Latest news with #Storyteller
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Latest World Of Darkness Books Delve Into Your Character's Past
In Memoriam is one of two new books for World of Darkness that flesh out character histories. Back story is an important part of any role playing game character. Done well, it can provide story ideas, links to the campaign world and themes for the Storyteller to introduce into the story. Part of the fun in playing in a setting like World of Darkness is mixing in real world events and history to a fictional character. The latest sourcebook releases for World of Darkness gives players a chance to dive into their character histories. In Memoriam, for Vampire: The Masquerade looks at the oldest playable vampires, the ancillae and how to integrate their centuries of unlife into a chronicle. Hunter: The Reckoning's latest, Apostates, looks at the bigger hunter organizations and how they help, hinder and otherwise influence the actions of hunter cells around the world. In addition to the direct influences on character, these books start to fill in some of the long promised state of the World of Darkness that was reborn seven years ago in 2018. These books bring back old favorites, reveal the fates of hated rivals and introduce some new allies and rivals for your game. Renegade Game Studios provided review copies for this article. Vampire: The Masquerade In Memoriam For much of the original run of Vampire: The Masquerade, the ancillae were the middle children of the Kindred. They were not old enough to have the staggering power and influence of elder blood but not young enough to remember what life as a mortal was like. In Memoriam looks at these vampires and how they've been thrust into the limelight due to the Gehenna War. The book also functions as a mini historical guide featuring times and places these centuries old vampires might have been created. There are some nods to older settings like Victorian Age Vampire as well as some newer information and inspiration, such as getting involved with a certain Bram Stoker and his vampire novel. Acknowledging the history of the game gives me hope that we'll see an official Vampire: The Dark Ages Fifth Edition sooner rather than later. The title of the book is also a nod to the Memoriam mechanics first introduced in the Vampire: The Masquerade Core book. Player can use Memoriam to flashback to an earlier point in their lives and play out a scene or two that reflects a current problem their character is experiencing. If the scene is successful, the player gets a bonus on rolls looking to resolve the issue based on what they learned in the flashback. The information here expands this idea beyond a scene or two. I'm excited to run some full flashback sessions in a different era with other players taking on different roles in the flashback. With a little more work and research, this book could inspire a full chonicle set in an earlier era. This is one of my favorite additions to Vampire: The Masquerade as it adapts one of my favorite tropes of modern vampire fiction to the game. You can see it in everything from Highlander to Forever Knight to the modern adaptation of Interview With The Vampire. Playing out the scene gives character history to discover and can break up the tension in a story by jumping back to a new time and place with many of the same characters. I like how In Memoriam plays with history in the World of Darkness. Rather than a set viewpoint, it gives groups the tools to make their encounters with big events personal. This player-first perspective is one of the biggest strengths of the current edition of Vampire. Hunter The Reckoning Apostates The newest version of Hunter: The Reckoning reframes the struggle of regular people fighting back against the monster of the World of Darkness. They might have a strange power or two, maybe a gadget in hand or just a van full of guns. It also makes it clear that they are small fish in a dangerous pond and the latest book details some of the mortal organizations they might run afoul of during their hunted. The Apostates book deals with the hunter orgs which have been cast as prickly rivals to the cells of hunters in the dark. At best, these organizations might use the players as canaries in a coal mine to suss out a big threat and then mop up after the big battle. At worst, they're big problems just as bad as the monsters doing their best to make the world a nastier place. The book gives some looks at some classic organizations such as the mortal watchers of the Arcanum and the werewolf hunters of Project Twilight. There's also more information on Monster-X, the corporate monster hunters who may or may not believe in monsters but know there are people who believe that are willing to spend money. It includes some information on the Special Affairs Division and their government vampire hunting, though anyone interested in this organization should check out Second Inquisition for Vampire. The information included in the books are a fantastic resource for players to use as part of their backstories. Now they can play members of these organizations that quit, or fired, or faked their death to get away from their former masters. Or maybe they were innocent and protected by one of these groups only to discover they are just as guilty of awful things as the creatures that drink blood or howl at the moon. This book fleshes out the mortal antagonists of Hunter. There's plenty of room for old rivals, uneasy alliances and unexpected conseuqnces of the latest hunt. Much like the other antagonist books like Sabbat and Second Inquisition, there's enough information here for an enterprising Storyteller to run a campaign centered around the other side if they want to put a little work into things. It was also nice to see what some of the old organizations are up to these days. While I appreciate the clean break from decades of metaplot, I'm enjoying the approach White Wolf is taking here. It's not too different from how Marvel handles its backstory for the MCU; keep what works, change what doesn;t and don't be afraid to give an old idea a new spin. In Memoriam and Apostates are available directly from World of Darkness and Renegade Game Studios, through online vendors and from Friendly Local Game Stories.
