Larry Bouchie
KMC Partner Public Relations
617-758-4192
larry@kmcpartners.com

 

No Matter How Far Apart, Family Members Come Together with Online Storytelling During the Holidays

 

CAMBRIDGE, MA, January 16, 2008 – Panraven (www.panraven.com), the pioneer of online storytelling, today launched the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus “Who’s Your Guardian Angel?” story contest. Using the Panraven service, fans can easily mix their videos, photos, and text with photos of the band and exclusive footage from the “Your Guardian Angel” video shoot. All fan stories can be instantly embedded onto users’ Facebook profiles and MySpace pages and shared with friends. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus will judge all entries fitting the “Who’s Your Guardian Angel?” theme and award the authors of the two best entries a Flip Video Ultra Series camcorder, a professionally printed hardcover version of their story signed by all band members and exposure of their stories on the band’s website (www.redjumpsuit.com) and MySpace page (www.myspace.com/redjumpsuit). Additional contest details are available at http://www.panraven.com/partner/redjumpsuit/.

“Over the years, music fans have attended concerts, clipped magazine articles, created artwork, produced their own videos, and taken photos with their friends enjoying their favorite music together. Panraven is the perfect platform to unite all of these memories, share them with friends, and preserve them both online and in print,” said Jon Michaeli, VP of Consumer Marketing at Panraven. “With this contest, we’re also taking fan-to-band interaction to a new level. Using Panraven, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus fans can blend their content into a special storyboard, created by the band, to tell personalized stories about their own guardian angels. At the same time, bands and labels have the potential to generate new revenue streams, in the form of printed merchandise, digital downloads and ticket sales.”

Unlike any other photo sharing or photo book website or application, Panraven brings to life memorable experiences, friends and family traditions, and other special events through its flexible multimedia interface, varied and continually growing library of template designs, robust yet easy-to-use editing tools, and advanced sharing features. Panraven’s collaboration features also make it ideal for combining user-generated and professionally produced digital content. Panraven rounds out its service with other social media tools, which allow members to display stories outside Panraven, on popular sites including Facebook and MySpace.

About Panraven

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, visit www.panraven.com.

Published 16 January 2008 - 0 comments   

Larry Bouchie
KMC Partner Public Relations
617-758-4192
larry@kmcpartners.com

 

No Matter How Far Apart, Family Members Come Together with Online Storytelling During the Holidays

 

CAMBRIDGE, MA. – December 6, 2007 – Bringing the family together for the holidays may be a logistical challenge, but the Internet, digital cameras and a rapidly growing online storytelling service can melt away the miles that separate family members.

Using Panraven (www.panraven.com), a free online storytelling service, and photos and video taken during the holidays, families can interact and collaborate online to quickly compile all their memories into one colorful, expressive story, share it with friends and family online, then treasure it in a hardbound book.

Using digital camera videos of the turkey carving, holiday parties and gift unwrappings, along with photos, images and descriptive text, families can create personalized holiday stories that draw them closer together despite the physical distance between them. For family members serving overseas in the military, online stories virtually bring them home and make them part of the holiday experience.

“Digital cameras, camera phones, broadband internet connections, and other gadgets make it easier than ever to capture holiday memories. But after the holidays come and go, we are left with full memory cards and cluttered hard drives. For the first time online, people can combine all their personal media files (photos, images, and videos) into one cherished story,” said Jon Michaeli, Panraven VP of Marketing.

Families interested in creating a Panraven holiday story only need a brief amount of time, an Internet connection, and personal media ready to upload. Registration is free, as is online creation and sharing: members pay only to professionally print their stories in hard-bound books.

Online storytelling is a great way to share holiday memories, but it is also ideal for commemorating weddings, birthdays, a baby’s first year, as well as preserving recipes, passed from generation to generation, in an illustrated cookbook. “Instead of simply watching home videos, flipping through a photo album or viewing a slide show, Panraven allows people to create something richer and more expressive that includes all of the sights, sounds and commentary about any life experience or event,” explained Michaeli. “Panraven also allows people to organize and store all of their personal memory media in one place: online.”

