1. A computer system for sharing a document in a distributed collaborative environment: a presenter client computer; one or more computer programs executable by the presenter client computer, wherein the one or more computer programs comprise computer instructions for: creating a document with one or more embedded custom objects, wherein the embedded custom objects include a video object; converting the document to a rich multi-media format; and controlling rendering of the document during a collaborative session; a conferencing server computer connected to the presenter client computer and to one or more attendee client computers via a global-area network; and a computer program at the conferencing server computer, wherein the computer program comprises instructions for: receiving the document and forwarding the document to each of the attendee client computers to be downloaded onto each of the attendee client computers before the collaborative session; receiving a remote command for sharing the document from the presenter client computer during the collaborative session; and forwarding the remote command to each of the attendee client computers, wherein each of the attendee client computers renders its locally downloaded document according to the received remote command such that playback of the video object embedded in the locally downloaded document at each of the attendee client computers is remotely controlled by the remote command to be in synch with the presenter computer.