Brave Media Ventures expands into original content
As the media landscape continues to change and expand, providing more avenues for consumers to watch media, the demand for content increases. Brave Media Ventures, a New York City based media advisory and investment firm, has responded to those changes by launching a new content investment and creation arm, titled Brave Story Ventures. The new “venture” has signed on with United Talent Agency and will be led by Jen Kavanagh, formerly of NBCUniversal-owned, Oxygen network.
For Brave Media, the foray into content represents a risk; content creation can be expensive and the market is competitive. But, the widening of media consumption outlets helps to both mitigate that risk and increase potential rewards. As more users move to the internet, and as OTT providers expand, the demand for content will only go up.
Brave Media already works with a variety of clients, from major brands to emerging players, and will utilize their “proprietary methodology to source, develop and package content with high multi-platform and audience engagement potential.” Brave Story has committed to develop projects with high social engagement potential, developing “a range of content with culturally relevant themes, characters and stories.”
Brave Media’s background and previous experience places them in a terrific position to capitalize on this changing industry. As Brave Story chief, Kavanagh explains, “we now have the power to invest in and develop original premium content from creators with powerful and authentic voices….” Kavanagh will work with a powerhouse team, including Brave Media co-founders David Beck (formerly of Univision and Bain & Company), Jesse Redniss (formerly of USA Network) and Gary Vaynerchuk (CEO, Vayner Media).
Already, Brave Story has three interesting projects in the pipeline. These include such novel ideas like “Foodstock,” which will pair celebrity chefs with musical artists to bring awareness to various organizations working to battle hunger. Another is “Ella the Engineer,” about a spirited 12 year old coder, which will be geared towards families. And the third is a documentary on Clarence Jones, one of America’s most important, yet unknown civil rights icons. The projects are varied and address issues that are important today especially for younger generations.
As Kavanagh notes, with the changes in OTT, “there’s never been a greater demand for great content than now.”
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