Digital Hollywood Spring 2017 Panel Feat VRTO Director (Video)

VRTO Founder recently participated in a panel about VR at Digital Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Here is the playback of the livestream that also featured friends of the VRTO community

Innovating in VR-AR-Immersive Production – The Amazing Journey of Imagination, Gear and Innovation

  • Daniel Kenyon, Founder/CEO, Furious M
  • Keram Malicki Sanchez, Executive Director, VRTO Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo (Toronto), Director, FIVARS
  • Louis Cacciuttolo, CEO, VRrOOm
  • Marco Rosado, Creative Director, ModeSelect
  • Jake Sally, Director of Development, Two Bit Circus VR
  • Ryan Moore, CEO, Experience 360°
  • Larry Rosenthal, President, Creative Director, CubeVR, Moderator

Keram Malicki Sanchez, Executive Director, VRTO Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo (Toronto), Director, FIVARS: Founded VRTO May, 2015. He is the editor-in-chief of IndieGameReviewer.com since 2008 and founder of FIVARS – the Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories. A graduate of UCLA’s certification programs in Cinematography, Producing and Digital Media, respectively, Malicki-Sanchez is also an alumnus of Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School – Los Angeles chapter. He has been to speak about the intersection of technology and the arts at NXNE, Cinegear Expo (Los Angeles), the Toronto Star and NAB (Vegas). He is also the founder of Transportive Technology – a virtual reality production company and Constant Change Media Group – a 360 media company and disruptive media consultation firm.

Louis Cacciuttolo founded VRrOOm in September 2016; VRrOOm is an online and offline media network curating and publishing VR/AR/MR content targeting the mass market, including a distribution and production platform of 360 VR content. Published in English, French and Chinese, the news centre www.vrroom.buzz aims to become the world’s #1 Media Network about VR, and a global leader in online, offline and social VR platforms dedicated to the future alternate realities lifestyle. Louis previously worked for THX as the Executive President of International Business Development and Global Branding of THX. A few years earlier, he also acted as Managing Director and CEO for various major advertisement companies in Asia and Greater China (including Saatchi & Saatchi X and Ogilvy Action). Very active in the fields of brand communication strategy and creative development, his concepts and ideas have appeared in various TV commercials for Luxury, Automotive, Technology and FMCG brands. In 2011, Louis Cacciuttolo wrote, directed and produced his first feature film “Cinder”, which has been since part of different international film festivals official selection in 2014 and 2015, such as Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, Washington RIFE, Sydney Auburn Underground Film Festival, Rome CinemAvvenire, and London Filmmaker Festival. The movie has received 2 awards. Louis Cacciuttolo graduated from Paris Dauphine University. He also studied music (piano and harmony) in Versailles and Perpignan Music Conservatories; he composes electronic music in his free time. In addition, he speaks Chinese, English and French fluently, as well as some German and Italian.

Marco Rosado, Creative Director / Mode Select: Hailing from San Juan, PR, Marco has produced media in Los Angeles for the past 12 years, working with studios ranging from Disney to the Viacom Group. Now as part of Mode Select in Santa Monica, his work with CG animation tilts towards video game media and educational VR experiences. He seeks new ways to engage audiences with narratives through VR, calling it the most compelling challenge for storytellers today.

Jake Sally, Director of Development, Two Bit Circus VR: Jake began work at WME-IMG in the Motion Picture Literature Department, where he learned how to transition indie-darling writers and directors into commercial Hollywood. After years refining his knowledge of narrative storytelling, Jake transitioned to Hasbro Studios. While at Hasbro, Jake’s career became focused on activating Hasbro’s massive portfolio of IP, ranging from TRANSFORMERS to G.I. JOE, across TV, film, toys, digital and licensing. Spotting the rise of commercially available virtual reality in 2014, he brought his knowledge of brands and storytelling to Two Bit Circus. Now at Two Bit Circus, he manages creative development for original narrative projects and is part of the creative team executing commercial work for clients ranging from Google to Fox.

Daniel Kenyon, Founder/CEO, Furious M: As founder and CEO of Furious M, Daniel Kenyon leads a team of innovative new talent and industry veterans harnessing technology to revolutionize creative impact and commercial success in transmedia entertainment. With over 25 years experience in executive management, award winning product and business development, Daniel has a history of developing as well as bringing to market winning solutions for the media, entertainment and communications industries. As VP at Automated Media Processing Solutions, Daniel spearheaded go-to-market for a global video management and delivery solution. As Industry Director for Media & Entertainment at Oracle, he initiated several strategic directives including the multi-billion dollar industry portfolio targeting media & entertainment and communications. As VP of Communications Industry Strategy and VP CRM Industry Strategy at PeopleSoft, he directed development and release of the award winning CRM for Communications, initiated strategic acquisitions and partnerships including IBM, valued at over $1Billion. Daniel was Product Evangelist for Vantive and co-founder and VP at SBI, Inc. Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley.

VRTO 2017 Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality World Conference and Expo, Toronto, Canada

A Deep Dive into VRTO Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo 2017

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VRTO, Toronto’s premier Virtual Reality Meetup group and conference surrounding “Experiential” or “Immersive” media – that is to say – the rising tide of interactive, neuro-scientifically motivated technologies that create spatially driven and/or aware activities, will present the sequel to its critically-acclaimed, deep dive symposium in Toronto, Canada at Ryerson University’s Faculty of Communications and Design headquarters – the Rogers Communication Centre June 25th-26th, (special VIP and Media preview day, and Film & TV Workshop June 24th).

