Archive for September, 2010

The Power of the Story

Posted by ruckusholly on September 27th, 2010

by Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Group Marketing Specialist

9/27/2010

We believe in the power of the story here at Ruckus Mobile Media.  It’s built into the human psyche.  We learn from fictional tales and identify with the characters in the stories, some of whom remain with us our whole lives.

According to marketing pro Seth Godin this week on his blog, people are moved by stories, drama, hints, clues and discovery.  We know that our offerings have all the features of a good story, and so much more.  Words, pictures, music and dynamics made possible by touch screen technology are woven together to tell original stories to entrance and expand children’s imaginations.  Stories stay with a child forever, and what better way to be introduced to a classic tale than on the iPhone, iPad, Droid or other mobile media platform?  It’s the wave of our children’s futures.

In addition, we don’t believe that the quality of the old has to be sacrificed for the new, which is why the titles you see in the screen shots below – The Velveteen Rabbit, John Henry, Pecos Bill, Tom Thumb and Johnny Appleseed  – are the first of our stories to launch.  You’ll recognize these stories from your childhood.  They’re the stories you want your children to grow up with, simply retouched to include high quality animation and additional features such as voice recording, games and interactivity.

By featuring well-known narrators (perhaps you recognize a few of them?  Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington and Robin Williams are among the names) and music by renowned musicians (B.B. King and Elvis Costello, to name a few), each story is destined to be a unique experience for you and your child – one that your child will enjoy over and over again.

Here are some screen shots from the first five releases set to launch in the upcoming weeks. We love how they’re coming together and can’t wait until you experience them for yourselves.  If you are itching for more, please check out our videos on You Tube.  We’d love to get your feedback when you do.

Why Smart Phones and Moms Go Hand in Hand

Posted by ruckusholly on September 25th, 2010

by Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Group Marketing Specialist

9/22/2010

Here at Ruckus, we’re keenly aware of the fact that smart phones and moms go together like peanut butter and jelly, just like the sandwiches they make for their kids. Moms are the CEO’s of their families. They’re in charge of scheduling, shopping, planning activities, keeping kid’s routines and making sure that everyone is busy and happy. Then there’s the smart phone, which, like the mom, is the keeper of contacts, calendars, email and other useful applications to track everyday life. Some moms keep their shopping lists on their phones while others keep track of their calorie counts. Many use it for personal entertainment – listening to their favorite music while they work or exercise, browsing the Internet or using entertainment apps.

Now that apps are getting mLyla with iPhoneore and more educational, moms can use their phones to entertain their children, and moms don’t have to feel guilty about passing their phone to their kids. Many apps introduce a child to the world of reading, improve reflexes, critical thinking and good decision-making skills. At the end of this month, we’re launching five classic story apps that will suit moms on the lookout for digital apps that are both entertaining and educational. And totally “guilt-free”.

According to a survey by mobile advertising network, Greystripe, last year, 59% of iPhone moms surveyed let their children use their iPhone and 41% of moms who own iPhones download apps specifically for their children to use. Our guess is that the percentage of moms who pass their devices to their kids has grown even higher in the last year, particularly with the introduction of the iPhone 4, this past April’s launch of the iPad and the increasing popularity of Android phones. If you look around, like our founder Rick Richter mentioned in his message the other day, you’ll find kids tapping on iPads and iPhones all over the place. We’ve spotted kids using these devices in restaurants, on airplanes, in waiting rooms, in coffee shops, at the mall. Step into any smart phone store and half the clientele consists of youth and teenagers exploring the various products, planning their next purchase.

The “guilt-free” classics that we’re releasing as digital apps at the end of the month include these Play-Read-and-Record-Along animated stories:

• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table, told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor, music by Elvis Costello
• The Velveteen Rabbit, told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson, music by George Winston
• Johnny Appleseed, told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson, music by Mark O’Connor
• Pecos Bill, told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin, music by Ry Cooder
• John Henry, told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson, music by B.B. King

As the count-down to launch begins, we’re asking our readers, who are some of your favorite authors or illustrators that you would like to see tell stories in this new medium? Please send your ideas to holly@ruckusmediagroup.com.

Message from Rick

Posted by allyson on September 20th, 2010

9/14/2010

What Ruckus Stands For

Words from Rick Richter, Founder and CEO

Our official launch last week has sent such a positive vibe through the office and throughout the industry. Kudos have come from friends around the world, and as much as I would like to take a deep breath and relax, we’ve got a long way to go to earn the trust of parents and to exceed the expectations of our talented authors, illustrators, actors, musicians and all those who have poured their heart and soul into their work with us. This company has been built around exceptional people with exceptional ideas so I’m calm, or at least as calm as an entrepreneur ever gets in the first days of a company. But starting a company is sort of the business version of the Olympics – even for fairly experienced business people like my partner Jim Young and myself. It takes immense dedication, long hours, true patience and bravery.

