HALO 4 Forward Unto Dawn - only on Machinima

by Kevin Doohan

Machinima and Microsoft collaborated to create and distribute something amazing this month.  Microsoft produced a BEAUTIFUL web series as a prelude to the November 6 HALO 4 game release.  This is quite possibly the most beautiful scripted drama I've ever seen produced for the internets.

The first couple episodes were bumming me out.  They were kind of like something you would see on the CW.  Teen angst in the military academy....yawn.  This is HALO!  Where is the action?  Episode 3 delivered though.  The action really picked up because the Covenant arrived.  I've seen episodes 4 and 5 as well and let me tell you, they're even better.  The episodes are MUST WATCH for any HALO fan and they can be enjoyed by anyone even if you're not a HALO fan.

Episode 1 just broke through 5 million views.  Episode 2 is at 2.7 million views and Episode 3 is already at 1.4 million views within 2 days of publishing.  Check out episode 3 embedded below or if you want to see the whole series, which I highly recommend, you can do that here.

the new gig: EVP, Marketing at Machinima

by Kevin Doohan

I left Red Bull about 3.5 months ago.  I detailed how I was feeling at the time in my "on to the next one" post.  I was really excited about focusing 100% of my energy on finding what's next.  Searching for a job without a job was an excellent experience and I highly recommend it.  My search gained incredible traction once I made it my highest priority.

As part of my search, I reconnected individually with hundreds of friends.  I shared my experience and ambition with over a dozen recruiters and I talked with many companies about their needs and how I might fit in.  Each of these conversations provided valuable data points and informed my perspective and helped me define the perfect next step for my career.  I am SO THANKFUL to everyone who contributed to the experience.  I truly appreciate it.  

In August, I found the right choice for me.  It leverages my past experience and provides exciting new opportunities.  I found a team who is inspired and who is defining the future of media.  I found a marketing leadership position in a company that truly understands the value I can deliver.  I'm proud to share that I have accepted the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Marketing at Machinima.  In my role at Machinima, I oversee all marketing for the company: PR/communications, trade marketing, research, brand marketing, internal promotions, social media, external promotions, partnerships, licensing, etc...

On August 22, when I was in the interview process with Machinima, I tweeted "do you know machinima?  you should."  I was impressed by Machinima's performance as I researched the company.

I'm so excited about this new role.  Machinima has already established immense scale.  The Machinima network drove over 2.1 billion video views to 191 million visitors in July 2012.  The audience and content delivered is huge and it keeps getting bigger.  What's most compelling in my opinion though is the engagement of the Machinima audience.  Comscore says that Machinima drove over 83 minutes of video/viewer on YouTube in July.  None of the competition was even close.  IMAGINE what Machinima can accomplish with a dedicated focus on marketing led by an experienced, passionate brand marketer.

I realized last week that I was watching Machinima before I had any idea that I'd end up joining the team.  In April, my friend David Teicher (@aerocles) tweeted an awesome PAC-MAN fan video.  I watched it, I also thought it was great, and I retweeted David.  The tweet and the video are embedded below.  

The embed below is the trailer for Season 1 of RCVR, a fantastic web series produced by Machinima.  RCVR premiered on September 21, 2011 and the first season was sponsored by Motorola Mobility.  The web series was well received by consumers and the press.  The industry responded as well.  RCVR was nominated for 12 2012 International Academy of Web Television Awards and won three: Best Dramatic Series, Best Male Lead, and Best Cinematographer.

Want to know what's next at Machinima?  The Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn web series is what I'm most excited about.  I play HALO Reach so that's part of it.  But even more, I believe that distributed on the Machinima network and using all the promotional tools at our disposal, this can be the biggest series ever regardless of medium.  We can beat TV numbers for this one.  The story and production quality are tremendous.  Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is kind of a big deal.

I've been at Machinima for exactly a week.  I'm inspired by the many opportunities we have and I am committed to evolving Machinima into a "super brand".  Stay tuned.  It's gonna be awesome.