GAMERJIBE’S WORLD
By now you’ve binged all the latest shows, learned how to cook something, played way more video games than you ever thought you could, became your children’s teacher, and let the world know the top 10 albums that influenced your life, of course. While these have become the quarantine norm, there are organizations out there helping us connect more meaningfully despite being stuck indoors.
Instead of waiting for the next wave of virtual connectivity, Chicago/Austin based Gamerjibe is helping pave the way for people all over the world to connect virtually, without downloading an app, or buying a headset.. You read correct, Gamerjibe has created an entire virtual conference experience, currently a 4 day job fair packed with talks and sponsored booths where you’ll find (Nutrigmr, Hitmarker, US Marines, Geekletes, University of Oklahoma Esports Club, MediaTech Ventures, University of Texas Longhorn Gaming, and many more) that runs through this Thursday, all browser based.
So if you want to connect with 1,700+ professionals that have hit all the quarantine milestones, and want to connect more meaningfully, learn more here.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
8 tips for leaders looking to future-proof their experiential marketing techniques
From blending the digital and virtual worlds, to increased safety considerations, AdAge gives marketers sound advice on how to take their experiential efforts to the next level.
TikTok’s new CEO is top Disney exec who launched Disney Plus
Kevin Mayer has been with Disney for over 15 years. After launching Disney Plus, arguably one of 2019’s most successful product launches, he’s moved on. TikTok must have given him an offer he couldn’t refuse!
Startups: Avoid Competition
Startups are an efficient and exceptional application of innovation and marketing. Innovation is doing something distinct and new. Marketing is knowing what everyone else is doing and differentiating your experience to create value and customers. Meaning… don’t just do what competitors are doing.
Not, “avoid competition” in the sense of going out of your way to not be known to them. Instead, “avoid,” as in having anything directly and literally the same as competitors; if you’re just doing what other startups (or established companies) are doing, you’re making your own risk undertaken, more difficult. startup is a new venture in search of a business model.
Meaning, there isn’t a model for you to replicate and follow. There isn’t literally direct competition; if there was, you’d just be another of that. Read More.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- May 18-22 – Gamerjibe’s Virtual Job Fair (HAPPENING NOW)
- May 19-20 – Microsoft Build
- June 02 – The Future of Entertainment, Sports, and Socializing with Patrick Curry
Our friends at The Center For Creative Entrepreneurship have put together an incredibly comprehensive calendar for creative professionals! Check out their fantastic line up here.
Pioneer DDJ-SX3 Pro DJ Controller
If there is any silver lining at all to the pandemic that we are all going through, it’s that we have been given the opportunity to slow down, spend time with our families, sincerely appreciate the gift of life, and, in my case, figure out how to use that Pioneer DJ rig I absolutely had to have last September!
Nine weeks later, while suffering only from a mild case of cabin fever, I am emerging relatively healthy and in love with my DDJ-SX3.
Out of the Box
While the myriad lights and controls are initially somewhat intimidating, the learning curve isn’t steep. The inclusion of the Serato DJ software makes it relatively simple to be up and spinning in a relatively short time. I was able to set it up, connect my Monster Clarity One speakers & my Macbook and power everything up in under 30 minutes. While I’m not a professional DJ, it sure made me feel like one.
The Positives:
- The unit is well-built, feels solid & looks great.
- The controls are well-positioned and clearly identified.
- The DDJ-SX3’s mixer is usable as a standalone mixer with media players or turntables connected.
- The jog wheels are as good, though lacking tension control, a tension control knob would allow adjusting the tension to your liking, or the situation.
- The DDJ-SX3 is well-equipped when it comes to inputs & outputs.
The Negatives:
- You are ‘blessed’ with a temperamental, non-replaceable cross-fader.
- The DDJ-SX3 is only usable with Serato software, if you are a Traktor fan, you need to move over to the DDJ-1000.
- While it features 4 audio channels, you can’t use the 4 channels AND the microphones running through those channels at the same time.
- My personal peeve, you can’t easily lock the unit down on a keyboard stand or table. My solution was cable guides and cable ties.
