Wikipedia

Draft:Miroma Project Factory

Miroma Project Factory edit

Miroma Project Factory (MPF), previously The Project Factory (TPF), is a digital creative and development agency. It was founded in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and has since expanded globally, operating independently until 2015, when it was purchased by Way To Blue, who were themselves purchased by Miroma Group in 2018.[1] In 2021, the company formally changed its name to Miroma Project Factory.

History edit

TPF was founded by Guy Gadney and Annette Parry from the division of the initial company, The Format Factory, which was created simultaneously in partnership with Gary Hayes. In 2009, Jennifer Wilson joined the company as a third co-founder. The agency initially focussed on virtual worlds for a range of diverse clients, including Telstra,[2][3][4] ABC[5][6] and Accenture US. Their work was some of the early metaverse work, and they specialized in blending live action in a virtual environment.

The company’s early work was often on the ‘bleeding edge’ of technology, hacking devices and new systems to find new ways to allow people to interact with content. This included hacking the interface to the Microsoft Kinect in 2010 and hooking this up with a 3D-created virtual object to allow mid-air hand gestures to manipulate and control virtual objects. This technology was subsequently paired with an early developer release of the Oculus Rift DK1 headset to provide a virtual reality experience using hand gestures as an interface. Additionally, the use of GigaPan high-resolution imagery allowed the company to explore new ways of expanding images – which they subsequently used for a series of detective-related TV extensions for Foxtel channel 13th Street.[7]

The company received many accolades and awards for its work, including Production Company of the Year, The Encore Awards 2010 and The Project Factory –, Production Company of the Year 2013, and Australian Mobile Awards, while Jennifer Wilson was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the AIMIA Awards 2013.

In 2011, they opened a UK office, hiring Kirsty Hunter to head this. UK work strengthened the company's position in both the film and TV sector and as an early proponent of social media for fan engagement.

For several years, the company worked on projects at the intersection of film and TV, notably doing early work linking social media, mobile and interactive experience to screen properties. Their work for ‘Making Australia Happy’ in 2010[8] was the first occasion of an online audience exceeding that of the TV series. UK-led projects included an extension to the Ken Loach film The Spirit of 45[9] and multi-award-winning work for Great British Property Scandal.[10]

RTL Collaboration edit

In 2011, MPF entered into a development deal with RTL Group to conceive and produce an innovative transmedia experience with commercial potential. The platform developed was used by RTL Netherlands for two seasons of Gode Tijden, Slechte Tijden (Good Times, Bad Times). The first Wie is Tim (Who is Tim)[11] proved that pre-releasing content on digital boosts audiences – the first episode of the new season was released via the app one week prior, but the subsequent TV audience was up by 25%.[12] SpringLevend[13] achieved almost twice the downloads and, again, showed pre-releasing episodes via digital platforms brings further benefits – with 1.8 million viewers for the season finale, but over 2.25 million watched the first episode on television, with 400,000 views in the app taking place prior to airing.

Sherlock and Downton Abbey edit

Appisodic was also used to deliver similar experiences for Offspring: Moving In,[14] Home And Away: Who Shot Charlotte?[15] and Sherlock: The Network,[16] based on the BBC series, which was critically acclaimed,[17][18][19] with over 1 million downloads, released on the Amazon App Store, and debuted in Chinese in partnership with Apple China and Tencent. The app was nominated for multiple awards, including a Cannes Lions, Digital Emmy, Develop Award, a WSA Award and a UK Mobile App Design Award.[20]

The UK division specialised in building personal relationships between fans and a show’s characters, managing the social media Ripper Street, QI, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo, Downton Abbey and The Last Kingdom – the last two for NBCUniversal’s Carnival Films. Their work was recognised with a Bronze Lovie Award in 2014.[21]

