1) Each year the branded opportunities get richer and more diverse. About twenty percent of our work is now in VR/AR storytelling and we’re seeing a lot of growth in that vertical for us.
I’d also like to think there’ll be a substantial increase in bold ads and campaigns that feed the activist spirit in each of us. The Women’s March helped bring together a lot of great voices with some powerful things to say ... and it was a whole new level of awesome. I’m looking forward to effecting a change and helping the greater community.
2) I love that the animated short, PEARL, was the first VR film to receive an Academy award nomination. We’re really pushing for that seminal project that marries the best of creativity and technology ... with a brand. Yeah, I know it’s an easy task.
3) We produced a VR film for Oculus on the NBA finals that I’m super proud of. We had several storytelling challenges and worked against some of the common filmmaking “rules” for VR. The first was that we created a 25-minute film when the norm is well under ten minutes. The pacing was super fast at roughly five seconds per shot instead of the typical twenty seconds per shot. I’d say the lesson is not to be so precious with conventional thought and push beyond our comfort zone.
4) Strive to be good to people and to make meaningful positive change.