Press release e-Strips 4-12-2013
e-Strips: Standaard Uitgeverij and Ballon Media are joining forces to develop a digital platform for graphic novels and comics. Together with technology partner Crius and with the support of iMinds Mix, an innovative and unique comic platform is being created.
So what is the point of the e-Strips project? We want to provide a single place where readers can find digital copies of all graphic novels and comics, both recent and older titles. Even the series you no longer find in the shops these days, but which constitute an indispensible part of our comic culture. The objective is to develop one central platform with innovative tools for digitalising and enriching graphic novels. That way, various generations of readers will be treated to a unique, adapted reading experience.
Belgium has a rich tradition in the comic world. In the past, the newspapers provided a daily encounter with the many comic characters. Nowadays, all comic publishers are looking for new ways to reach large numbers of readers. After all, the number of digital readers is increasing, as is the number of foreign initiatives. As the biggest publishers, we consider it to be our responsibility to take the lead here: to aim for a single standard for the sector, which we set, not Silicon Valley or Beijing. The future of Belgian comics concerns us all, so Ballon Media and Standard Uitgeverij are joining forces to provide a unique place for comics, as part of Belgian cultural heritage, in the digital universe, too. Once this platform is up and running, it will be opened to all publishers.
Together we stand. The intention of e-Strips is to develop the means to provide comic publishers with the tools to get their products online themselves: digital distribution, digital enrichment, customised solutions based on the unique requirements of the consumer, the author and the product. For the technological aspect of e-Strips, we are collaborating with Crius. Our common ambition is to cost-effectively create the new digital comic of the future within the context of a viable business model. This project creates the opportunity to organise the centralised digital sale of comics and graphic novels. An innovative project that goes further than the current existing digital reading experience.
Together we stand. True innovation demands a new vision, which is why we are working with iMinds MiX, the Media Innovation Centre. They will be supervising the fleshing out of the e-Strips platform in collaboration with various universities and test users. What is the market potential, what are the technical requirements of the various target groups and how great is the willingness to pay for these new services?
Together we stand. We firmly believe that. The combination of the various partners enables the project to be elaborated upon in more detail and depth. That takes time and patience, but by the time of the 2014 book fair, we hope to be able to present the initial results of what promises to be a fruitful cooperation.
Extra: Film available from 9 December 2013 at http://www.iminds.be/nl/onderzoek/overzicht-projecten/p/detail/e-strips- 2
Contact: Ballon Media: Delegated Director - Alexis Dragonetti- tel +32 (0) 32 94 15 10 – email: [email protected]
Crius: Managing Director - Jurgen Willems – tel +32 (0) 15 75 07 50 – email: [email protected]
Standaard Uitgeverij, a division of WPG Uitgevers Belgium: Director - Peter Quaghebeur - tel +32 (0) 32 85 73 16 – email: [email protected]
More information on the companies:
About Ballon Media: Ballon Media was set up on 1 April 2008 with the aim of uniting the activities of De Ballon, a children’s book publisher with more than twenty years of experience, book distributer Balloon Books and the comic book label Mezzanine under a new umbrella. In 2010, the new publisher/distributer moved from Brussels to Antwerp, the home town of comic hero Jommeke.
Under the label Ballon Comics, Ballon Media publishes children’s and family comics with Jommeke as the flagship. The blond comic hero has been imbedded in Flanders’ cultural DNA for more than half a century now. In 2013, the publishing house instigated a major successful innovation operation, which is freshening up the look and feel of the series, concretised in an extensive publishing programme for the next few years. In addition to Jommeke, Ballon Comics also publishes youth comics such as Kid Paddle and Game Over, girls’ comics such as Dance Academy and Sisters, and gag strips, such as Voetbalgek and Wielergek. Under the Blloan label, Ballon Media also publishes singular graphic novels, paying particular attention to original Dutch-language talent.
Press release e-Strips 4-12-2013
Ballon Media not only distributes its own publications; it is also the exclusive Dutch partner of a string of renowned publishers, such as Dupuis (Largo Winch, Robbedoes, Lucky Luke), Dargaud (XIII, Blake & Mortimer), Le Lombard (Thorgal) and Glénat (Black Crow, Titeuf). In 2013, with its 40-strong team, Ballon Media will achieve a turnover of around 14 million euros. For more information: www.ballonmedia.be Facebook: www.facebook.com/ballonmedia - Twitter: @BallonMedia
About Crius : Crius was set up in 1989 and has since been active solely in the publishing sector. The company was originally started as setters (book composers) and, in recent years, has specialised in digital developments. As production partner, for example, Crius is responsible for not only the production of innumerable eBooks, but also the development of various outstanding apps and digital audio books.
Crius believes that the demand for digital products is bound to increase in the near future, but that paper books will always continue to exist. This hybrid model will be increasingly supported by solutions that not only offer the consumer ease of use but also enable the publisher to contact its end users directly. The development of this platform therefore fits in perfectly with Crius’ vision of the future.
With many years of experience in folio production and the knowledge of new technologies, this unites the best of two worlds in one company. Crius envisages this project acting as a catalyst to continue the growth it has experienced in recent years. For more information: www.crius-group.com - Twitter: @ Jurgen_Willems
About Standaard Uitgeverij, a division of WPG Uitgevers Belgium : WPG Uitgevers Belgium is a division of WPG Uitgevers and is home to the publishing houses Manteau, De Bezige Bij Antwerp and Standaard Uitgeverij. With our publishers, you will find stories that make you think, cry or laugh. Stories that make you look at the world in a different way and, above all, inspire you to live life as intensively as possible.
For almost a century now, Standaard Uitgeverij has been the trusted publishing house for the greatest comic series in the lowlands. The stories from such familiar figures as Suske & Wiske [Luke & Lucy], De Kiekeboes, Urbanus, De Rode Ridder [The Red Knight], F.C. De Kampioenen, Nero and The Smurfs have been winning the hearts of young and old for decades. Moreover, Standaard Uitgeverij prioritises surprise, innovation and amazement. The fully animated applications De Stuivende Stad (Suske &Wiske) and Allemaal Eendjes (De Kiekeboes) are the living proof that this approach is also appreciated by the public at large. The same principles are reflected in our publishing policy, with the recent example of the highly successful launch of the parallel series of Suske & Wiske: Amoras. We plan to keep surprising you in the future, too. For more information: www.wpg.be- - Facebook: www.facebook.com/wpguitgeversbelgie - Twitter: @wpguitgeversbe
About iMinds and its Media Innovation Centre (MiX): iMinds, the Flemish digital research centre, pools the strength of its 800+ researchers and five Flemish universities for strategic and applied research in domains such as ICT, Media and Health. Together with its research partners (companies, governments and non-profit organisations), iMinds translates digital knowhow into concrete products and services. iMinds also advise researchers, young entrepreneurs and start-ups in successfully marketing their ideas. The iMinds Media Innovation Centre (MiX) is the central contact point for innovation in the Flemish media sector. The MiX was set up on 1 January 2012 to meet the challenges entailed in the rapidly-changing media scene and international competition, together with Flemish audiovisual and printed media. To achieve that aim, the innovation centre studies (international) media trends and shares knowledge with the Flemish media industry. iMinds MiX also offers a platform – and extensive partner network – for cooperating with media and technology companies on joint research projects. For more information: http://www.iminds.be/nl and http://mix.iminds.be