By Nancy Dahlberg / ndahlberg@miamiherald.com
Even with trends as hot as food, it’s important to take a different path, said Anthony Bourdain, chef, writer and host of Parts Unknown on CNN during a packed keynote at SXSW Interactive. “Food porn, like any porn, is the same shot, same format, I was looking to do things differently. … I thought it [his shows] would last a year, now 16 years later… I think I benefited by not being just the other guy.”
The creator of USA Network’s hit series MR ROBOT set out to make coding look authentic, and the way he did that was to, well, be authentic about it. All the code they show on the show is real. Actors Christian Slater and Rami Malek and the show’s creator, Sam Esmail, shared war stories about the USA network show that launched at SXSW last year and is now going into its second season. But they weren’t dropping any details about Season 2. Stay tuned!
What’s the biggest issue facing the media industry? “Doing quality work,” said VOX Media CEO Jim Bankoff. Content is king, and it is all about authenticity.
Instead of more general sites such as competitors Buzzfeed and Vice, Vox has a number of distinct brands including The Verge, Re/code, Curbed and Eater, each serving a very passionate readership. In story telling, data should inform but not drive content decisions based on what the media entity’s talent brings to the table, he said. Still, the road to monetization is still under construction, but he said he is confident about the platforms of the future.
Monday, The Verge will do its first virtual reality interview – with Michelle Obama. So grab your Google Cardboard and watch, he said.