Prime Time Replay:
Valerie Bronson on
Star Trek on the WWW
MsgId: *emedia(12)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:07:32 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Hello--and welcome to E-media! Tonight's guest is Valerie Bronson, the senior producer of the "Star Trek" site for the Microsoft Network. Tonight's session is also a closed chat, so the audience is more than welcome to follow along--but no participation. I'm Paulette Hodge, the coordinator for tonight's chat. Hi, Valerie!
MsgId: *emedia(14)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:09:27 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
Hello!
MsgId: *emedia(15)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:10:44 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
First, maybe we should get into your background, and how you became involved with MSN and eventually became the producer of the "Star Trek" site.
MsgId: *emedia(16)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:12:19 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
I was working in Microsoft interactive television group exploring browser-based enhanced broadcast applications. The Star Trek properties were a natural fit, and I became interested in the work MSN was doing with Paramount Digital Entertainment.
MsgId: *emedia(17)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:13:45 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Did it work out became you were already a big fan of "Star Trek," or was because of MSN's interaction with Paramount (parent company for "Star Trek"'s series)?
MsgId: *emedia(18)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:14:39 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
A bit of both. I've always been a Star Trek fan.
MsgId: *emedia(19)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:15:38 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Your biography also lists that you won the IICS Mark of Excellence Awards. I wanted to know what that is--and what is the "Valerie B Projector"?
MsgId: *emedia(20)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:18:02 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
The IICS is the International Interactive Communication Society. Each year they hold awards in several categories for interactive multimedia pieces. "ValB's Projector" was a fifteen-second '60s commercial about myself that I put on diskette and sent out with my resume. I happened to enter it in the Mark of Excellence awards. I can't tell you how many people remember all these years later from those fifteen seconds.
MsgId: *emedia(21)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:18:54 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Did you use the "ValB Projector" to land a job at Microsoft? :-)
MsgId: *emedia(22)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:20:12 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
Yes, I did. I heard about the position during an IICS meeting. I approached the person announcing the position and handed them my resume and "ValB's Projector."
MsgId: *emedia(23)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:22:25 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Other projects mentioned that you've worked on include the "Clint Eastwood CD-ROM" and the "I, Leonardo" CD-ROM. I've heard of the latter, but didn't know there was a package for Eastwood! Can you describe the Eastwood CD-ROM, and some of your work prior to MSN and "Star Trek"?
MsgId: *emedia(24)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:26:36 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
The Clint Eastwood CD-ROM was a comprehensive filmology of all of his works divided by genre. It included original interviews and scenes never seen anywhere else. There was a timeline of Eastwood's life and career and original photographs. We scoured Eastwood's personal archives for original material. I was also design-phase producer for a just-released Bill Nye, The Science Guy CD-ROM. Prior to my work in the consumer products multimedia, I was involved in corporate multimedia for many years. This included work for clients as diverse as Lockheed, AT&T, and EDS. I was also in the music & special effects business for many years in Hollywood.
MsgId: *emedia(25)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:29:13 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
We had Bill Nye on in December! Now, back to the "Star Trek: Continuum" site at MSN. For people who haven't yet seen the site, can you describe what the site contains? What makes it different from the other "Star Trek" sites on the Web--official and unofficial?
MsgId: *emedia(26)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:31:02 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
STAR TREK: CONTINUUM is the most comprehensive and only official online source of Star Trek information. It has the latest information and archives from all 30 years of show and movie history. We have direct access to the creators and stars through Paramount Digital Entertainment and work with the official Star Trek fan club.
MsgId: *emedia(27)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:33:13 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
What percentage of MS employees are "Star Trek" fans? Which of the "ST" shows is your favorite?
MsgId: *emedia(28)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:34:17 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
I think just about all of them are ST fans. I favor the original series, myself.
MsgId: *emedia(29)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:35:58 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
How much of MSN's "ST" site is devoted to the original series, and how much to the others? Which do you find that more people like, when accessing the site--or is it not possible to tell?
MsgId: *emedia(30)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:37:29 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
Everybody seems to favor a different show. Since we have the most comprehensive site and activities surrounding the ST collection, which includes the 8 motion pictures and the TV series, we find their interest is equally divided.
MsgId: *emedia(31)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:41:37 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
"ST" is very popular, it seems, among guests that I've interviewed for E-Media. Most definitely like the original. I've never asked, however, if anyone likes "Star Wars" as much as "ST"--so I'll ask you, especially with the three "SW" films being rereleased in a few weeks. Do you like "Star Wars"? Would you and MSN work on a site dedicated to that?
MsgId: *emedia(32)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:43:38 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
I personally am a real ST fan, but I did enjoy seeing the Star Wars films. I wouldn't be cognizant of any plans for Star Wars on MSN.
MsgId: *emedia(33)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:46:34 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Now they're releasing films featuring the crew from "ST:TNG." Do you think films will be released based on the "Deep Space Nine" or "Voyager" series anytime soon?
MsgId: *emedia(34)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:47:53 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
I don't really know if any plans are in the works, but I sure would enjoy seeing a film with the DS9 and Voyager crew.
MsgId: *emedia(35)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:50:36 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
I'd like to see them work with "Voyager." It doesn't seem, however, that this show has the kind of drawing power as "The Next Generation" or even "Deep Space Nine."
MsgId: *emedia(36)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:53:02 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
All the shows started out slowly and we probably haven't seen Voyager hit it's prime yet.
MsgId: *emedia(37)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:53:50 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
How much of the futuristic technology used in "Star Trek" do you see becoming part of our real world? From the original show, or even from "TNG"?
MsgId: *emedia(39)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:56:48 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
It's very interesting how much of Gene Roddenbery's vision has come to fruition. Look at people walking around with cellular phones and pagers. On January 30th we have a chat with Rick Sternbach, the creator of phasers, tricorders and other props, and a senior illustrator and technical consultant on TNG, DS9, Voyager and the motion pictures. We highlight the technologies in the STAR TREK: CONTINUUM site in our databanks area.
MsgId: *emedia(40)
Date: Mon Jan 27 21:58:50 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
How much longer do you think it'll take for science/technology to create a means in which we can dissipate ourselves from one country to another in less than 30 seconds? Would it be safer than flying?
MsgId: *emedia(41)
Date: Mon Jan 27 22:00:36 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
I'd like to think it won't take us too awfully long. There are many times I wish I could simply be transported. I don't know how likely it will be, but I think it's an interesting idea.
MsgId: *emedia(42)
Date: Mon Jan 27 22:02:38 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
Last question: Which captain is better--Captain Kirk or Picard? :-)?
MsgId: *emedia(43)
Date: Mon Jan 27 22:04:09 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
Captain Kirk, hands down! I found him to be so suave and devil-may-care. I really enjoyed his humor.
MsgId: *emedia(44)
Date: Mon Jan 27 22:05:39 PST 1997
From: Paulette At: 205.186.65.43
KIRK?!?!?!? All right, I hold that against you... But thank you, Valerie, for appearing tonight on E-Media. For a firsthand look at Ms. Bronson's work, check out the "Star Trek: Continuum" site on the MicroSoft Network.
MsgId: *emedia(45)
Date: Mon Jan 27 22:06:31 PST 1997
From: Valerie_Bronson At: 152.172.194.20
Thanks for having me here! It was great fun! Good night!
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