Broadcast Pro
17-07-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Magnifi unveils GenAI upgrade to transform live and archival video storytelling
The enhanced platform simplifies complex workflows with advanced GenAI features, enabling real-time editing, automated highlight creation, vertical-first video publishing, multilingual subtitles, AI-generated metadata and platform-native content delivery. Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-driven video automation, has unveiled a major platform upgrade designed to streamline and accelerate live and archival video editing for sports, media and entertainment industries. The enhanced platform introduces cutting-edge generative AI tools that enable content teams to produce, localise, and publish multi-format video content in real time, eliminating traditional post-production delays. At the heart of the upgrade is a unified dashboard that allows teams to edit more efficiently, automate publishing across platforms, and enhance audience engagement. The new features include real-time editing, AI-powered multilingual subtitles, automated vertical video creation, metadata enrichment and AI-generated thumbnails. This suite of tools addresses longstanding challenges in the industry, including labor-intensive workflows, metadata inconsistencies, and the growing demand for platform-native content across OTT, broadcast and social media. Among the standout upgrades is the enhanced Live Editor, which enables instant highlight generation during events, complete with culturally localised subtitles. The platform's vertical-first video creation tool, Storyteller, caters to mobile and short-form content needs and is already being utilised by FIFA+ to boost engagement. A dynamic rule engine allows content teams to set key event triggers, such as goals, wickets, or touchdowns, for automated publishing, ensuring timely and consistent content delivery. Magnifi's GenAI capabilities also produce platform-ready thumbnails and captions within seconds, significantly reducing manual effort and increasing content accessibility. These advancements have already led to measurable success: the Mountain West Conference in the US saw a 150% rise in viewership through real-time highlight publishing; an Asian OTT platform generated 45,000 clips monthly from 1,500 hours of content; the Indian Premier League (IPL) created 3,500 web stories from 14,000 minutes of footage, driving a 25% increase in web traffic; and a major rodeo partner reported a 15% boost in output, gaining 1.3m new viewers in just two months. Meghna Krishna, Chief Revenue Officer at VideoVerse, said: 'It has been a tremendous journey watching the product evolve from a simple highlight creation solution at inception, into a comprehensive editorial workspace. With this new update, we are empowering content teams to enhance creativity, maximize efficiency, and allocate resources more strategically. We have become a meaningful extension of our clients' editorial ecosystems, supporting both the system and the storytellers with the ease and efficiency of GenAI and automation.' Operating 24/7 across more than 50 global sports, Magnifi processed over 250,000 hours of footage last year alone, generating millions of clips for broadcasters, leagues and federations. With this latest upgrade, the company is now expanding its AI tools to newsrooms and broader media production environments. Early pilots with broadcasters are already delivering promising results in teaser production, newsroom editing, and multilingual content workflows, positioning Magnifi as a game-changer across the content ecosystem.
