Turner Selects Six Start-ups For Media Camp

The company's inaugural accelerator Media Camp will offer six tech companies a 12 week program to develop their businesses

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/7/2012 6:58:32 PM

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has named the six tech start-ups that will participate in its first Media Camp accelerator program this summer.

The twelve week program -- which was expanded in size from five to six companies because of very high demand -- will offer start-ups and tech entrepreneurs a variety of programs, including one-on-one mentorship with digital, television and film executives, curriculum on media-specific topics and the opportunity to work with Turner's entertainment, news, sports and animation networks.

"Each Media Camp participant has compelling innovation to offer the media industry," said Balaji Gopinath, VP of emerging technology for Turner Broadcasting in a statement. "Media Camp will help them lead the charge in making the next generation of social and interactive entertainment engaging and successful."

Turner first announced the program earlier this year when it called for start-ups to apply for the program. Following the summer program, Media Camp's investor demo day is scheduled for mid-September.

Members of the first class include Chute, which has developed a platform that enables publishers, brands, and app developers to seamlessly add photo or video functionality to their apps or sites; Matcha, which offers a easy way to find movies and follow TV shows across a variety of digital video services; Showbucks, which develops apps that combine social video with social games; Socialize, which is creating a social platform that predicts user intent; SocialSamba, a social storytelling platform; and Switchcam, which creates interactive video experiences combining fan and professional footage.

As part of the initiative to help develop new tech start-ups, Turner also announced that a number of affiliates would provide resources, services and/or products for the start-ups.

These companies include: Amazon Web Services, C100, LawPivot, MassChallenge, Microsoft BizSpark, sf.citi, Startup America Partnership and swissnex San Francisco.