Jon Michaeli is available for interviews about online storytelling, and how to easily capture and share holiday memories.

About Panraven

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, visit www.panraven.com.

Published 06 December 2007 - 0 comments   

Media Contact for Panraven:

Larry Bouchie
KMC Partner Public Relations
617-758-4192
larry@kmcpartners.com

 

Panraven Delights Storytellers by Adding Audio and Video to Its Memory-Sharing Service

Allows Consumers to Create, Share and Preserve Experiences Using Any Media They Choose

 

CAMBRIDGE, MA. – December 4, 2007 – Panraven (www.panraven.com), the pioneer of online storytelling, has debuted groundbreaking functionality that enables consumers to easily integrate audio and video with digital photos, images and text. The online storytelling service allows consumers to share their stories with friends and family through direct links and by embedding Panraven stories on Facebook profiles, MySpace pages, and elsewhere across the Internet. More so than before, Panraven brings to life memorable moments, family traditions, and other special events unlike any other photo sharing or photo book website or application.

With the Holiday season upon us and digital camera sales at an all-time high, people are sure to accumulate even more photos and videos for the family collection. Panraven makes it simple to upload, store and manage all media in one place. Members can use their own media – along with media from friends and/or the Panraven community – to create a stunning, expressive multimedia story.

“People shouldn’t have to organize their lives by media, with photos on one website and videos on another,” said Frode Eilertsen, founder and CEO of Panraven. “Even sites that accommodate various types don’t offer real control to combine them in any number and sequence, using a multitude of layouts. Panraven has broken down this barrier, setting a new standard for how consumers can create, share and preserve memories on a single website. As a result, our members can more richly commemorate their holiday get-togethers, winter vacations and other experiences in their daily lives.”

Panraven provides additional customization options through a wide variety of template designs, robust, yet easy-to-use editing tools, and advanced sharing features. Moreover, through its collaboration features, Panraven is ideally suited for mixing user-generated and professionally produced digital content.

The new support for audio and video gives Panraven users:

• The opportunity to combine all personal media – audio, video, photos, images and text – in a wide variety of layouts and very flexible arrangements into one story;

• Simple point-and-click and drag-and-drop story creation and editing;

• The ability to instantly upload any file format, of any size and dimension, with no need to process or convert files prior to upload. Just as with photos, Panraven will automatically and appropriately resize the aspect ratio of all videos when they are placed within a story;

• The option to place a video and photo in the same location within a story to accommodate both online viewing and book printing. The first frame of the video can also be used as the “still” image for the print version; and

• Optimized video playback by assessing the speed of their Internet connection.

About Panraven

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, visit www.panraven.com

Published 04 December 2007 - 0 comments   

Community Contest Allows Fans to Win Cool Prizes by Sharing Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Content in Support of Nelly

 

CAMBRIDGE, MA, and New York, NY – October 25, 2007 – Panraven (http://www.panraven.com/) and Universal Motown Records Group (UMRG), one of the world’s leading music labels and a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), today debuted a multimedia story for Nelly’s new single and video “Wadsyaname.” As an introduction to Nelly’s new album Brass Knuckles, his first full studio album release in three years, the story contains exclusive footage of the “Wadsyaname” video shoot, including behind-the-scenes video clips, candid stills and action photos.

The original story is available at http://www.panraven.com/. In addition, the story is embedded on Nelly’s personal MySpace page (www.myspace.com/nelly), his website (http://www.nelly.net/), his page on UMRG’s website, as well as Facebook profile pages and other social media properties across the Internet.

