Eric Veal (left) with his new co-workers Tim Songer, Lou Kinard and Brent Dunn
We are happy to announce that Eric Veal joined us as a web developer this past January. Eric has a B.S. degree in Computer Science from UNC Wilmington, as well as experience in building websites for a variety of commercial clients. We put his energy and experience to good use very quickly, as we have several big projects in production — on nearly identical delivery schedules. When he’s not glued to his computer here at IK, Eric enjoys gardening and aspires to drive a vegetable oil-powered VW bus.
Interactive Knowledge is working with the producers of American Experience, one of PBS’ longest running series, to create an interactive website for Freedom Riders. This film premiered at Sundance in January 2010 and will have a theatrical release before airing on PBS in January 2011. Freedom Riders retells a dramatic chapter in the civil rights movement that occurred during the spring and summer of 1961. The website will include an interactive timeline, many clips from the film and a unique opportunity to understand the context of key events that helped shape the future of the civil rights movement.
The Webby Awards began the judging process for its 14th Annual Webby Awards on December 14, 2009. The first-round judges are selected from a pool of previous Webby Award winners who have experience in the category areas. Interactive Knowledge was invited to participate, and Creative Director Lou Kinard began reviewing the vast array of entries in the “Websites,” “Interactive Advertising & Media” and “Online Film & Video” categories. As one might expect, the Webbys has an excellent online process for judging.
Would you be my neighbor? Mr. Rogers would be proud of this new project by WOSU Public Media and The Columbus Metropolitan Library, built by Interactive Knowledge. The “Columbus Neighborhoods” site will celebrate existing communities and create new ones online. Residents will be able to upload images and tell their stories, as well as create online neighborhood galleries. Utilizing social media technologies, such as tagging, RSS and comments, residents will also be able to comment on images contributed by other gallery members as well as receive personal updates (via RSS) when new content is contributed that fits their personal interest or neighborhood profile. This co-creation concept will help build bridges and connections across cultures within the Columbus metropolitan area. The site is scheduled for launch in February 2010.
The Smithsonian Institution has launched an ambitious redesign of their sites based on a visionary “Web & New Media Strategy.” This complete re-working of strategy and technology will take years to implement, so in the mean time the Smithsonian hired IK to do a “refresh” of their primary web portal. This refresh will utilize as much of the Web 2.0 technologies as possible within the existing infrastructure. Committees are being organized and team meetings begin in December at the Smithsonian.
My Source, a year-long public awareness campaign initiated by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), includes an online tool for PBS and NPR supporters to submit testimonials about their passion for public broadcasting. IK worked closely with CPB and Powell Tate, a DC-based PR firm, to create this tool and make it available for all PBS and NPR stations. The stations can copy code from the My Source site to include the testimonial collection tool on their website. Testimonials can include video, audio, photos and text. The testimonials are collected in a central database and are available for the stations and CPB to be shared in a variety of innovative ways.
And we are glad to have him back! After a couple of years touring the world with his “freak folk” band Vetiver, our boy Brent Dunn is back with IK full time. We were a little worried that he would be sucked into the vortex of fame and screaming fans — especially when David Byrne asked the band to play at Carnegie Hall — but thankfully he came to his senses and is ready to write some code. Brent will still be playing gigs around town and strumming his bass. Welcome home, Brent. We missed ya!
Below is a picture of Vetiver while on tour in Argentina. Brent is far right.
IK’s Creative Director Lou Kinard will be judging two national design competitions this year. The first is the electronic media category of the UCDA Design Competition for the University & College Designers Association in July. Then she’ll be judging for HOW Magazine’s 10th Annual Interactive Design Awards in September. In 2006, Lou served as a judge for the Communication Arts Interactive Annual 12.
Working Films, a nonprofit organization that is committed to linking documentary filmmakers with innovative activists, organizers and educators, is partnering with IK. The two firms will design and produce a series of easy-to-use online templates that offer filmmakers the tools they need to create an effective web site. The templates will focus on creating resources for outreach and offering film content including a searchable database of clips, information about the filmmakers and other interactive features.
