{"id":2975,"date":"2014-04-25T01:41:41","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T08:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=2975"},"modified":"2014-04-27T13:49:59","modified_gmt":"2014-04-27T20:49:59","slug":"bitstrips-creator-jacob-ba-blackstock-explains-his-apps-massive-popularity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2014\/04\/25\/bitstrips-creator-jacob-ba-blackstock-explains-his-apps-massive-popularity\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitstrips creator Jacob \u201cBA\u201d Blackstock explains his app\u2019s massive popularity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitstrips creator Jacob \u201cBA\u201d Blackstock. (photo from\u00a0Bitstrips)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most popular apps ruling the Internet today is Bitstrips, digital comic strips made from computer bits. The app achieved virtual global fame in no small part due to it creator, Jewish cartoonist \u2013 now Bitstrips chief executive officer and creative director \u2013 Jacob \u201cBA\u201d Blackstock.<\/p>\n

A Canadian venture, Bitstrips allows users to create avatars of themselves and others to produce a comic based on various customizable scenarios. New ones are provided nearly every day. The users can make adjustments to their facial expressions or gestures, choose who to include in the scene and add dialogue or thought bubbles to create a cartoon to encapsulate a moment, a holiday sentiment or a mood. And for those who are cartoon fans, Bitstrips has proven a popular vehicle from which to demonstrate one\u2019s wit and talent \u2013 or lack thereof.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Toronto where Bitstrips was founded in 2007 and where its headquarters remains, BA \u2013 Blackstock\u2019s nickname since childhood \u2013 has enjoyed a lifelong passion for comics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been drawing and creating comics since I was a little kid. Our team has been friends for decades and a love of comics has always been central to our friendship. We\u2019ve always enjoyed making comics for each other, whether in the classroom in high school or later on in life,\u201d said Blackstock in an interview.<\/p>\n

Bitstrips\u2019 executive team is comprised of Blackstock, David Kennedy (vice-president, technology), Shahan Panth (vice-president, marketing) and Dorian Baldwin (lead interactive developer), who were all co-founders.<\/p>\n

\"image<\/a>
Bitstrips’ executive team as Bitstrips avatars. BA Blackstock is second from left. (image from\u00a0Bitstrips)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bitstrips essentially came about while Blackstock was developing a quicker way to make his own comics. He \u201crealized that this technology could be used to make comics accessible to everyone \u2013 and enable them to have the fun of social comic creating and sharing that my friends and I had already been experiencing for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the company started up in 2007, bitstrips.com was formally launched in March 2008 at SXSW (South by Southwest), which sponsors festivals and conferences for film, interactive media and music in Austin, Tex. However, though its Facebook app had been around since December 2012, Bitstrips\u2019 popularity took off almost overnight when Bitstrips iOS mobile app launched for the iPhone in October 2013.<\/p>\n

The sudden fame exceeded Blackstock\u2019s expectations. \u201cWe launched in stealth mode with no PR or marketing with the sole purpose of testing out the app and letting it grow organically. We never expected the explosion in users once the mobile app launched so we definitely weren\u2019t initially prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the iPhone release, use of Bitstrips grew almost exponentially. \u201cWithin two months of the apps launch,\u201d Blackstock said, \u201cwe saw over 30 million avatars created through the app (iOS & Android). It quickly became the #1 free app in over 40 countries,\u201d including the United States, \u201cand the #1 entertainment app in over 90 countries. Many of the world\u2019s biggest cities, including New York, Chicago, London, Hong Kong and Mexico City, now have hundreds of thousands of citizens with Bitstrips avatars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Bitstrips are visible everywhere and are shared via email, SMS and on all the major social media channels. Additionally, Bitstrips for Schools, which hit the education market in fall 2009 to teach children with the aid of comics, is another division that continues to thrive.<\/p>\n

Even before it became popular, Bitstrips had already attracted the attention of investors with a $3 million infusion by Horizon Ventures, a global investment firm headquartered in Hong Kong. \u201cThey discovered us last summer, before we\u2019d finished the mobile app, as Bitstrips were already popping up all over Facebook,\u201d said Blackstock.<\/p>\n

This infusion of capital has enabled the Canadian-based company to expand. \u201cWe will use this round of funding to add to the engineering team, hire more artists, enhance the product and, of course, increase the number of servers to help us handle the dramatic growth in users we have been experiencing,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

But what attracts so many social media users to Bitstrips?<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone needs to express themselves, however they can \u2013 and comics are an incredibly powerful way to communicate. Bitstrips is giving people a genuinely new way to communicate, one that is more visual and relevant than simple text, photos and emoticons,\u201d said Blackstock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a visual language that everyone understands. But, even more importantly, it\u2019s you \u2013 your Bitstrips look like you, and reflect your personality. And not only is it a new form of self-expression, it\u2019s a new way to interact with your friends. Combine all those things and you have something that people all over the world will enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dialogue is still only available in English, though other languages are in the company\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amazing thing about Bitstrips is that people in many different countries and different cultures have been adapting the same comics, adding their own text, to make their own personal creations,\u201d noted Blackstock. \u201cIt\u2019s been the #1 entertainment app in 100 countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inevitably, with such popularity also comes a measure of disdain.<\/p>\n