Like no other promotional medium, a Panraven story brings to life the authentic experience of producing a video for a major recording artist such as Nelly. To show their support for, and spread the word about, Nelly’s new album, fans are encouraged to share the multimedia story with as many friends as possible. To enter the contest, fans should visit the Panraven website and follow the simple instructions. Winners will receive prizes ranging from a trip to a future Nelly video shoot, to merchandise autographed by the multi-platinum star. For full contest details, visit www.panraven.com/partner/nellyvideo.html.

“We’re honored and excited to be part of the promotional plan for what’s sure to be a very memorable album release. Panraven offers a spectacular way to share Nelly’s return with his fans, while preserving copyright through legal sharing and use,” said Frode Eilertsen, founder and CEO of Panraven.  “Universal Motown understands the promotional and viral benefits of using our digital and social media platform. This ground-breaking partnership sets a music industry precedent, offering music labels a strategic way to bring fans closer to their favorite artists, and to each other.  Nelly’s Panraven story is the ultimate combination of a series of YouTube videos, an online slideshow, digital wallpaper, and the buzz elements of social media. That’s a powerful solution befitting an artist who has sold over 30 million albums.”

Panraven and UMRG worked together closely to create a one-of-a-kind story, using photos and video footage, accompanied by custom storyboard text offering highlights of the “Wadsyaname” video shoot. Likewise, other recording artists and bands can be up and running on Panraven in no time, as the company’s turnkey platform provides a wide variety of customizable templates and layouts, robust yet easy-to-use editing tools, and advanced sharing features. From just one story, Panraven can deliver fan engagement and interaction; online promotion; advertising, sponsorship and printed merchandise revenue; and further support for music and concert ticket sales. Through its collaboration feature, Panraven is also ideally suited for integrating stock content and broadcast media with user generated content and media, which Panraven and UMRG may use for future artist projects.

For more information, visit www.panraven.com/partner/nellyvideo.html.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's largest music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Label Group, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, Universal Records South and Verve Music Group, as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technologies division, and Universal Music Mobile.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About Panraven

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, visit http://www.panraven.com/.

Published 25 October 2007 - 0 comments   

EF Educational Tours and Panraven form Partnership to bring iStory™ Jounaling to EF travelers

Published 24 October 2007 - 0 comments   

Cyclists, friends and family use multimedia storytelling service to capture and share the "ride of their lives" online and in print

NEEDHAM, MA - August 14, 2007 - Last weekend, more than 5,000 cyclists from 35 states and eight countries rode across the Commonwealth in the 28th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge ('PMC'), with the aim of raising $27 million for cancer research and treatment. While all who rode and cheered toward a common goal - to push the organization's 28-year Jimmy Fund contribution to the $200 million mark - the personal significance of the PMC is unique to the individual. In prior years, the easiest way for riders to communicate to friends, family and donors all at once was through their individual "profile pages" on the PMC website, which include a personal bio and photos. What riders were missing was a more holistic, visually rich and interactive way to express the motivation and emotions, the preparation and the experience of the ride - both for themselves and to others.

This year, PMC teamed up with Panraven to enable participants to reflect upon and commemorate the event in a whole new way. Whether riding as a survivor, in honor or memory of a friend or loved one, or simply to help raise money in the fight against cancer, PMC cyclists for the first time had a powerful online multimedia service at their fingertips. The Panraven site serves as both the story creation "engine" and the medium for online sharing and collaboration.

PMC and Panraven worked together closely to make it easy for participants to tell rich, expressive stories. From the two companies' pooled efforts, Panraven developed a distinct "storyboard" for each of the seven different routes. Every storyboard is comprised of special PMC page designs, a route map, stock photos, and background facts and information. Adding their own photos, thoughts and sentiments to the "pre-populated" stock content, participants could then personalize stories that truly encapsulate their own PMC experiences.

Here are some of the ways that PMC participants have already used the Panraven service:

• Sharing their preparations: Cyclists shared their stories with friends and family even before the event to illustrate and explain how they were training.

• The best way to say thank you: Cyclists showed appreciation to their donors for their support and generosity by sharing their stories with them.

