NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Interlude today announced the launch of Treehouse, a self-service HTML5 Web app that lets anyone design and publish their own interactive videos. In coordination with the launch, Interlude unveiled a completely redesigned website at interlude.fm to drive inspiration and creativity in creating personalized interactive video experiences.
Simple to use for all video enthusiasts yet robust enough for professionals, Treehouse unlocks Interlude’s patented interactive video technology for video creators via its flexible authoring suite. The company has already built a rich history of interactive video storytelling and has helped some of the world’s leading entertainment and corporate brands leverage interactive video, including Shell, MAC, Subaru, Disney Music Group, Goldfish, Y&R, Intel, CBC and Sony Music Nashville. Interlude has also partnered with global advertising and marketing leader WPP to offer brands custom services that leverage the Interlude platform.
“Because of Interlude’s unique and flexible technology, two of our artists have won the MTV O Music Award for Most Innovative Video two years in a row,” said Steve Greenberg, CEO of S-Curve Records and former president of Columbia Records. “The platform inspires an immense amount of creativity and engages viewers, encouraging them to replay videos multiple times. And everyone knows that getting audiences to play a video again and again is every creator’s dream. With Treehouse making the Interlude platform more accessible, I think that we will see that online video will never be the same.”
Two videos that were built on the same platform now offered via Treehouse include an interactive interview with Jon Hamm when he hosted this spring’s ESPYs, as well as a music video with indie band Chairlift, declared Best Music Video of 2012 by both Buzzfeed and Time Out London. For another sample of what can be done with Treehouse, check out the game-like interactive video How to Dismantle a Bomb!
“Treehouse ushers in a new era of video storytelling fully leveraging the interactivity inherent in digital platforms,” said Yoni Bloch, co-founder and CEO of Interlude. “We designed Treehouse to enable individuals, brands and enterprises to fully exercise their creativity without the technological restraints that often limit the execution of an artistic vision. With this new access to our technology platform, we are excited to see how Treehouse users push the boundaries of creativity to deliver a 21st century video experience.”
With a drag-and-drop, easy-to-use interface, Treehouse enables users to oversee the entire creative process, from concept to execution to publishing. Videos created with Treehouse foster interactivity by operating in a multi-branch, multi-layered, tree-structured style, allowing viewers to play an active role in the storytelling process. As viewers navigate through various options, the videos react to the choices in real time, always delivering a seamless viewing experience.
Key features of Treehouse include:
- Unlimited Offering – There are no limits on video length or number of choices. All videos and assets are hosted on Interlude’s servers, offering users unlimited storage.
- No Limits on Story Line Complexity - Build simple branching structures or more complex structures using loops & jumps.
- Publish to Web – Videos can be embedded on any website or blog using a standard embed code.
- Publish to Facebook – Videos can be viewed directly inside Facebook feeds.
- Publish to iOS – Videos can be viewed using Interlude's iOS player app.
- Publish in HD – Videos can be published in a crystal-clear, high-quality format.
- Calls to Action – Videos can link out to websites, shop URLs or any online destination.
- Analytics – Users can track video performance with a real-time metrics dashboard that includes breakdowns of user choices and decisions, as well as views, unique visitors, engagement, share and click-through rates and retention time.
“Treehouse has proved to be a game-changer. It's rare to find a creative tool that is as simple and intuitive as Treehouse’s platform,” said Matthew Bradley, post-production manager at Casual Films. “In a matter of hours, I was able to create a completely seamless interactive video experience that really enhanced the story I was trying to tell - one that allowed the viewer to react to familiar situations associated with homelessness and explore choices they might not make otherwise.”
Visit http://streetsouls.org.uk/ to see how Bradley was able to use Treehouse to create an interactive experience for London-based nonprofit Street Souls that raises awareness about individual attitudes relating to homelessness.
“Because viewers can personalize their experience, these videos deliver dramatically higher levels of engagement compared with traditional linear videos,” Bloch added. “Viewers are naturally inclined to want to see the alternative stories, and we have seen interactive videos deliver an average of up to three views per user, engagement rates ranging from 70 to 90 percent, and sharing rates up to eight times industry averages.”
Pricing and Availability
Treehouse is available immediately. The platform is free to all personal users, and available to commercial users and enterprises for a fee. Visit interlude.fm for pricing and additional information.
About Interlude
Interlude (interlude.fm) is a digital media company that designs, develops and markets interactive video technology. Treehouse is Interlude’s self-serve authoring suite that enables all video creators, whether enthusiasts or professionals, to create interactive videos. Founded by Israeli musician Yoni Bloch and his band, Interlude is backed by Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital, NEA, Marker and Innovation Endeavors.
