OneTrueMedia.com provided a service that gave its users tools to create, edit, and share videos. It promised users that it could help them to "make amazing videos by mixing [their own] photos and videos with [One True Media] effects, text, and music."
Attempts to find OneTrueMedia.com today show that the site is no longer online. What happened to a service that once boasted that its "simple video clipping, professional video effects, and real-time previews have yet to be matched by other services"?
To find out what happened to OneTrueMedia.com, we follow the company's history, summarize its services, and the details of its purchase by Disney. Finally, we attempt to say what eventually happened to the company.
The History of OneTrueMedia.com
One True Media was established in January 2005, and the service went online in November of the same year. "One True Media helps you enjoy your memories by combining your video clips, photos, and favorite music into a Video Montage," was how the company marketed its service. Adding, "And unlike other video editing packages, there's no software to install, special hardware to buy, or design skills required."
John Love and Mark Moore established the company, the latter becoming the CEO. An article published by TechChrunch.com reports that Moore was a scientist who started his career at Oracle and had established three other startups before working with Love to launch One True Media. Love was an IT executive with a Master's in business administration.
One True Media belonged to SpotMixer Inc., an online-based video creation and distribution service.
The Services and Business Model
One True Media provided users with the ability to combine photos, video clips, and music to create a video montage. You could also use the service to create a photo slideshow with music of your choice in the background.
Users could also use the One True Media software to create a photo book. Each photo book was made to the specifications of the client. The soft book would then be printed, bound into a physical book, and shipped to the client.
If you were not technically inclined, One True Media promised that one of the company's designers would be available to "make a custom Video Montage or Photo Book for you."
Through the service, you could convert all types of media, including "Old or new; analog or digital; videos, photos, slides, negatives, or even printed memorabilia."
All created content was stored online from where you could share it with whomever you wanted.
A Basic Account on One True Media was free. This account permitted you to create Video Montages, Photo Slideshows, and Photo Books and upload a video of five minutes or 250 photos. You could also store up to 1,000 photos or 20 minutes of video content. Online sharing and download were unlimited.
A Full Account had all the features of the Basic Account. The additional benefit of this account is that it allowed 5 hours of video or 20,000 photo storage. It cost $24.99 per annum or $2.99 per month.
Mixed Reviews
An article published by a contributor on TechCrunch.com says that "The strongest part of One True Media is the system's usability." Adding, "The flash uploader and drop-down menus for selecting everything from clip duration to transitions are likely to provide just the right amount of creative control for the service's target customers."
However, it's not everyone that thought the service provided by One True Media was a great one. For instance, a reviewer on the tech website Cnet.com says, "I can look at a series of photos right out of my windows picture folder and watch them as a slideshow using windows itself or Windows Movie Maker. Actually, Windows Movie Maker is much better, in my opinion." Adding, "I'll give it two stars for 1. Getting the young interested in the concept of producing a video. 2. Because I feel generous today."
Funding and Notable Achievements
A year after it was established, One True Media received $5 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Within the same year, One True Media entered into a partnership with BabyCenter.com. BabyCenter.com is a website where mothers posted videos they made using One True Media tools.
In 2009, One True Media received a second round of funding, taking its total funding to $14 million. In the same year, it partnered with Google to create an online video self-service offering.
Acquisition by Disney Interactive
Disney Interactive acquired SpotMixer in 2013. By this time, One True Media had more than seven million users who created and shared an estimated 15,000 videos per day.
In a piece published by TechCrunch.com, Ingrid Lunden calls the acquisition "quiet." Lunden then quotes a Disney spokesperson who provides an idea of the reason behind the acquisition, "Given SpotMixer's deep product expertise and innovative IP/technology in photo and video creation and sharing services, Disney Interactive acquired SpotMixer to accelerate the development of the Story app."
Indeed, later in 2013, Disney launched Story for iOS. In an article published by McWorld.com, Leah Yamshon describes the app as neither "pushing a Disney product [nor] message" but rather "designed to help you organize your digital media into a sharable storyline."
What Then Happened to OneTrueMedia.com
At the end of May 2014, OneTrueMedia.com posted a brief statement: "On May 31, 2014, One True Media will cease operations, and access to www.onetruemedia.com will be terminated." Readers were directed to the website's FAQs page for more information on how to save their video projects.
The statement provides no further details about why Disney was shuttering One True Media and its website. Soon after, any attempt to visit the website was met with the statement: "Sorry, www.onetruemedia.com is no longer available."
Lamenting the shuttering of OneTrueMedia.com, a user says, "I feel like I'm losing a friend. After every vacation, I'd upload my photos and little videos, add music (they had a long list of music you could use without having to worry about royalties), create captions and text slides, and post the resulting video to YouTube."