• Co-authorship: Using their own individual Panraven accounts, team members worked together on a "master" story, integrating multiple perspectives of the same experience.

• Collaboration: From within the Panraven site, cyclists incorporated photos from their friends, family and PMC staff photographers to complement their own.

About the Pan-Mass Challenge

The PMC, presented by the Red Sox Foundation, Overstock.com, and Covidien, is the nation's first fundraising bike-a-thon and today raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. On August 4 and 5, 2007, over 5,000 cyclists traveled seven routes, logging between 47 and 190 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns to raise $27 million for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information, call 800-WE-CYCLE or visit http://www.pmc.org/.

About Panraven, Inc.

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, visit http://www.panraven.com/.

Published 14 August 2007 - 0 comments   

Participants Compete to Win Apple iPhone or Sony Bravia(R) LCD Flat Panel HDTV in Contest Organized by Panraven and Let's Go Publications

CAMBRIDGE, MA - (Marketwire - August 2, 2007) - Whether hiking the mountains, lying on the beach or scouring cities around the world, you have a story to tell about the way you spent the summer of 2007. With travel season in full swing, you can take advantage of your vacation pictures taken abroad or close to home by entering the My Summer Story contest. Organized by Panraven and Let's Go Publications, participants are encouraged to create and share their summer vacation stories using the new Panraven service for a chance to win a Sony Bravia� LCD HDTV television, an Apple iPhone and other great prizes.

Introduced in June 2007, Panraven (www.panraven.com) lets people create and share rich, powerful multimedia stories online and in print. A story can be about anything, from an African safari to a family barbeque to a simple walk in the woods. Exclusively on Panraven, you can access an extensive library of photos, maps and illustrations -- many accompanied by background facts and information -- to complement your own pictures, thoughts and commentary. Panraven not only allows you to chronicle your own adventures, it also enables groups to work collectively on one master story that contains multiple perspectives of the same experience. A story depicting a family reunion at the beach or a bunch of friends traveling by Eurail can include many people's pictures, thoughts and reflections. Panraven stories can be shared with individuals, groups or the entire Panraven community.

Researched and written entirely by students, Let's Go is one of the worldwide leaders in budget travel guides. People can use Let's Go and Panraven in tandem, relying on Let's Go to provide them with tried and true advice on how to get the most out of their vacation budget and on Panraven to preserve their memories in a professionally printed book for a great price.

"We are excited to view the contest entries because we know Panraven members and Let's Go customers share a similar passion for getting the most out of life," said Frode Eilertsen, Founder and CEO of Panraven. "We hope this contest marks the beginning of a budding relationship between Panraven and Let's Go. Our services marry the best in travel research and planning with the best way to capture, share and preserve travel memories. And, the synergy between our companies increases as people relay their experiences to others. Panraven stories are personal accounts and reflections that once viewed by others browsing for vacation ideas, will be perceived as more authentic and genuine than information gathered from more traditional sources. And, once Panraven stories sell the destination, Let's Go takes it from there, putting powerful planning tools and resources in the palm of travelers' hands."

"The summer marks a busy time of year for vacation planning," stated Jennifer Wong, Publishing Director of Let's Go. "We know that people are taking pictures and are itching to creatively share their experiences with others. We created this contest with Panraven to allow people to do just that and earn the chance to win some great prizes!"

For more information or to enter the contest, please visit: www.panraven.com/contest/SummerStory.html

Summary of Contest Rules and Guidelines

• The contest will run from August 1st, 2007 - September 30th, 2007.

• Members may submit as many unique entries as they wish.

• The member submitting an entry must be the original and only author.

• Judging will be conducted by employees of Panraven and Let's Go.

• Winners will be announced around mid-October.

• The Grand Prize winner receives one of the following (winner's choice):

  • an 8GB Apple iPhone plus an allowance towards one free year of service on the $79.99 AT&T monthly rate plan OR

  • a 40" Sony Bravia� S series LCD Flat Panel HDTV.

