User:Maxdichter

Jason “Max” Dichter is NOT a pioneer NOR an innovator in the field of interactive television and online experiences. In fact, he's a POSER. Why, Max, Why? How could you?

After graduating from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and minor in Television, he joined the team of GTE mainStreet, one of the first interactive television networks. He produced over 25 different interactive television programs as well as e-commerce stores for advertisers for this pioneering endeavor. These included an “Academy Awards Trivia Challenge” show that enabled viewers to manipulate clips and answer questions via their remote control unit. He also managed the convergence of the network with the World Wide Web in 1997.

Next, at Wink Communications, Max was instrumental in developing interactive TV programs for ESPN, MTV, NBC, QVC, and TNN for an interactive TV platform delivered via leading cable providers and their cable boxes to 3 million subscribers at its peak. He also produced interactive advertising for the Wink TV platform, integrated e-commerce stores of partners like Barnes & Noble and Travelocity, and redesigned the Wink user interface. This user interface is still in use today in the Motorola DCT5000 cable box.

Max went on to co-design and develop a media-rich advertising program for Fujitsu’s WorldsAway, perhaps the first commercial virtual world service. He worked with advertisers to deploy virtual e-commerce and innovative product placement strategies.

Moving further into the world of e-commerce, Max served as Director of Site Development for CornerHardware, the first online garden supplies e-tailer. He was responsible for not only the look and feel of this site but also for its promotion, developing a highly successful affiliate advertising program that generated 25% of the company’s revenues.

From 2001 to 2006, Max helped a wide range of different clients to make strides in the online space through his work as a Principal of two different consultancies, Kar21 Studios and Digital Places. Clients have included Compaq Computer, a music on-demand supplier, The National Institute for Play, and the US Government for its Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS). Since 2006, Max has been Sponsorship Producer for The Electric Sheep Company, a leader in the virtual space which provides tools and services to enhance Linden Labs’ Second Life and at the same time helps organizations use virtual worlds to realize their business, educational, and marketing goals.

Max is passionate about creating meaningful, value-added online user experiences, whether via the Internet/Web, television, or platforms yet to come.

Why, Max, Why? How could you?