Jellyvision
Encyclopedia
Jellyvision is a multimedia production company, founded by Harry Gottlieb, and is best known for making the You Don't Know Jack games. Originally named "Learn Television," it produced a number of edutainment
titles, such as "That's A Fact, Jack!", before branching out into pure entertainment multimedia. At that point, the company name was changed to "Burnt Jellyvision" (a form of their original name, as would be used in a You Don't Know Jack 'Gibberish' Question), but the company quickly decided to just use "Jellyvision."
Jellyvision now has three distinct business groups - Jellyvision Games which continues to produce multimedia games such as You Don't Know Jack, The Jellyvision Lab, an interactive agency, which creates Interactive Conversations for Fortune 500
companies and the Jellyvision Benefits Counselor, an interactive application that teaches employees about their health benefits.
Despite the film's success, Learn Television sought to move beyond the passive experience offered by the medium of film. New multimedia technologies presented an opportunity to create a more active learning experience. Using the lead character of "The Mind's Treasure Chest," Jack Patterson, as host, Learn Television partnered with the Follett Software Company and developed THAT'S A FACT, JACK®!, a reading motivation CD-ROM game show series covering young adult fiction. TFJ was, at its core, an educational interactive game show targeting 3rd through 10th graders.
With TFJ in development, Jellyvision decided to test the waters of mainstream interactive entertainment by beginning a partnership with Berkeley Systems
and developing the game You Don’t Know Jack.
Released in the fall of 1995, You Don’t Know Jack became an instant best seller and redefined the trivia game market for adults with its direct-response interactivity and snarky fusion of high culture and pop culture. Today, with over 4.5 million units sold, more than $100 million in revenue, distribution in five countries and over 50 major industry awards, YDKJ is one of the most successful gaming franchises ever.
In 1996, the company's name was changed to Jellyvision in response to the expansion of product lines beyond education.
In 1999, Jellyvision brought a virtual Regis Philbin
to life by designing and developing the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM for Disney Interactive.
In 2001, Jellyvision partnered with Microsoft
to develop Outsmart®, the flagship game show for www.zone.com. Outsmart pits players in head-to-head action against their favorite celebrities. They also partnered with Michael Davies, the executive producer who imported and developed the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, to launch a television show based on Jellyvision's latest game invention, Smush
. Smush launched in early 2002 on the USA Network
and Jellyvision still owns the trademark for the property.
The Jellyvision Lab was soon launched to create Interactive Conversations for corporate clients such as Comcast
, Clorox
, Aetna
, Salesforce and others. The Jellyvision Benefits Counselor, an interactive application, was also created to help employees better understand their benefits and help them make decisions around their insurance options.
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
titles, such as "That's A Fact, Jack!", before branching out into pure entertainment multimedia. At that point, the company name was changed to "Burnt Jellyvision" (a form of their original name, as would be used in a You Don't Know Jack 'Gibberish' Question), but the company quickly decided to just use "Jellyvision."
Jellyvision now has three distinct business groups - Jellyvision Games which continues to produce multimedia games such as You Don't Know Jack, The Jellyvision Lab, an interactive agency, which creates Interactive Conversations for Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies and the Jellyvision Benefits Counselor, an interactive application that teaches employees about their health benefits.
History
Jellyvision was founded in 1989 under the name Learn Television to create children's films. In 1991, Learn Television released the award-winning film "The Mind's Treasure Chest™," a comedic feature-length educational film that teaches students to think for themselves. The film was in distribution to schools in five countries and took the highest honor for grades seven through 12 at the National Educational Film and Video Festival.Despite the film's success, Learn Television sought to move beyond the passive experience offered by the medium of film. New multimedia technologies presented an opportunity to create a more active learning experience. Using the lead character of "The Mind's Treasure Chest," Jack Patterson, as host, Learn Television partnered with the Follett Software Company and developed THAT'S A FACT, JACK®!, a reading motivation CD-ROM game show series covering young adult fiction. TFJ was, at its core, an educational interactive game show targeting 3rd through 10th graders.
With TFJ in development, Jellyvision decided to test the waters of mainstream interactive entertainment by beginning a partnership with Berkeley Systems
Berkeley Systems
Berkeley Systems was a San Francisco Bay Area software company co-founded in 1987 by Wes Boyd and Joan Blades. It made money early on by performing contract work for the National Institutes of Health, specifically in making modifications to the Macintosh so that it could be used by partially...
and developing the game You Don’t Know Jack.
Released in the fall of 1995, You Don’t Know Jack became an instant best seller and redefined the trivia game market for adults with its direct-response interactivity and snarky fusion of high culture and pop culture. Today, with over 4.5 million units sold, more than $100 million in revenue, distribution in five countries and over 50 major industry awards, YDKJ is one of the most successful gaming franchises ever.
In 1996, the company's name was changed to Jellyvision in response to the expansion of product lines beyond education.
In 1999, Jellyvision brought a virtual Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
to life by designing and developing the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM for Disney Interactive.
In 2001, Jellyvision partnered with Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
to develop Outsmart®, the flagship game show for www.zone.com. Outsmart pits players in head-to-head action against their favorite celebrities. They also partnered with Michael Davies, the executive producer who imported and developed the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, to launch a television show based on Jellyvision's latest game invention, Smush
Smush
-The game:Smush was hosted by Ken Ober and co-hosted by Lisa Dergan. The show, set in a basement party atmosphere, featured four contestants trying to "smush" the answers to clues together, to create a new smushed phrase. For example, the clue "A New England state + 'Flying Circus' man" would...
. Smush launched in early 2002 on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
and Jellyvision still owns the trademark for the property.
The Jellyvision Lab was soon launched to create Interactive Conversations for corporate clients such as Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, Clorox
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
, Aetna
Aetna
Aetna, Inc. is an American health insurance company, providing a range of traditional and consumer directed health care insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans, and medical management...
, Salesforce and others. The Jellyvision Benefits Counselor, an interactive application, was also created to help employees better understand their benefits and help them make decisions around their insurance options.