The motion picture industry has long searched the magical formula of predicting future box office performances. A glimpse of future box office performances can help a studio save millions in post-production marketing and distribution expenses. The same logic applies to all nonprofit presenting and performing arts organizations - if NPOs can predict their future events’ financial outcomes NPOs can save their precious resources and reallocate them to other uses. Social media may just provide this magical prediction formula.
Hollywood Stock Exchange: A League of Its Own
First launched in 1996, HSX is a free web-based multiplayer gaming simulator of American film industry. The rules are simple: players use virtual currency to buy, sell, short and cover “shares” of films, directors, actors and other related virtual securities. Although the exchange is entirely fictional, it reacts to actual industry-related news, making itself a community and information hub for both professionals and enthusiasts in the film industry.
Curiator: An App to Advance the Online Art World
Curiator encourages users to discover, collect and share art. Launched in early 2014, the app is an extension of the Curiator online platform, a social media website with an emphasis on visual art which claims to be the world’s largest online collaborative art museum.