The DDJ-SX3 specs and features, as listed on Amazon, are as follows:
- Three mic inputs, plus mic FX
- Dual USB ports; Frequency Range: 20 – 20000 Hertz
- Sound color FX including filter, echo, jet, and noise FX. Software System Requirements- Mac – macOS High Sierra 10.13 (updated to the latest version) macOS Sierra 10.12, OS X 10.11 (updated to the latest version). Windows – Windows 10, 8.1, 7 (the latest service pack). CPU – Intel processor Core i7, i5, i3: 1.07 GHz or above . Memory- 4 GB or more of RAM
- Professional design and intuitive controls including 16 multicolored performance pads, on-jog display, and clear visual of the player and mixer sections
- Unlocks Serato Pro dj software and Includes Serato pitch N time and Serato Flip
List Price: $1199.00 – Available on Amazon for $999.00
The Center For Creative Entrepreneurship
The Center for Creative Entrepreneurship at 2112 supports entrepreneurs in the creative industries through ongoing hands-on training, mentorship, networking events, boot camps, and archived content for both artists and creative entrepreneurs. CLICK HERE to learn more.
- DigitalOcean raises $50M more from Access Industries and a16z
- GO1, an enterprise learning platform, picks up $40M from Microsoft, Salesforce and more
- Podcaster Luminary seeks fresh cash to buoy struggling business
- Facebook Awards Black Press of America Publishers $1.3 Million in Relief Grants
- VR Ears Kickstarter Nears $200k in Last Week for Enhanced Audio on Quest, Rift S, & More
- Taiwan-based live streaming company M17 raises $26.5 million Series D led by Vertex Growth
- Glofox Raises $10M Additional Funding, Launches New Platform For Live Streaming and On-Demand Content For Gyms And Studios
Things That Make Us Say #HOTDAMN
MAR/AD TECH
- Scoop: Facebook to buy Giphy for $400 million
- Sephora sends $250 million North American media account to Publicis Groupe
- US Antitrust Regulators Are Poised for Google Crackdown
- 8 Tips for leaders looking to future-proof their experiential marketing techniques
- YouTube’s New Audience Activity Insights Are Now Available to All Creators, Video Chapters Now Opt-In
- Facebook and Twitter will have an hour to remove criminal content in France
- Chipotle Rolls Out Rebus Puzzle Lens on Instagram
- Papa John’s Rolls Out Giphy Sticker Pack Highlighting Shaquille O’Neal and Its New Papadia
- For NBCU there’s no perfect contingency plan if NFL doesn’t resume planned ad age tv pivot
- Condé Nast Pins Revenue Growth on new Data Offering
TV/FILM/VIDEO/NEWS
- Two Projects are filming again. Here’s how they’re doing it
- Quibi Is Struggling Because It Overestimated How Consumers Absorb Short Content
- Facebook’s social Zoom competitor Messenger Rooms goes live globally
- TV Viewing Is Up And Pluto, Tubi, Crackle And Others Are Getting Discovered By Viewers
- PR firms aim to take share from advertising and consulting in 2020
- HBO partners with Scener so you can have watch parties with remote friends
- Facebook Invests $1 Billion into New Sea Cable to Improve Internet Access
VIDEO GAMES
- Tencent to open AAA studio in North America
- Epic Games’ New Unreal Engine 5 Looks Pretty Incredible
- Minecraft still incredibly popular as sales top 200 million and 126 million play monthly
- A developer’s guide to releasing a game on Steam
- Xbox co-founder J Allard heads up Intellivision
AR/VR/MR
- Apple acquires NextVR, former virtual reality streaming video service
- Oculus surpasses $100 million in Quest content sales
- Virtual Work Platform Spatial Now Available Free On All VR & AR Devices
- Nvidia launches early access for Omniverse computer graphics and simulation platform
- Artivive Is Bringing Classical Works Of Art To Life In AR
- Oculus Outlines New VR Tools to Mark the 1-Year Anniversary of Quest
MUSIC/PODCAST/RADIO
- Spotify adds 12 new original podcasts in India and inks content partnerships with Radio City, Big FM, and AAWAZ.com
- Data Is Helping Drive How iHeart Podcasts Are Reacting To COVID-19
- Neilsen Launched Gracenote On Demand
- Spotify invites record labels into Spotify for artists, shutters Spotify analytics
- Live Nation Furloughs More Than 2,000 Employees
- UK songwriters & composers generated close to $1BN in music royalties last year
- Tencent Music Subscribers Grow 50% to 42.7 Million – Wall Street Isn’t Impressed
