Blink and Deepend form interactive TV production venture

Blink Productions and the digital design company Deepend are

launching an interactive TV production company.

Sleeper, a 50/50 joint venture, will take advantage of the changing

media landscape, producing interactive communications for any platform

from digital TV to the internet.

The company, which will be headed by James Studholme, the managing

director of Blink, and Peter Beech, the managing director of Deepend,

will be run initially out of Blink’s offices. However, there are plans

for it to operate as a standalone company.

Sleeper will target ad agencies and clients, encouraging them to think

more about the creative opportunities offered by new technology.

Studholme said: ’The traditional TV commercial is going to lose some of

its market to communications which have a dialogue with consumers.

However, creatives are reluctant to embrace the changes as they

currently find the technology too restrictive. We are trying to

de-mythologise it and prepare them for when the really exciting things

start happening.’

Sleeper is concentrating on raising awareness but expects to have

projects underway by the end of the year.

’This is not all going to happen tomorrow. There will be a period of

educating and working with agencies to bring them and their clients up

to speed,’ Beech said.

This article was first published on Campaign