The 2017 theme is ‘Giants,’ inspired by Sir Isaac Newton’s phrase “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

“The theme,” VRTO founder and executive director Keram Malicki-Sanchez explains, “Comes from the notion that we have decades of research and insight to unpack at such a critical, liminal moment for the culture and society, we would be remiss to not include those who have come before us in the conversation, so we can build from more than 30 years of experiments, experience, wisdom and knowledge.”

Malicki-Sanchez, who has enlisted experts in various fields of research and development to join him in building focused pavilions at this year’s unique event (including a multi-modal pavilion, one dedicated to AR art and seminars, and another exclusively to WebVR), has curated a lineup of speakers, educators, panelists and moderators that represents the real history of development in the “experiential” media arts, including David A. Smith, Graham Thomas Smith, Moses Znaimer, Vincent John Vincent, Ian Kelso, Peggy Wu, Rafael Brown, Charles Fink, Bill Perry,  David Plant,  Dr. Maria Karam, Dr. Karan Singh among many others.

Additionally, experts and change agents from across the spectrum will be presenting in various formats on subjects that include:

  • Virtual Reality
  • Augmented Reality, UI, UX
  • Spatialized Audio
  • Education, Training and Simulation
  • Haptics and Multi-Sensory Technology
  • Robotics and Telepresence
  • Advanced imaging techniques including 3D scanning – photogrammetry, Depthkit, volumetric capture, spherical video production and techniques
  • Game engine architecture and design for VR and AR
  • the intersection of Arts, Sciences and Culture with experiential technologies
  • Marketing and brand integration strategies and opportunities, market adoption
  • Location-based entertainment and activation
  • Interactive storytelling
  • Real estate and Architecture
  • Data visualization and fintech
  • Health-tech and mental health sciences

and so much more….

Two Intensive Training Days (ITR1) will offer attendees powerful and uncompromising hands-on lectures and presentations concerning advanced concepts in authoring experiential media projects. Day One – June 25th – will focus on advanced imaging techniques with sessions by Shachar Weis (Packet39), Elli Raynai (CineHackers), Morgan Young and Craig Alguire (Quantum Capture), Mike Sevigny (Torus Media Labs/Canvas 360 Pro), Ross Shain (Mocha VR – Imagineer Systems) and others and look at photogrammetry, volumetric capture, 3D scanning, digitizing humans, VFX for Spherical video and more. Day Two – June 26th – will focus on building interactive experiences in game engines and IDEs with Weis, Bernie Roehle (Virtual Escapes), Rafael Brown (Digital Myths) and other highly experienced game developers.

For those who don’t want to be within 50 years of computer code – VRTO will also feature an exclusive Film & TV Industry Onboarding Workshop (FTVW) that will train participants through the many stages of production and post-production for spherical aka 360-degree video.

In the Presentation rooms (CR2 and AR1), researchers and presenters from Google, Microsoft, Open Text Corporation and many other leading companies from around the world will share advice, experience, insights and post-mortems on their work and projects.

The FIVARS (Festival of International Virtual & Augmented Reality Stories) returns with a special exhibit featuring its most popular pieces since 2015 and few new premieres in advance of its September run, and the show will also feature a VR Arcade featuring world-class VR game developers and Augmented Reality Art gallery and sessions track (AR1).

VRTO strives to motivate experimentation, discovery, relationship-building and research-sharing, distribution and monetization strategies, ethics, standards and best practices, and innovation in every sense of the word. With curiosity as its fuel and actionable data as its aim, this one-of-a-kind, international symposium will support attendees in springing forward with fresh ideas and insights, and powerfully charged new conversations and relationships to make the most of this awe-inspiring and unpredictable paradigm shift.

Do not get left behind.

Get your tickets now.

*** This article is a living document and subject to frequent updates. It exists as a guide only. Please refer to the official site for schedule times, policies and documentation. ***

VRTO Meetup - Toronto Dec 2016 photo by Jessy Blaze

VRTO December Toronto VR Meetup Recap

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The VRTO team presented one final Meetup for 2016 on December 21st in Toronto at Spadina and Queen, in the heart of the city. Fifty-five attendees slogged through the thick snow to arrive at MSMU’s cozy brick house, lined with Christmas lights and featuring a pool table and two HTC Vive setups.

VRTO Meetup December 2016
Olga Nabatova shares her TiltBrushing knowledge with the attendees

Artist Olga Nabatova, started off the night’s presentations with a review of some of her VR based paintings in Google’s Tilt Brush, as commissioned by Google, the Ontario Science Centre and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Attendees were invited up to the stage to enter into her works of living art and contribute something themselves.

VR Producer Elli Raynai was next and did a fascinating drilldown on his productions from the past two years that include “I Am You,” “The Key,” and his latest – “Circuit Rider.” While Raynai used photogrammetry and Unity for autobiographical piece The Key, he has moved to Unreal Engine 4 and a team of 8 to create his post-modern narrative/game hybrid Circuit Rider.

The night was capped off by VRTO Director Keram Malicki-Sanchez who did a fast-paced rundown of some of the virtual reality industry’s biggest news, changes and projections. You can access his slides below.

VRTO is so grateful to all of you for making this such a vibrant and relevant community. We are always fascinated by your stories and projects and forever invite you to be an active part of this network. Thank you to everyone who made our conferences and festivals possible in 2016 and here is to a new year!

Please enjoy Olga’s tribute to 2017 – Year of the Fire Rooster:

Special thanks to the Wednesday team:
Jessy Blaze
Adriel Malicki-Sanchez
Chrissy Aitchison
Joshua Joudrie
Marika Woyzbun