By Charisse Massay
Honkworm.com is a digital entertainment studio developing and producing
online series for other companies such as Budweiser, MTV, FOX, Nike,
Lucent and Playboy. The site is a simple one, with several links leading
to key parts of the company. The layout of the homepage is uncluttered
but pleasant. There is a frame around the text composed of multicolored
squares that flash with characters of the online shows. The links
include 'Company,' 'Shows,' 'Clients,' 'Press' and 'Contact'. There
are other hidden links that appear when you click on these few including
'Business,' 'Bios' and 'Jobs.'
'Business' leads you to the strategy of the company, a mixture of
syndication, sponsorship, contact development partnership and cross
media. Because of the content of this class, I spent time considering
the 'Cross Media' link. Honkworm claims to be "smart about convergence"
combining 'traditional media, interactive games and software technology
professionals." In my experience with media convergence, interactive
games and software technology professionals are not included in the
definition. I began to search the website for evidence of other media
that Honkworm is involved in. I found that the company plans to expand
its customer base by branching out into television series as well
as merchandising opportunities. These comments were very vague regarding
the company's involvement with media other than the internet. Granted,
Honkworm sells its series to television networks but I did not feel
that they had a direct connection with the medium of television or
any others.
'Company' was a basic description of what Honkworm offers to its
clients as well as its online viewers. The shows are made for internet
viewing and therefore each episode is a complete, self-contained story.
The 'bios' section allows you to read the short history of each person
in the executive team and the board of advisors. 'Clients' gives you
a list of 31 companies that have created partnerships with Honkworm.
There is no link to the clients' webpages or to the product created
by Honkworm for the client, I thought that these options would have
been a nice feature.
The shows featured online are two sample episodes of five series
that have been completed by Honkworm. These shows include Dog in
a Box with 2 Wheels, Fishbar and Siliconites. At the end
of last year, Honkworm announced that Violence of the Lambs,
a specific episode of Fishbar, was an official selection for
the first ever 2001 Sundance Online Film Festival. Through 'Press,'
you can access online press clippings that highlight the company's
achievements from 1998 to 2001. Honkworm has been featured in Wired,
New York Times, US News and World Report, and Animation World Magazine.
The 'Contact' link allows the creative user to send his or her work
to Honkworm to be evaluated. There is an online submission form and
contact information for their Seattle, LA and New York offices. 'Jobs'
is a listing of available positions within the company.
Honkworm.com seems to be aimed at the potential client but for the
casual internet surfer, their shows are funny and very entertaining.