• The Grand Prize winner also receives one (1) free professional printed copy of his/her summer vacation story and promotional exposure on the Panraven and/or Let's Go websites.

• The two (2) semi-finalists not chosen as the Grand Prize winner will each receive one (1) free professionally printed copy of their summer vacation story.

About Panraven

Panraven offers an exciting and powerful new way for people to capture, express, share and treasure their memories and passions. The multimedia service allows people to chronicle and communicate their life experiences through vibrant, expressive stories that can be viewed and shared online and printed in high-quality professionally bound books. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Panraven is privately held. For more information, please visit www.panraven.com.

About Let's Go Publishing, Inc.

Let's Go is one of the world's leading budget travel guides, and the only series of its kind researched by young, adventurous students catering to the needs of their peers. Beginning as the go-to guide for European travel on the cheap, Let's Go now helps travelers embark on the trip of a lifetime all over the world, without breaking the bank. Each year, Let's Go sends out a team of researcher-writers to update a segment of the titles currently in print: 48 books spanning six continents. For all the destinations that they cover, they provide consistently honest advice, accurate coverage, and wallet-friendly insider tips.

 

Published 02 August 2007 - 0 comments   

Panraven.com Allows Members to Build and Share Stories; Bring Memories to Life

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 18, 2007 – Despite the stormy weather, thousands of rain soaked and wind swept runners and spectators came together on Patriots Day to celebrate the 111th Boston Marathon.  While some ran competitively, others ran for themselves or for a cause or charity of personal significance.  Still more came out to cheer on friends, family members, or perfect strangers.  And this year, Panraven created a unique perspective on the Boston Marathon, a story that often gets overlooked or outweighed by the coverage of the winners and top finishers.

Currently in closed beta until early May, Panraven is an online service that empowers people to create and share stories with family and friends.  Registration is free, and members can easily upload photos and add text and graphics using a host of templates available on the site.  Once stories are completed, they can be viewed and shared online, even printed in professional hard-bound books.  Stories and personal photo libraries are secure on a members own private Web site at Panraven.  Members can then choose between different levels of sharing and access to their content.  And, as members create more stories, they are added to a personal timeline which they can revisit, edit or print from at any time.

"The Boston Marathon is not just a race. It's not just an event. It's an eclectic compilation of individual challenges, ambitions, sacrifices and triumphs," said Frode Eilertsen, Panraven CEO. "We created Panraven for people who don't just want to catalog and store pictures, but would like to truly capture and express the feelings and emotions that accompany the many experiences that make up their lives. And to do this, we have provided a solution that goes far beyond photo albums."

To view the Boston Marathon story created by Panraven, Inc., go to: http://www.panraven.com/bostonmarathon2007/index.html.

About Panraven

Panraven was founded in June 2005 to offer rich new ways for people to capture, express, and share their life experiences through words and pictures, richly and effortlessly. Our unique story-telling service is built to serve as your life memory bank - with a sleek interface, revolutionary design options, public content, rich collaboration, and sharing both online and in printed books.

Published 18 April 2007 - 0 comments   

Two new photo management applications friendly to Mac users will guide you through the image uploading and layout processes. For about $30 and up, they'll mail you a book of your memories, with as much quality as anything you will find on the discount table at Barnes and Noble.

The photo book samples I received from MyPublisher (mypublisher.com) feature work by professional photographers, so your results may vary.

MyPublisher recently released a Mac version of its BookMaker software, and you can download a plug-in for iPhoto from the company's website.

Another service, Panraven (panraven.com), works entirely through your Web browser -- so there is no software to download. Panraven, which will be launched in May or June, promises not only paper-and-glue photo books, but online, multimedia, digital scrapbooking that can have multiple contributors.

Published 16 April 2007 - 0 comments   

Panraven launches closed beta for consumer storytelling service

Published 16 April 2007 - 0 comments