I came up with the idea for Ruckus when I looked around in restaurants and in doctor’s offices and saw moms and dads handing their iPhones to their children. It looked to me like this new medium was here to stay, and I wondered how to combine it with my years in book publishing and all of my talented friends in the industry. Creating digital, interactive storybook apps parents can trust seemed like a natural solution and voila! Ruckus Media Groupwas born. But it wasn’t until I had affirmation from parents themselves (Jim being one of them) that I had the nerve to start the ball rolling. The company is already blessed with many friends, and I’ve been astounded by those in my past who stood up to be counted with me. It feels so good.

Since early summer, Jim and I have looked to employ people that are smart, mission driven, and want to be involved with work that matters.  Our employees are students, moms, and entrepreneurs. On our first official day, I spoke to the staff to tell everyone what I thought Ruckus should stand for. We believe in mutual respect; we believe in trusting people to do their jobs as they trust us to do ours. We believe in working hard but in giving our employees their own span of control. Our employees often work remotely – from home with a baby in their lap, or their dorms, or on their living room couches, because I believe, in this digital age, people can be productive in that environment.

I also strongly believe in a work/life balance and even (this will surprise you) in turning the computer off for a time each week – a sort of digital Sabbath. Play the harmonica, talk a walk in the woods, visit with your mother. Unplug. When you plug back in, you’ll have lived in the world and appreciate what we do even more. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve created 14 full and part time jobs here in CT, and I hope with your help we can create many more.

As we launch our apps and grow our organization, the customer will always be our boss.  We need your feedback — be it positive or negative.  I want to know what you like, what you don’t like, what we can do better. We see Ruckus as a community of parents and caregivers that doesn’t end at our door.  We will listen.  We will respond. If you like what you see, and would like to volunteer to be part of our Digital Focus Groups and test the beta versions of our apps, please contact Allyson Kane on our staff at Allyson@ruckusmediagroup.com.

Thanks for your help in making a Ruckus.

With warm regards,

Rick Richter

Busy, Busy Bees

Posted by ruckusholly on September 15th, 2010

by Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Group Marketing Specialist

9/15/2010

Our office was buzzing with activity yesterday as the news of our announcement went public.  Clearly, kid-friendly and family-friendly apps are becoming more sought after.  Here at Ruckus HQ, we’re all very excited about the birth of our brand, and about the early reactions.  Everyone in the office is gearing up for our first release date on September 28th, which includes five classic tales that we all know and love.

Here’s what some of the media had to say about us:

 

The Wall Street Journal wrote that “The launch illustrates how quickly the digital publishing landscape is changing.”

Publisher’s Weekly wrote that “Not only are Ruckus Media titles priced aggressively at $3.99 per title, but the apps are designed to be interactive and will offer periodic upgrades of additional digital content at no extra cost.”

Media Bistro’s eBooknewser said that “With the popularity surrounding some kids book apps like Oceanhouse Media’s Dr. Seuss apps, it seems that kid’s books are taking off in the app world these days. Today a new company called Ruckus Media Group, which calls itself “a global family entertainment company,” announced its entry into the market.”

We were also featured in Shelf Awareness and our press release hit the airwaves across the globe.

So many of you sent us messages to congratulate us on Facebook and Twitter which made the launch all the more sweeter for us.  Thank you for that!

Don’t forget to join us on Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon, Digg, Mixx or Flickr for all our updates and news!

It’s On! We’re Live!

Posted by ruckusholly on September 14th, 2010

By Holly Fink, Ruckus Media Group Marketing Specialist

9/14/2010

Ruckus Media Group Office

What do Meryl Streep, John Cleese, the first ever National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jon Scieszka, best-selling author Andrew Clements, and publishing executives Rick Richter and Jim Young have in common?  They’re working together to bring classics to the digital age.

In the coming weeks, Ruckus Media Group is inviting a whole new generation of readers to fall in love with the stories we ourselves loved as kids with high-definition apps for the iPhone, iTouch and iPad, as well as the planned launch of Android later this year.

Publishing veterans Richter and Young founded Ruckus on the core value of producing wholesome, family-oriented entertainment that spurs imaginations and enriches minds.  And they created a strong team to build the company from the ground up (above, you can see some of them working out of our temporary space in Norwalk, Connecticut).

We started out by lining up renowned literary talent including Jon Scieszka, best-selling author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales; Rosemary Wells, author of countless books for young children including the popular Max & Ruby series; Andrew Clements, author of the 2.5 million copy bestseller Frindle; Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery award-winning author of the now-classic Sarah, Plain and Tall and so many others.

We’ve also rounded up an impressive list of Hollywood personalities as narrators — among them Robin Williams, Denzel Washington, Danny Glover, John Hurt, Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close — to bring classic stories to life on digital apps.

Of course, music also plays a key role, as it does in most things these days.  The first five releases alone feature songs by respected musical artists B.B. King, Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello and George Winston.

To stay up on our current apps, be sure to check out our blog.  We’ll also let you know what’s in development, share industry trends, guest posts and more.

So are you ready to raise a Ruckus?! Bookmark us! Follow us on Twitter, YouTube and/or Flickr.  Become a fan on Facebook!