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
'Aspirational and Desirable' Van Life Pushed to New, Extreme Limits
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. For generations, adults have taken their kids camping. Those kids turned into adults who camp with friends, and eventually their own children. Along the way, some of them want to take escapism and adventure a bit further. Storyteller Overland is ready for them. The luxury recreation vehicle (RV) company sells models that build on the roots of overlanding in motorized vehicles, which stretches back to the early 1900s and runs through the much beloved era where vintage Westfalia vans and the Volkswagen Bus became common at campsites and California's coast. Storyteller reaches a more well-heeled, but no less adventurous audience. Seven years ago, the Storyteller team came together to remove barriers of entry for those who wanted an overlanding vehicle. "Before we came along, van life was very aspirational and desirable, but it was also pretty complicated, because you had to buy your own van and find a custom manufacturer, or get YouTube certified, or whatever, and figure out how to do it on the weekends," Jeffrey Hunter, Storyteller Overland's CEO, told Newsweek. Storyteller Overland's vehicle lineup. Storyteller Overland's vehicle lineup. Storyteller Overland "We just wanted to help people, solve for the complexity and [allow them to] start enjoying the life and lifestyle. In our mind, Storyteller was always a way of life, and we figured if we helped people have confidence in the level of rigs we were building for them, and do that at the world's greatest level, then we could help them live that life like sooner rather than like with all the hurdles in the house." That meant putting together a startup team that could see the vision. "In 2018 we just started with napkin sketches and daydreams, and a really rad team that had done a lot of these kinds of things before. We focused all that energy into being one core team with one vision in mind, and within four months, we had two fully functioning production-intent prototypes. We had multiple provisional patents that were filed and then ultimately granted domestically and internationally. By the end of 2019, we were in full production," Hunter said. Then, like so many businesses globally, Storyteller felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other companies, like restaurants and movie theaters, Storyteller wasn't negatively impacted by the shutdowns. In fact, heading out on a self-sufficient expedition with your family was one of the few completely safe ways to experience life outside the house for many. Hunter explained: "It liberated a lot of people to be able to choose to adopt this way of life. Because, when you're legally forbidden to come into the office and you're federally mandated to social distance and all this kind of stuff, it just got a lot of people thinking: 'If I could truly work remotely, and we can do the distance learning with our kids and all that...' [RVs] became not just a symbol for that level of freedom, but it became like a real tool and a mode of making that happen." The company worked to quickly scale up to meet demand and build out a dealer network. From the original seven employees, Storyteller grew to close to 250 workers. From one or two vehicles on the road at the start of the pandemic, the company now has over 2,700. "Now, we've got a lot of these out on the road. We have the infrastructure to support the [ownership] experience. Building that infrastructure during that season, kind of in that Wild West era, it gave us a solid footing to continue to expand on new ways to innovate, new audiences to reach and new products [to develop] that inspire and equip the community to go farther and live free, explore endlessly and tell better stories," the CEO said. Three Storyteller Overland vehicles at the beach. Three Storyteller Overland vehicles at the beach. Storyteller Overland As it was putting more vehicles on the road, Storyteller began to consider what the full ownership experience would be like. "Our vehicles don't live conveniently in a 50-mile radius of the dealer network," Hunter said, explaining that purchasing from Storyteller means that, "You're not just buying from that dealer, you're buying into the entire Storyteller way of life that is meant to serve you through all phases of ownership and adventure and exploration." He said that it was "critical" to build out a service network and service infrastructure that expands past the dealer network, utilizing service providers and shops that meet Storyteller standards. "The infrastructure for all of that: the sales, the service, the branding, the community, all of that's grown pretty organically but scaled fairly dramatically," he reminisced. On offer for 2025 are three vans: Crew Mode 170, Mode XO (Full Bathroom) and Mode OG (Halo Shower). All vans are based on Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Also available are Storyteller GXV Next and GXV Hilt trucks, based on the Ram 5500, and GXV Epic, built on a Kenworth 4x4 chassis. Pricing varies greatly by model, starting at over $187,000 and going up north of $799,000 before taxes and dealer fees. Unlike at a traditional car dealership, there is no haggling over price. Storyteller's prime customer base at the beginning was in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California and Big Sky Country in the U.S. "We've been really impressed by not just how geographically diverse the market has become, but also just in terms of lifestyle and demographics. So many people are adopting this more adventurous way of life," Hunter said. Storyteller GXV Epic driven through barren land. Storyteller GXV Epic driven through barren land. Storyteller Overland In 2022, the company announced that it acquired Global Expedition Vehicles. The acquisition allowed Storyteller to expand its offerings into larger trucks like its GXV line. Hunter said that the acquisition gave Storyteller more exposure, beyond North America. He gave an example of the company's expanded audience: "A global audience of people who will ship our vehicles and then spend two years traveling through West or Central or North Africa, or going all the way from Alaska down through the tip of South America."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suffolk businesswoman shortlisted for award
