we’ve been itching for more CMA in our lives ever since!

Well, the wait is up, as CMA’s kicking off Boston membership with a happy hour mixer after Sandbox Summit next Tuesday. We’re honored to be involved in bringing this amazing organization to our city, and can’t wait to attend this and future events with fellow Boston-based kids’ media folks.

We hope to see lots of you there on Tuesday!

Moving episodic content off of the TV and into new formats is not a new idea; online streaming, DVDs and DVRs have undeniably changed how and when we watch shows. The real potential for innovation, though, lies in much more than the ability to watch the same content on a different platform… it’s about no longer being beholden to television, and its current monetization structure, in the first place.

With the successful launch of Netflix’s original, House of Cards, and the highly-anticipated release of cult-classic (and TV cancelled) Arrested Development, it’s clear that there is a market for original content to thrive off of the TV set. Children’s content is a natural component of this potential, as kids, perhaps more than any other demographic, clamor to watch and rewatch their favorites (and many parents would be willing to pay for subscription services to ensure their ability to do so). With Amazon Studios actively developing 5 pilots with key players in the children’s media space, and Netflix announcing a new original series to be created in partnership with DreamWorks, it’s clear that some key players have seen the potential, and are investing heavily in it. And last week’s Kidscreen made it clear to us and fellow attendees that other major companies (Hulu, Google) will also be throwing their hat in the ring for what promises to be the next wave of children’s original content.

Our biggest concern, and excitement, in all of this potential is to see whether or not this new, “original” content will actually be all that original. We strongly believe that web content has the potential to be so much more than 11, 22 or 45 minute instances of passive consumption of video content. With the new distributors relying on more of a subscription-based model for monetization (vs. ad money and international sales), the time to take risks, and give viewers fresh, ground-breaking content is now. We think there’s a ton of potential here for the power to shift into the relationship between content creators and viewers (as evidenced by Amazon’s asking for public opinion on which pilots to pick up for series). We hope the masses push for more innovative, unique formats that creators will love to make, and viewers will excitedly pay for. Who knows… traditional broadcasters may even be forced to follow suit if new stakeholders push the envelope for what viewers expect from innovative, cross-platform content.

Only time will tell if we’re going to continue to see more of a TV 2.0 on the web, or something truly “original”. Here’s hoping it’s the latter!

Last fall, we teased our work with Romotive and told you a little bit about Romo — the amazing smartphone robot whose character we helped bring to life. We’re excited to announce that Romo’s latest app hit the app store this week! This new update includes a lot of awesome work that we were proud to be a part of: Romo’s redesign, fun character animations, and a cool interface for seeing when other Romos are nearby.

If you haven’t already invested in a Romo, you can pre-order one now. We hope you have as much fun playing with the app as we did helping create it!

By this point, you’ve heard a lot about our beloved (albeit negative) little cloud, Nimbus. As we mentioned many-a-time, Negative Nimbus was our first self-published, original app release. We poured a ton of time, energy and love into the production, and learned a lot in the process of releasing it to the masses. And as they say, hindsight is 20/20, so we thought we’d share five key lessons we learned along the way:

1) Devote time, money and resources to marketing: While we put a lot of energy into outreach, we realized early on that marketing, like production, requires talent, expertise, and ultimately, a significant budget. While we were proud of what we were able to accomplish internally on our shoe-string budget, we’ll definitely be putting more strategic resources toward the marketing of future self-published titles.

2) Release on as many platforms as possible at once: We were eager to get our game into the hands of users ASAP, and went with a tiered release of iPad first, followed by iPhone/iPod and finally Android devices. This meant a lot of separate marketing pushes, and an overall spread-out of “buzz” and resources. If we could do it again, we’d wait it out and launch on multiple platforms at once, so everyone who hears about the game in a single marketing push has the ability to try it out.

3) Figure out a free strategy: For Thanksgiving, we decided to thank our supporters by going free for a few days. Our downloads that weekend were upwards of 15,000/day, which confirmed that free games have the potential to reach so many more users. While we still struggle with the best way to monetize free games (as most developers do), it’s something we’ll consider more thoughtfully now that we’ve really seen proof of the contrast between free and paid downloads.

4) Use resources smartly: Whether you’re a giant company, or a smaller independent studio like ours, it’s important to use your resources as effectively as possible. As we got further along in our marketing efforts, we learned what avenues were dead-ends, and conversely, where our efforts were paying off. In purchasing ad space, for instance, we quickly learned that one site in particular led to many more click-throughs than all the other sites we tried combined. This made it easy for us to specifically target that site in subsequent marketing pushes.

5) Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box: One benefit to being completely new to self-publishing was our willingness to take risks in our outreach efforts. Eager to learn, we tried everything from guerilla marketing posters with QR codes, to purchasing ad space on a variety of sites, to creating a weather utility app starring our characters for cross-promotion. We also played with the pricing structure, eventually introducing a lite version with a paid upgrade for all content. Our hunger to see what worked help us form relationships with key outreach partners and gain insights that will undoubtedly inform future efforts.

These are just a handful of the many lessons we learned through launching Nimbus. Perhaps our biggest takeaway, though, was in rethinking how we define success. While the app hasn’t left us flushed with cash, we view it as a huge success both in terms of quality of the content we produced and the impact it will have on our efforts as a studio moving forward.

Continuing our annual tradition of recapping the past year’s highlights, we put together a hit list for 2012. It was quite the year at CloudKid and included some amazing accomplishments:

• Finished production on Lunch Lab Season 3
• Won our 2nd Ready to Learn grant for Fresh Pick
• Launched our new company website
• Nominated for our 3rd straight Daytime Emmy
• Wrapped production on Scholastic Education’s iRead
• Launched Negative Nimbus, our first original mobile game
• Reached an average of 1 million unique visitors/month on the Lunch Lab site
• Won the award for best visuals/design at the Boston Festival of Indie Games
• Produced OZMAT, our 1st original web series (to be released in 2013)
• Launched the Hectic Harvest App for iOS and Android devices
• Produced our first game for Sesame Street, starring Count von Count
• Finished and launched Fresh Pick online and as a mobile app
• Got a new fridge (if you saw how small the old one was, you’d know this is big)
• Survived 12/21/12

As you can see, 2012 was a great year for us. We’re already full steam ahead into 2013’s projects, and are wicked psyched for another productive year here at CloudKid HQ. Stay tuned!

2013 is off to a great start at CloudKid HQ! We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of the “social app” we mentioned in last month’s post. Meet Emogo – the emotional avatar! While Twitter and Facebook provide information about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with, Emogo lets you share how you feel with your friends, family and followers in a fun, unique way. CloudKid helped conceptualize the product while also creating the branding, UI design and all artwork for the Emogo avatar assets. CloudKid partnered with NYC tech incubator, Soho Tech Labs on the creation of Emogo.

The streamlined “public beta,” which is only available via desktops and tablet browsers, allows people to create their Emogo avatar before the app is available. Stay tuned for more info on the official launch, and in the meantime, create and share your very own Emogo!