The New York Times Launches Political Comic Videos Online

Xtranormal, the revolutionary online approach to movie making, is pleased to announce its partnership with The New York Times. Pioneering the future of animated cartoons for online content publishers, the critically acclaimed national newspaper has chosen the viral movie making platform to bring its well-known satirical comics to life. Launched today, the first movie cartoon displays Warren Buffet and Mark Zuckerberg bridging generational opinions on Groupon’s I.P.O. Buzz. The video titled “I.P.O. Blues” can be viewed at: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/i-p-o-blues/. “We’re excited to be working with Xtranormal’s tools to develop additional unique and creative programming for our audience,” says Chris Jones, executive director of product management, NYTimes.com.

The New York Times Launches Political Comic Videos Online

Spearheading this new interactive comic strip venture for The New York Times is Omid Malekan, author of the clever Xtranormal video, “Quantitative easing explained,” a viral sensation with more than 4 million views on YouTube. A former Wall Street trader, Malekan has worked in several different capacities within the financial industry over the past ten years. Malekan explains, ”Political cartoons and comic strips have always had an important place in traditional media, because they can say so much by depicting so little. Humor is also important when expressing an opinion, because in order for something to be funny, it has to be grounded in truth. Xtranormal technology takes this traditional craft into the digital era by bringing the characters to life in rich 3D animations and allowing them to literally speak their minds.”
Covering topical subject matters related to the world of finance and economic policy, The New York Times plans to release one new Xtranormally produced satirical short per week. Notably, these cartoons will introduce an interactive component, enabling readers to join in on the fun by posting feedback and comments.
“For years, cartoons have been an important feature of newspapers and magazines; our platform brings them to life and makes them even more engaging and fun on the web,” says Graham Sharp, CEO, Xtranormal. “The New York Times is clearly an innovator in the online world, and by producing a weekly satirical cartoon in this new way, it is using the latest technology to continue to differentiate itself from the rest.”
About Xtranormal
Xtranormal brings movie-making magic to the masses. Their motto, “if you can type, you can make movies,” inspires creativity and transcends generations – from a 4th grade student completing a video project, to a teacher making a class more engaging and an advertising firm creating a private label for a B2B client – their contagious technology has made them a viral sensation with millions of users inspired to make movies through the simple act of typing.