Ownership Changes edit

In 2015, Gadney and Parry relocated to Oxford for family reasons, necessitating the sale of the company. TPF was acquired in November of that year by social entertainment agency Way To Blue, primarily to secure work with Universal and Carnival in London. There needed to be more understanding of the development work undertaken by the Australian head office, which increasingly focussed on the Health and Wellbeing space. Wilson remained CEO, and in June 2017, Katherine Jade Robinson was hired as her successor. Wilson remains attached to the company as a contractor and advisor. Under Robinson, the company continued to grow and expanded to the US in 2021.[22]

In November 2018, Miroma Group acquired Way To Blue, including TPF. TPF subsequently rebranded as Miroma Project Factory but retained the previous domain. Work with the Miroma Group, notably through the Ventures arm in the US, expanded the company’s global reach, with a significant number of new clients in the eCommerce space and start-up space.

Health and Wellbeing edit

From 2014 onwards, TPF strengthened its focus on health - something it would increasingly become better known for. Working with Universal McCann’s behaviour change specialist, Richard Chataway,[23] MPF designed and developed Quit Now: My Quitbuddy. The app was critically acclaimed[24] and highly awarded,[25] including global recognition for effectiveness. The app was assessed against a range of other smoking cessation techniques and rated as six times more effective than any other form of intervention.

The application of game mechanics to develop better habits, a form of digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, underpinned much of the work in this space. An early collaboration with CSIRO on Smarter, Safer Homes[26] led to other projects, including a weight loss app[27] and Active TKR,[28] a randomised control trial using a similarly gamified experience to encourage people scheduled to have a total knee replacement to undertake a range of activities aimed at improved recovery times.

Other clinical projects included Reducction,[29] a three-year RCT for The George Institute for Global Health,[30] StandingTall for Neuroscience Research Australia, with MPF continuing to work on the commercialisation of this world-leading solution[31] and Compass by CSIRO, a clinical trial designed to assess when undertaking a co-design process with target users would result in the design of an app which has increased take-up and adherence by users.

Other health and wellbeing projects have included a trio of apps for the Woolcock Institute, developed in partnership and with the support of Philips Respironics.[32] These focussed on people with insomnia, shift workers who needed to manage variable sleep cycles and a third product researching other clinical apps in this space.

Current Work edit

The focus on health and wellbeing extended to broader ‘social good’, and the company undertook projects with disabled veterans, people with autism, girls needing to boost their confidence in careers in STEM and climate change.

Two challenging projects undertaken include AVOW, an app targeting perpetrators of domestic violence with self-reflection and coaching and light touch CBT[33] and S-Check[34] for St Vincent's Hospital Stimulant Treatment program to help them understand and track their meth use.[35]  

The company’s core work remains split between social good/health and wellbeing work, broader commercial work, and creative-related projects. Recent projects have included microsites for IMAX and Disney, destinations for Laika and auteur games developer Hideo Kojima, and Augmented Reality experiences for brands such as Just Water and The Intercontinental Hotel group. In the health and wellbeing space, partnerships with research organisations, including CSIRO and NeuRA, included work on projects around Type II Diabetes and Atrial Fibrillation for CSIRO, building on MPF’s Compass platform, and working on a home-based solution for Neura’s clinically proven falls reduction program, StandingTall. This last work includes working to commercialise the product from branding to marketing to a scalable and stable product.

