In her editorial in a recent issue of scri(i)pt magazine (www.scriptmag.com), Editor-in-Chief Shelly Mellot wrote this:
"Business-savvy screenwriters are watching developments in new media and how those developments can translate to opportunities. For example, videogames are becoming more and more about the storytelling behind the game, making writers a hot commodity in that industry. DVD releases almost always feature extras about the production, extras which must be scripted. Even popular television shows require extras to be produced for their DVD collection releases. Screenwriters are now being hired to write original content for cell phones, material developed for the Web, virtual reality, and interactive TV. All of these new outlets are creating jobs for writers to develop content and fill the new demands of today's consumers."
I agree with her: in some ways, it's an exciting time with lots of opportunities--but as on any frontier, it will take action and daring to find the profitable paths forward. If you want to make your mark in these new fields you need to get out there now and figure out who the players are, what they want, and how to convince them that you're the one to give it to them.
I'm doing some exploring regarding this myself and will be sharing some of my findings with you on this blog and on the www.timetowrite.com website. Stay tuned!