A behind-the-scenes look on how it all came together



Featuring celebrity interviews, man-on-the-street videos and 10 categories of blogazine-styled articles, George's new media extravaganza sets its sights solidly on the social networks. A streamlined content production & management system paves the way to folding in a schedule of ongoing content contributors.

Don't let the look of this site fool you. It was very economical to produce, based on a well-orchestrated collaboration of resources. Continue reading how George and his team are staking a claim in the new media landscape.




A Cohesive Digital Footprint


From the very beginning, a strategy was built around a cohesive digital footprint, centered on the focal point of the website but designed collectively with the social network platforms, so they stand within a hand-shake of each other. Since George reaches 6 million listeners daily as co-host of the Michael Baisden Show, all media outlets needed to be structured to interact readily with each other in a multi-media trifecta.

Celebrity Interviews


The centerpiece of building George's persona on the site is a series of exclusive celebrity interviews including Mo'Nique, Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Rhonda Mac (widow of the late Bernie Mac) - to name a few. Knowing fully the power of well produced video, these segments will be staged in two parts each over the course of the year. But these anchor segements hold only half of it's video story. George conceived a totally different type of video in a more impromptu, neighborhood style.



Social Video


As an adjunct to the series of 30 minute celebrity interview series, George left the show's set to shoot several "On The Street" video engagements with people out and about Chicago with the goal of producing bi-weekly 1 to 2 minute shorts that are natural for distribution, consumption and commentary through the social media channels. These videos are much more off-the-cuff, distilled and pared-down and will be released more often than the celebrity interviews.





Streamlined Content Management


Not satisfied with typical blogs, we wanted to kick it up a notch - to stand out above the typical 2-3 paragraph quickies with that single stock photo. We studied the newly trending blogazines - blogs that are more produced, more visual, slower-roasted.
We conceptualized a set of design standards that were more visually engaging but not necessarily more time consuming. Standards for outlined images as well as type guidelines allowed multiple collaborators to quickly produce creative blog entries, yet fit seamlessly into a uniform look.
Visual continuity. Whether it's a photo of George, a stock shot, or an image supplied by the subject of an article, outlining the subject on white pulls the overall look together as well as simplifying ongoing content production.

The instant it went live, the community flourished






The Facebook social platformThe Facebook social platform acted as the forum for commenting on articles and videos. Visitors took advantage by posting comments instantly without being required to sign up or register. Better yet, comments posted also wrapped back onto visitors' own Facebook timelines, thereby promoting HTL to visitors' friends. In the first week of release, with virtually no promotion, the site sprang into action and registered a barrage of comments and video views.



Virtual file sharing of photos, articles and authoring files (i.e. photoshop) allowed editors and designers the ability to share their work. Its vital automatic alert on changes kept us all notified the instant something was revised or added.


Spreadsheets, word documents and Google sites were used to collaborate upon documentation, contact information and standards.


While face-to-face meetings were inevitable, arranging a get-together, online, with several far-flung participants joining, was to the key to on-the-fly reviews and check-ins on progress.


YouTube was chosen to host the videos due to its native streaming and mobile-friendly penetration. But it became a vital key to the video review and posting process. By having the videographer post videos directly to YouTube, moving large video files around person-to-person was eliminated. With its hidden video options, content management tutorials can be stored invisibly on the HTL channel for self-tutoring its contributors.

Lean & Mean


George's site delivers the most bang for the buck we've witnessed. Costs to implement this project were very similar to other projects we've worked on, yet as you can see, his digital presence is livin' large, making a more-than-competitive statement when stacked against many larger entities within his market. We attribute this to its superior design conception as well as collaboration we orchestrated in order to achieve uniform entries from George's multiple contributors.



A newly-created entity, iNet Studios exists to optimize your internet communications. Formed in response to explosive growth in complexity of the web, it is a collective of media professionals including writers, designers, videographers, photographers, actors, and Internet specialists. Orbis has joined forces with iNet whose several partners worked collectively on the site.