Hosted by Flixel in conjunction with the Canadian Technology Accelerator at the Time Warner Media Labs, #CINEMAGRAPH showcased how cinemagraphs are evolving as a storytelling medium in the advertising world. The event featured outstanding presentations from members of that community who have integrated cinemagraphs into their content strategy, business offering and social media campaigns, demonstrating how cinemagraphs are changing the face of advertising.

“We thought it was time to elevate our brand and the medium of cinemagraphs by holding a formal event to celebrate cinemagraphs and also where they are going in the future,” said Flixel CEO and co-founder Phil LeBlanc. “Being a part of the CTA is a great honor for Flixel and this event was an extension of that partnership.”

We were thrilled to have incredible speakers join us in New York City across two unique sessions, including Ari Levine, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of TripleLift and Twitter Canada’s Head of Brand Strategy Jamie Michaels, who spoke on the presence of micro-video formats on the social media platform. Christiaan Welzel and Jared Folkmann, the Creative Director and Group Strategy Director of Canadian agency Critical Mass brought a deeper perspective into their award-winning cinemagraph campaign for their client, Travel Alberta.

The spirit of the Flixel community fuelled the success of #CINEMAGRAPH. Cinemagraphs created by top brands and creators, including the winning cinemagraphs from the #MyFlixelMoment contest, were shared in a curated Flixel gallery powered by Meural’s stunning digital frames for guests to get a first-hand glimpse of the artistry and power of cinemagraphs. We even brought the cinemagraph experience directly to our guests with a “Day After Halloween” Flixel Photo Booth, where they learned how to create a fun Facebook Profile cinemagraph with Flixel creator Sherif Mokbel using Flixel Cinemagraph Pro for iOS on the iPad.

It was a privilege to have community members like Thomas Brand, who won the #MyFlixelMoment contest, Kevin Hart’s personal photographer Kevin Kwan and pro fashion photographer and Flixel Wizard Lindsay Adler share their evolving cinemagraph journeys and show how their thumb-stopping visual storytelling is now highly in demand.

“As a fashion photographer, part of my job is to capture people’s attention. Everyday we are seeing thousands, tens of thousands of images, and so for an advertiser to hire me, my job is to get someone to look twice. Cinemagraphs are one of those ways that advertisers are looking to stop people,” Lindsay Adler described at #CINEMAGRAPH. “Now that companies are aware that they [cinemagraphs] exist, and they’ve started to see the increased engagement, they know the value.”

#CINEMAGRAPH marked a significant turning point for the world of living photos, advertising and Flixel. As we see the industry adapt to audiences’ rapid consumption and using micro-video to capture their attention, cinemagraphs are becoming the leading medium to drive performance and brand storytelling.

Presenter and Command Post CEO Tom Chernaik observed that “What we’re finding is that using things like cinemagraphs with Flixel, you can find just enough to make people want to come in. You really want to give people a sort of portal or window into a bigger world, so instead of just flipping past a lot of static images, when they see something that has just enough motion, just enough of a welcome-in, it allows them to come in and sort of expand their minds and look deeper into things.”

Cinemagraphs are opening up new, magical ways to view the world for creators and audiences alike. #CINEMAGRAPH allowed us to celebrate that fact with a growing, extensive advertising community who are becoming more and more excited about where living photos are heading next.

For Flixel, that meant going to the global epicenter of advertising: Times Square.

“To see the company get to this stage and be embraced by the advertising community really showcases that the format is just being legitimized and is establishing itself,” shared Flixel co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Mark Homza. “To be a catalyst for that, it’s a privilege. It’s been an incredible journey. What’s been really amazing is already seeing several cinemagraphs displayed in Times Square. Now to see our very own ad and our own brand up there is certainly something special for all of us at Flixel.”

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A very special thank you to the Canadian Technology Accelerator, Time Warner Media Lab, Meural, Ad Tech and our speakers for their support on #CINEMAGRAPH.