Blue Room Reacts... Episode #001

For a long while now, I had been wanting to "make films" for the Blue Room - but I had no idea on how... until now!

I had been banging my head against the wall for months in trying to work how to write, shoot, present, and edit films in the limited amount of time I had between the other demands of my job as a Blue Room Technologist.

After many months of procrastinating, I finally stumbled upon the 'reacts' style format that is popular on YouTube. The amazing Corridor Crew team, who have been running a 'reacts' style episode once a week for years, was particularly inspiring.

While not that prolific (yet) they did inspire me to look at my constraints, and to come up with a way to create something that would be fast to film, easy to edit, and that would put ourselves as tech experts in a comfortable space where we could deliver our thoughts, insights, and knowledge on the latest things in tech.

With that context established, I am pleased to announce the first episode of Blue Room Reacts! Our very own TV show (for BBC staff) in which the team and an invited guest will take a look at the latest technology news or apps to hit the market.

 

The plan is for each episode to focus on one specific app or piece of tech news, with opinion and insights provided from different members of the Blue Room team or our guests.

The first episode saw us reacting to Disney+, which was a rather clever move on our part, as the service is not due to launch in the UK officially until March 24th. We were able to analyse the US version of the app, and so get a head-start on its appearance, content, and unique features, well ahead of the launch  over here.

Disney+ already has over 28 million subscribers in the US. With a collection of intellectual properties and brands from Disney animation, Pixar films, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic... Disney+ is set to disrupt the VOD landscape and to become a firm contender in an already busy subscription market. 

The episode is, alas, only available to BBC staff. Though if you ever want me to guide you through a TV app like Disney+, you know where to find me! The episode could not have come together would it not have been for the Blue Room's Spencer Marsden and our guest, Technology Apprentice Susan Machin. The episode really is about their insights, with me there to string things along.

Special shout-out to Richard Robbins as my Manager for supporting the idea. So much so that we have already been given the green light for Episode #002! Watch this space!

Update: You can watch the video below - but only if you have the Blue Room password!