References edit

  1. ^ "The Miroma Group acquires Way To Blue". The Drum. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  2. ^ "BigPond Enters Second Life". tomorrow's playground. 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ "Despite reports, Telstra and Second Life remain inseparable". iTnews. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  4. ^ Hearn, Louisa (2009-11-17). "BigPond pulls plug on Second Life". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  5. ^ "ABC Island a new destination in Second Life". About the ABC. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  6. ^ "ABC Island to Close". Second Life Community. 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  7. ^ "Foxtel channel 13th Street to launch interactive multi-platform 'Precinct 13' mystery experience this Thursday via Envelop Entertainment". Campaign Brief. 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  8. ^ "Making Australia Happy – the TV Series". Positive Psychology News. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  9. ^ Mitchell2013-03-04T13:35:00+00:00, Wendy. "Digital spin-off for Loach's Spirit of '45". Screen. Retrieved 2023-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "An award for the Great British Property Scandal". mySociety. 2013-07-04. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  11. ^ GTST: Who is Tim?, 13 April 2013, retrieved 2023-11-24
  12. ^ Dredge, Stuart (2012-10-10). "Liveblog: Why fans are a TV company's most precious asset". MIPBlog (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  13. ^ Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden: Spring Levend English - Advertising with RTL, 10 April 2014, retrieved 2023-11-24
  14. ^ Magazine, B&T (2013-04-10). "Project Factory launches Intel-infused Offspring app". B&T. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  15. ^ Mediaweek (2015-12-10). "Seven launches Home and Away investigation app for viewers to solve year-end cliffhanger". Mediaweek. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  16. ^ McGeorge, Alistair (2014-01-15). "Sherlock: The Network iPhone app to allow fans to become part of the detective's world". The Mirror. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  17. ^ Insights, Informa (2014-08-12). "The Project Factory shows Sherlock the key... • Informa Connect Australia". Informa Connect Australia. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  18. ^ "App to investigate Sherlock". C21media. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  19. ^ "The game is on with Sherlock: The Network". Engadget. 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  20. ^ "Sherlock: The Network". David Varela. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  21. ^ "Lovie Awards Gallery". The Lovies Awards Winners Gallery. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  22. ^ Song, Darcy (2022-06-08). "Australian digital agency Miroma Project Factory opens an office in LA". Mumbrella. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  23. ^ #24: How to nudge within your business, 2020-03-09, retrieved 2023-11-24
  24. ^ Pickett, Jenny (2014-01-16). "Quit Now: My QuitBuddy- App Review". Weekend Notes.
  25. ^ "My QuitBuddy". BETTER FUTURE. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  26. ^ Karunanithi, Mohanraj; Zhang, Qing (2018). "An Innovative Technology to Support Independent Living: The Smarter Safer Homes Platform". Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 246: 102–110. ISSN 1879-8365. PMID 29507263.
  27. ^ Ladiges, Crystal (2014-08-04). "New diet program: The weight is over". CSIROscope. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  28. ^ CSIRO. "A digital platform for total knee replacement care". www.csiro.au. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  29. ^ "REDUcing the burden of dialysis Catheter ComplicaTIOns: A National approach (REDUCCTION)". The George Institute for Global Health. 2017-04-04.
  30. ^ Kotwal, Sradha; Cass, Alan; Coggan, Sarah; Gray, Nicholas A.; Jan, Stephen; McDonald, Stephen; Polkinghorne, Kevan R.; Rogers, Kris; Talaulikar, Girish; Tanna, Gian Luca Di; Gallagher, Martin (2022-04-12). "Multifaceted intervention to reduce haemodialysis catheter related bloodstream infections: REDUCCTION stepped wedge, cluster randomised trial". BMJ. 377: e069634. doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-069634. ISSN 1756-1833. PMC 9002320. PMID 35414532.
  31. ^ Delbaere, Kim; Valenzuela, Trinidad; Lord, Stephen R.; Clemson, Lindy; Zijlstra, G. A. Rixt; Close, Jacqueline C. T.; Lung, Thomas; Woodbury, Ashley; Chow, Jessica; McInerney, Garth; Miles, Lillian; Toson, Barbara; Briggs, Nancy; van Schooten, Kimberley S. (2021-04-06). "E-health StandingTall balance exercise for fall prevention in older people: results of a two year randomised controlled trial". BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 373: n740. doi:10.1136/bmj.n740. ISSN 1756-1833. PMC 8022322. PMID 33824131.
  32. ^ Reeves, Lynette (2021-07-18). "The irony of using our phones to get better sleep - Types of Sleep Apps". The Deep Sleep Co. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  33. ^ Associated, Australian (2021-06-02). "App to help domestic violence offenders understand what they can't do". Mail Online. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  34. ^ "S-Check". S-Check. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  35. ^ "St Vincent's S-Check Model of Care | Drug and Alcohol Research Connections". www.connections.edu.au. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
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