As the Chief Storyteller and Co-Founder of One 3 Creative, Houston Howard is a recognized producer, author, speaker and thought leader in the entertainment and branding communities because of his unique and proprietary transmedia approach to story.

Advising entities such as: Mattel, Disney Imagineering, Reliance Media Works, West Coast Customs, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Harper Collins Publishing. As well as designing a number of transmedia-focused projects for: Fox, the CW, TNT, Slinky and the writers of Toy Story. Howard has an impressive amount of experience designing projects that are primed for the 21st Century. His two books — 'Make Your Story Really Stinkin’ Big' and 'You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Story' — have been go-to manuals for creative professionals on how to leverage a variety of media platforms, maximizes revenue potential and engages audiences in new and innovative ways.

Howard features as a speaker at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki Digital 2020, where he leads his own session ‘What's the Big Picture -- How to Use Transmedia to Best Leverage Your Games’.

Before the online-only conference in September, we caught up with Howard to see what’s changed in the games industry since he joined, and what trends he expects to see over the next 12 months in the industry.

PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about One 3 Creative.

Houston Howard: If you just want to tell a story, go find Robert McKee (he's awesome!). If you want your story, your brand, your project or your game to survive in an age of fragmentation, distraction, over-stimulation and commoditization and become bigger than you've ever imagined, you're gonna to need a new strategy. You're going to need a Super Story. That's what we do.

What does your role entail?

As the Chief Storyteller, I use a uniquely designed three-stage creative process to extend an IP across multiple platforms in order to craft immersive, transmediated branded entertainment projects. This process includes building and designing optimised storyworlds, developing cross-platform revenue-drivers that target additional demographics for the brand, as well as creating narrative extensions that focus on further audience engagement into established narratives.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

Games are one of THE BEST ways to launch broad-based IP!

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

Think about the broader IP beyond the game and make sure it has a GREAT storyworld. Great storyworlds create more story potential!

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

Fortnite has changed so much of the thinking around video games with the profitability of the free-to-play/microtransactions model. Plus, with events such as the Travis Scott concert taking place in Fortnite and the Rise of Skywalker event, Fortnite really revolutionised so much in the industry.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

Video games have proven to be 'pandemic proof' entertainment, which means more investment monies will be shifted into the gaming sector.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

Obviously, the technology and platforms have changed and there has been a shift to open-world environments, but the biggest change is how well games can be the catalyst for broader franchises. And esports!

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

Networking with super-smart folks!