Twitter‘s unique ability to draw in millions of users into a discussion in real time generates a lot of data that can provide some very interesting insights. The site has also become known as a great source of first hand accounts in conflict zones or a way to find out what topic is trending around the world. The movie industry has also realized that information from Twitter can also help predict how well a movie is going to do at the box office. This is not just a day or two in advance but weeks before the movie even hits a single screen. That is some powerful technology and movie studios are now trying to harness the micro blogging site for another purpose. According to Adam Bain, Twitter’s president of global revenue, he is visiting Hollywood studios to drum up business. During one such meeting, a producer for the studio made an interesting comment. Bain explains that, “One studio chief said ‘This is amazing. I’ve got a film in production right now and I’m making casting decisions. What can Twitter tell me about a movie that’s going to appear two years from now?'”
The question got the team at Twitter working on a way to help the studio find actors that have a lot of potential but are not over priced. Bain refers to the initiative as a “Moneyball-style effort”, a reference to the technique made famous by a Brad Pitt movie in which baseball players are picked based on a computer analysis. Bain does not give to much detail about how exactly Twitter is selecting actors. However, he does state that the people under consideration are not one that have the most followers but the ones that engage their fans and followers more often. He did not mention what film Twitter was helping to cast and also did not name the studio. He also did not reveal if the studio had benefited from Twitters involvement and stated, “We’ll have to wait two years,” he said.
Bain relayed the experience with movie studios and Twitter’s efforts at OMD’s Social Day held in New York on Thursday, February 7. The former Fox Sports and Fox Interactive Media executive was joined by co-founder of Bluefin Labs Deb Roy. Bluefin is a social TV analytics firm and Twitter just announced that it was purchasing the company. Bain’s comments and the the company’s latest acquisition signal Twitter’s intent to work studios and the entertainment industry to provide data.