Interview: Alina Adams Brings Soaps Into the Digital Age

While you might not know Alina Adams by name (yet), you do know her by her body of work. She’s worn many hats in the soap-opera community, including writer, host, content producer, developer, etc. She’s authored soap-opera tie-in books “Oakdale Confidential,” “The Man From Oakdale” and “Jonathan’s Story,” and is also the woman behind the “Another World” website, which has carried the show on into the 21st century even though the NBC version was canceled in 1999. Alina is also the writer of Mindy Lewis Bauer’s Twitter feed (twitter.com/MindyLewisBauer), the writings of the popular “Guiding Light” character, who chronicles the ongoing drama that’s still happening in Springfield, after “Guiding Light’s” 2009 cancellation.

Perhaps most forward-looking of all Alina’s projects is the development of enhanced electronic books which, in addition to standard text, features video, music, graphics and links relevant to the story. An enhanced e-book can be experienced on tablets, iPads, smartphones and computers — all you need is an Internet connection and a free Kindle app. I spoke with Alina recently about electronic innovations and the future of soaps.

Daytime Dial: One of your first interactive projects in the genre was to bring “Another World” back via storytelling on AnotherWorldToday.com. How did you decide on the format in which to bring it back?

Alina Adams: TeleNext had put up reruns of “Another World” on hulu.com. It was 2009, exactly 10 years after the show had gone off the air. I suggested we do some out-of-the-box thinking. Instead of just telling people: “Here are some reruns. Watch these episodes,” we’ll update the story. Let’s work with the characters that were in the episodes that they were showing and use the episodes on Hulu as flashbacks, and combine text and video in a completely new multimedia format.

DD: And then when you incorporated Mindy with that by having her refer to “AW” on her Twitter feed, that was a great tie-in.

AA: Everybody loves a crossover! You could either pick up new readers — or in this case, new followers — or you won’t. It’s highly unlikely you would lose anyone as a result of it. So it’s a win-win situation.

DD: Mindy’s “Guiding Light” Twitter started as a promotion for the 25th high-school reunion of the Four Musketeers (Phillip, Beth, Rick and Mindy), and you guys decided to keep it going. Back then, it was affiliated with “Guiding Light,” but you’ve decided to continue it on your own since the show’s cancellation.

AA: TeleNext knows this is going on. They can’t officially sanction it, but they are not taking it down. It says right there on the profile: “This is no longer affiliated with TeleNext.”

DD: I also love the interactive quality of Mindy’s Twitter, where she asks her followers for advice on what to do in certain situations.

AA: Twitter is terrific that way. It creates immediacy and intimacy. And believe me, the fans definitely have their opinions on how things should be handled, and they aren’t afraid to voice it.

DD: Tell me about your enhanced electronic book “Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime’s Greatest Moments.”

AA: I reached out to the fans on transmedia — Facebook, Twitter, fan clubs, soap sites — and I asked them to tell me their favorite, most memorable moment from the beginning of soaps until now. I received a wonderful avalanche of responses. Once I compiled those lists, I went to either the actor, writer or producer who was involved in the scene, and I got the story of how the scene came together.

For example, after Linda Dano tells you about what it was like to shoot the intervention scenes on “Another World,” there the scene is — you can click a button on your tablet and watch it. I developed the idea as a fan and as a consumer. If you’re reading a book that’s telling you about something great that happened, you want to see it right then, and we now have the technology to make that happen.

Read more about Alina Adams and her innovations for the future of soaps at alinaadams.com. And if you need a belated gift for the soap lover in your family, go to amazon.com and order “Soap Opera 451” for immediate download.

Create Your Own Another World Stories

NEWS RELEASE:

Beginning June 25, AnotherWorldToday.com will give fans the chance to write their own Another World stories using their favorite characters from the show’s 35-year history. To get started, select a character (that is not officially dead in Bay City or currently featured in Another World Today) and register your character at www.Twitter.com, complete with screen-name and profile. Sign up to follow https://twitter.com/AWToday. Characters will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/roleplay.html.

Jane Krakowski Re-Creates Cinematic History

Actress Jane Krakowski films a webisode for Breyers Smooth & Dreamy ice cream at Kaufman Astoria Studios Thursday, April 23, 2009, in New York. The webisode, which launches May 14, features Krakowski comedically taking the place of “Gone with the Wind” heroine Scarlett O’Hara. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, Breyers)

Starting today, you can catch 30 Rock actress Jane Krakowski (formerly of Ally McBeal and Another World) at www.SmoothandDreamy.com as she recreates iconic scenes from well-loved movies — with a modern-day twist.

Plus, you can create your own mini movie starring you, as well as enter sweepstakes for some fabulous prizes. So head over to www.SmoothandDreamy.com and join in the fun. Check back periodically to see new webisodes as they are posted.

Another World 10 Years Later

Ever wonder what happened to your favorite (and not-so-favorite) Bay City residents?

In 1999, to the disappointment of its devoted longtime fans, daytime soap Another World was canceled. SOAPnet aired old episodes for a short time, but due to low ratings, the reruns were canceled as well. You can still view old episodes in their entirety on Hulu.com and YouTube.com. However, if you'd like to see what your favorite fictional characters are doing now, in 2009, you're just a click away.

In a press release, TeleNext Media, Inc., announces the Internet revival of long-running daytime drama Another World. AnotherWorldToday.com will offer weekly text-based episodes that will pick up 10 years after the show ended its successful run on NBC. Written by Alina Adams, the updated series follows the lives of Bay City’s much-missed families, including the Corys, the Hutchins, the Loves, and best friends Felicia Gallant and Cass Winthrop. Through the use of weekly online polls, readers will be able to help guide the hand of fate of their favorite characters. AnotherWorldToday.com debuts on May 4.

“The renewed success of Another World online is a testament to the show’s enduring appeal,” said Brian T. Cahill, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of TeleNext Media, Inc. “The audience is as engaged with these characters today as they were during the show’s impressive 35-year run. We are so pleased to offer them another chance to visit with their old friends from Another World.”