MTV Teams with Big Stage Entertainment on Interactive Viral Video Promotion for "Jackass"

MTV has teamed with interactive video company, Big Stage Entertainment, on an interactive viral video promotion for the show, "Jackass." Dubbed "Be a Jackass" and located on the show's Web site (jackassworld.com/pages/big-stage), the free promotion invites viewers to digitally superimpose their faces on Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and other personalities from the show as they perform their signature outrageous stunts.

According to MTV, viewers use BackStage, a 3D face modeling technology from Big Stage Entertainment, to create life-like, animated 3D clones of themselves, called @actors, that instantly replace the faces of their favorite "Jackass" stars in videos and photos that can be shared via email, Web site embeds and social media. The clones are sourced, MTV says, from "a few digital photos" that the viewer uploads to jackass.com. "MTV's partnership with Big Stage Entertainment showcases their commitment to connecting with audiences through innovative and immersive digital experiences," Big Stage co-founder and COO, Jon Kraft, said in a prepared statement. "As one of the first companies to offer our new BackStage technology, MTV clearly recognizes the appeal that campaigns like 'Be a Jackass' have among its tech-savvy, irreverent fan base, as well as the unprecedented levels of viewer engagement that BackStage experiences offer their brand."

According to Big Stage, which positions Back Stage as enabling companies to create "personalized interactive experiences under their own brands," @ctors can be instantly accessorized with hairstyles, glasses, shirts, hats and more, and inserted into, for example, video clips, commercials, trailers, games, motion comics and posters.