Blackstock acknowledged this development. \u201cWhile Bitstrips is extremely popular, which is great, some enthusiastic users were oversharing on their Facebook feeds and some people who don\u2019t love Bitstrips were getting quite upset. In terms of a solution, Facebook sharing can be turned off. Also, we rolled out an update that makes in-app sharing the default with Facebook sharing an option users need to select.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scenarios for Bitstrips cartoons come primarily from the creative minds of a team of four, including Blackstock, co-founder Panth, T.J. Garcia and James Spencer. The rest of the company team is also invited to contribute ideas on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

These days, said Blackstock, the company is \u201centirely focused on making Bitstrips a seamless and awesome experience.\u201d From a business perspective, he added, \u201cWe have lots of ideas for monetization down the road, potentially including in-app purchases \u2013 but whatever we do to monetize, we will make sure it is done in a way that enhances the user experience and remains true to our brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"image<\/a>
The Bitstrips team, as avatars, in its Toronto office. (image from\u00a0Bitstrips)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blackstock is confident that the future of Bitstrips remains bright. \u201cWe\u2019ve only scratched the surface when it comes to Bitstrips\u2019 popularity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Asked about his own background and attraction to the comic medium, Blackstock said it began \u201cthrough mass consumption of comics.\u201d He realized early on that he enjoyed making comics himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been making comics, animation and games since I was a kid. Before creating Bitstrips, I spent 10 years developing another epic cartoon project called Griddleville, which I partially funded by running animation workshops in schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blackstock himself spent considerable time in school drawing instead of studying. Following high school he studied film at York University in Toronto only to drop out, he explained, \u201cwhen I became too busy with other projects that were much more exciting than what was happening in my classes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jews have played an influential role in the history of the cartoon genre and some of those involved had a profound influence on Blackstock. His primary inspirations were \u201cthe amazing old cartoons by the Fleischer Brothers,\u201d Max and Dave Fleischer whose New York-based Fleischer Studios produced theatrical shorts and feature films until the animation company was acquired by Paramount Pictures. Other significant influences were Mad Magazine<\/em>\u2019s founder, William Gaines, and Stan Lee\u2019s Marvel Comics. One of Blackstock\u2019s favorite modern cartoonists is Daniel Clowes, known for graphic novels such as Ghost World<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But the work of a cartoonist is neither easy nor fast, which Blackstock fully realized while working on Griddleville, a cartoon from his own imagination.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo create it,\u201d Blackstock related, \u201cI locked myself in a small room and taught myself classical animation along with all kinds of software. In the end, it took three years to produce 11 minutes of animation. The resulting impatience was a contributing factor to the creation of Bitstrips.\u201d<\/p>\n

The burgeoning popularity of social media was also a strong influence. \u201cThe concept of Bitstrips from the beginning was to connect comics to social media \u2013 that comics could one day be one of the main forms of social media, just like photos or videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who follow Bitstrips daily, weekly or close to holidays might notice themes. While Blackstock is Jewish, he doesn\u2019t limit Bitstrips to any one audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cBitstrips are enjoyed by all cultures across the world \u2013 we try to make them as universal as possible, so that anyone anywhere can find a comic to express themselves through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet Blackstock gives a nod to members of his tribe. \u201cWe do have some scenes in the app based on Jewish holidays, which I think are pretty funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arthur Wolak <\/strong>is a freelance writer based in Vancouver. A version of this article was originally published in the<\/em> Times of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bitstrips creator Jacob \u201cBA\u201d Blackstock. (photo from\u00a0Bitstrips) One of the most popular apps ruling the Internet today is Bitstrips, digital comic strips made from computer bits. The app achieved virtual global fame in no small part due to it creator, Jewish cartoonist \u2013 now Bitstrips chief executive officer and creative director \u2013 Jacob \u201cBA\u201d Blackstock. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[838,839,853,840,842,847,852,845,837,844,851,850,846,841,849,843,848],"class_list":["post-2975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-ba-blackstock","tag-bitstrips","tag-daniel-clowes","tag-david-kennedy","tag-dorian-baldwin","tag-fleischer-brothers","tag-ghost-world","tag-griddleville","tag-jacob-blackstock","tag-james-spencer","tag-mad-magazine","tag-marvel-comics","tag-paramount-pictures","tag-shahan-panth","tag-stan-lee","tag-t-j-garcia","tag-william-gaines"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}