–By Sally O’Dowd, engagement editor, MSLGROUP

In this, our second post about Social Media Week Paris, we are exploring a woman and a trend: Alexis Niki and transmedia.

We briefly covered the transmedia concept in our recent report, Social Predictions for the Conversation Age: 2011. To dive a bit more deeply, we are sharing the transmythology blog’s definition of the concept: “Transmedia is a way of following stories between platforms and between media…It could be learning more about your favorite soap opera heroine through a twitter feed set up in her name. Or it could involve taking part in a massive online game that fills in every detail of an expansive science fiction universe. Transmedia facilitates the move from passive viewing to participation. It’s about connection and collaboration.”

And that’s exactly what Alexis is trying to do with her six-part film series called The Bitchy Witchy Paris Vacation, an edgy and funny tale about a woman and her two daughters at different stages of their lives.

“As a writer and storyteller, transmedia is so exciting,” Alexis told me, after speaking at the TechMap launch party on the second night of Social Media Week. “It decentralizes and opens up the (filmmaking) field. It’s no longer just about the feature film. You can do your little project yourself. And maybe get noticed.”

Alexis emphasized how difficult it can be to get one’s script read and optioned by a major film studio. That’s where the web comes in: it provides a channel for testing an idea, producing and distributing short films, and practicing one’s art.

At the same time, Alexis has published a free book comprised of 13 essays on smashwords.com, an ebook plublishing platform. Like her film, Circles Joined to Circles explores relationships between mothers and daughters. Using a multimedia approach to explore her theme—and then sharing her work via social networks—provides a new way to “showcase my writing,” Alexis said. “It changes storytelling.”

We wish Alexis the best of luck in her filmmaking endeavors. She has entered her film into the New Media Film Festival, taking place in May in Los Angeles.