A Suffolk businesswoman has been shortlisted for an award. Erika Clegg has been recognised in the Storyteller category at The Speaker Awards 2025. The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate the talents of speakers who engage and inspire audiences. This year saw the highest number of entries on record from more than 20 countries. The shortlist was unveiled on May 9, with entries evaluated by a panel of judges, including professional speakers, speaker bookers, trainers and media personalities. Judges assessed a range of elements, including content, delivery and bookability. A first-time and last-minute entrant to the award scheme, Ms Clegg submitted a sample of her keynote, A Very Human Leader. She has spoken at conferences, leadership groups and training courses on subjects including principled leadership, the importance of personal values and developing trust. Ms Clegg said: "Hearing that I had been shortlisted for Storytelling was a delightful surprise. "It's fair to say that everyone else in this category is exceptional, and I am honoured that the panel judged that I merit a place amongst them." Elliot Kay, one of the co-founders of The Speaker Awards and The Speaker Summit, said: "We were blown away with the quality of applications this year, from some incredibly inspiring speakers. "The judging process was tough, so we'd like to congratulate Erika for achieving this remarkable milestone. "Everyone who entered should be extremely proud of the mark they are making on the world and we invite them all to join us in London at The Speaker Awards Ceremony on Friday, July 11." To find out more about Ms Clegg, visit and for more information about the awards, visit
Time Out
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally will make an exclusive appearance at Vivid Sydney 2025
If you thought that Vivid Sydney 's new and improved program was already sounding too dishy to handle – with icons Martha Stewart and Nigella Lawson both set to make appearances – then think again. The hottest couple in comedy, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are confirmed to appear on stage and in-conversation together for the very first time in Australia, closing out the final night of the 2025 festival. Unscripted & Unfiltered with Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally will see the immensely talented husband-and-wife duo grace the stage of the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) on Saturday, June 14. Mullally, best known as Will & Grace's Karen Walker, and Offerman, best known as Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson, have forged a creative partnership that spans film, television, podcasting and co-authorship over their quarter of a century as a couple. However, they have never appeared in a live-onstage in-conversation before now. 'Megan and I are powerfully chuffed to get back to town for Vivid Sydney, but also to reprise our lovemaking session atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge,' Offerman said in an official statement. He continued: 'Once we have recharged those particular batteries, we'll be thrilled to transfer our slatternly energies to the Vivid Sydney audience. Come for the anecdotes and the burlesque lust in our every turn of phrase, then get stretched out before you get home, because there's gonna be some canoodlin''. In this playful conversation moderated by radio and television broadcaster Zan Rowe, Offerman and Mullally will give insights into how they have shaped their careers as multi-hyphenate artists separately, get candid on what it takes to collaborate as both creative partners and spouses, and celebrate how their work intersects with their activism within the LGBTQIA+ community and across environmental issues. 'We couldn't let Vivid Sydney take place this year without treating visitors to a masterclass in comedy,' said Vivid Sydney Festival Director, Gill Minervini. 'Nick and Megan are one of the funniest couples alive, and this conversation is set to be equal parts unpredictable and hilarious.' Offerman and Mullally's appearance will be exclusive to Vivid Sydney as part of the festival's Global Storyteller series, which this year also includes Martha Stewart. The series is designed to 'bring together the world's brightest minds and creative leaders to provide new forms of creative exchange and interactive engagement'. Previous speakers include pop culture sensations Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White, comedic visionary Amy Poehler, local superstar Troye Sivan, and Hollywood trailblazers Baz Luhrmann and Spike Lee. Are you pumped to see this iconic couple? You can get geared up by binge-watching every episode of Will & Grace and Parks and Recreation on Stan. The Aussie streaming service is also offering an exclusive presale to Stan customers from Thursday, May 8. General release tickets for Unscripted & Unfiltered with Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally will be on sale from 9am on Friday, May 9, at . Vivid Sydney's 2025 program is set to bring a huge array of events to the city from May 23 to June 14. The program spans light, music, ideas and food, and don't worry if you don't have the cash for ticketed events – 75 per cent of the program will be free, including the legendary Vivid Sydney Light Walk.
