Media, education and culture, a programme of the EU

Developing Interactive Narrative Content Seminar 2005:
Selection board

| Joel Baumann | Brunhild Bushoff | Matt Costello |

Joel Baumann

Joel Baumann was born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1969. His father being a diplomat, he spent most of his youth abroad, studying at international schools. He studied dramatic arts and photography in Paris and received a BA in Contemporary Media Practise in London and a MA in Hypermedia at the University of Westminster. After working for Sony Broadcast and Professional Europe he joined the interaction design collective Antirom.
In 1999 Antirom split into smaller collectives and Joel became a founder member of tomato interactive. He is currently based in Kassel, Germany where he is Professor for New Media in the Department of Visual Communication at the art school in the University of Kassel. He continues to be a member of tomato.

Brunhild Bushoff

Project manager training initiatives sagas writing interactive fiction & sagasnet.
After completing her university studies in journalism, history and German at the Westfaelische Wilhelms Universitaet in Muenster with a Ph.D. in 1984, worked as journalist and author. Developed interdisciplinary workshop series sagas writing interactive fiction, a training project (organized by the Munich Film Academy) in the frame of the MEDIA PLUS Programme of the European Community that furthers the development of narrative content forinteractive media and targets knowledge transfer between professionals working in the film + TV industry and those working for interactive media.
Founded in 2002 sagasnet, a training initiative aiming at promoting and supporting narrative interactive projects in development and also a MEDIA PLUS Training project.

Matt Costello

Matt Costello's best-selling and award-wining work has always strived to mesh game play, technology and story. He is the writer and creator of groundbreaking projects for TV, Online, novels, nonfiction books, PC and console games in both U.S. and U.K.

Matt Costello wrote the gothic horror script for the best-selling and award-winning The 7th Guest, a Virgin CD-ROM. A game guide and a novel based on The 7th Guest have been released, both immediate best-sellers. He also scripted The 11th Hour, the sequel to The 7th Guest. The 11th Hour won major awards from trade publications, including CD-ROM Today's Critic's Choice Award.

Costello adapted A Cartoon History of the Universe for CD-ROM, 'Best of the Year' by MacWorld Magazine and a New Media Invision Gold medal winner, which said, "This is absolutely one of the best CD-ROM's in the Universe.". Costello has been an interactive consultant for many clients, including James Cameron's Titanic, the BBC and.Xulu Entertainment. Barbie's Riding Club, designed and written by Costello, was the #1 entertainment CD-ROM in the US for December/January 1999.

Matthew Costello is a member of the WGAE and consults widely for clients ranging from James Cameron's Digital Domain (for Titanic), the interactive divisions of the BBC and Channel 4 (UK), and media and game companies around the world.

Other recent major multimedia projects include:

  • Aladdin for Disney Interactive
  • Hercules, for Disney Interactive
  • The Dark Half, for ORION/MGM.
  • Derelict, an on-line game for The Sci-Fi Channel
  • Fatal Illusion The Clue Chronicles for Hasbro
  • Founder and Executive Creative Strategist
    Interactive Media Development Consultancy.
    Prior to this u.o.:
    EPIC MEDIA GROUP plc., Executive Producer
    4i FILMS ltd , Development ExecutiveLOMBARD PRODUCTIONS LTD , Producer / Director
    TAKE TWO FILM AND VIDEO , Producer / Director
    The Company, Theatre Producer/Director
    Performances at The Roundhouse, Rock Garden, Theatro Technis, Avignion, Edinburgh, Paris and Amsterdam.