Mercury Active Affirms New Role in Interactive Entertainment

Mercury Active's new website has been up and running for about a month now. The freshest unit to branch off of indie entertainment company Mercury Filmworks Ottawa, ON), Mercury Active is a multiplatform content development, production, and media exploration group whose philosophy requires nothing but the highest "emotional resonance of television with the personal and social interaction of online and mobile networks." For Mercury Active, it's about more than simply transitioning traditional properties into the digital space, it's about establishing a harmonic content strategy whose flexibility and intelligence bobs and weaves as much as its client does.

Mercury Filmworks, founded in 1997, is familiar to the animation community through its contributions to Stella and Sam, Jimmy 2 Shoes, Curious George, Producing Parker, and several other titles. Mercury Active aims to help clients leverage brands over the next stage of interactive content. To put it simply, the demand for tablet applications, engaging minisites, and social media tie-ins is huge, and there are too few companies with the knowledge or experience to understand how (and why) all of these can come together all nice and neat.

Audience connectedness through branded storytelling is important, but do you use an online game, an iOS app, or something else entirely? Online advertising is far from straightforward, so do you budget only for banner ads, video inserts, or something else entirely? According to Mercury Active, it's all about breaking down the data, knowing how to adapt with purpose, and "believ[ing] in the power of the idea."

The company is currently at work on various entertainment properties with partners that include Cartoon Network, Disney Europe, eOne Kids, American Greetings, TELETOON Canada, and YTV.

Glenn Bakie is guiding the company. As President of Mercury Active, Bakie is responsible for Mercury Active's day-to-day operations as well as leading the company's growth strategy as an interactive studio. Bakie's art and technology specialists reportedly have what it takes to tackle everything from motion comics to mobile gaming to brand identity and graphic design.

"Glenn brings the experience, creative energy, and leadership skills necessary to bolster this exciting new business," Clint Eland, President, Mercury Filmworks, commented regarding the future of the new group.

"I look forward to working with the Mercury Active team as Mercury Filmworks expands its creative frontier to include active content."