Johnson astutely reveals that franchises are not Borg like assimilation machines but rather complicated ecosystems within which creative workers strive to create compelling shared worlds This finely researched breakthrough book is a must read for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of the contemporary media industry Heather Hendershot author of What s Fair on the Air Cold War Right Wing Broadcasting and the Public InterestWhile immediately recognizable throughout the U S and many other countries media mainstays like X Men Star Trek and Transformers achieved such familiarity through constant reincarnation In each case the initial success of a single product led to a long term embrace of media franchising a dynamic process in which media workers from different industrial positions shared in and reproduced familiar cultureacross television film comics games and merchandising In Media Franchising Derek Johnson examines the corporate culture behind these production practices as well as the collaborative and creative efforts involved in conceiving sustaining and sharing intellectual properties in media work worlds Challenging connotations of homogeneity Johnson shows how the cultural and industrial logic of franchising has encouraged media industries to reimagine creativity as an opportunity for exchange among producers licensees and evenconsumers Drawing on case studies and interviews with media producers he reveals the meaningful identities cultural hierarchies and struggles for distinction that accompany collaboration within these production networks Media Franchising provides a nuanced portrait of the collaborative cultural production embedded in both the mediaindustries and our own daily lives Johnson astutely reveals that franchises are not Borg like assimilation machines but rather complicated ecosystems within which creative workers strive to create compelling shared worlds This finely researched breakthrough book is a must read for anyone seeking a sophisticated understanding of the contemporary media industry Heather Hendershot author of What s Fair on the Air Cold War Right Wing Broadcasting and the Public InterestWhile immediately recognizable throughout the U S and many other countries media mainstays like X Men Star Trek and Transformers achieved such familiarity through constant reincarnation In each case the initial success of a single product led to a long term embrace of media franchising a dynamic process in which media workers from different industrial positions shared in and reproduced familiar cultureacross television film comics games and merchandising In Media Franchising Derek Johnson examines the corporate culture behind these production practices as well as the collaborative and creative efforts involved in conceiving sustaining and sharing intellectual properties in media work worlds Challenging connotations of homogeneity Johnson shows how the cultural and industrial logic of franchising has encouraged media industries to reimagine creativity as an opportunity for exchange among producers licensees and evenconsumers Drawing on case studies and interviews with media producers he reveals the meaningful identities cultural hierarchies and struggles for distinction that accompany collaboration within these production networks Media Franchising provides a nuanced portrait of the collaborative cultural production embedded in both the mediaindustries and our own daily lives