Immersion Nation Podcast

This week in the interview we talk with the one, the only, Steve Boyle; CEO of Epic Immersive. From immersive hackathons in Paris to swing dancing in Japanese internment camps, we cover a whole lot of ground! We start by discussing steve’s background which starts with performance education in Thailand, India, and Indonesia while attending NYU, and ends in the unexpected origins of Epic Immersive. We trace the line between producing 100 actor shows, creating immersive work in China, and starting a secretive immersive incubator in San Francisco. Finally, we land on the part speaker series, part video game experience that is the upcoming ‘This Immersive Globe’. You can find the complete show notes and more details on the guests and experiences at this page on the Immersion Nation Website

This week in the interview, we talk with David and Lisa Sipra; the co-founders of Room Escape Artist, the most prolific publication covering escape rooms and the escape room industry. We start by talking about Lisa and David’s first escape rooms and how Room Escape Artist (or REA for short) came to be. Next, we move on to discuss how escape rooms are contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. And finally, we go in-depth on the creation of the first annual RECON, or Reality Escape Convention, which has been meticulously designed to take advantage of the online medium. You can find the complete show notes and more details on the guests and experiences at this page on the Immersion Nation Website

This week in the interview, we talk with two seasoned immersive performers, Amber Lawson, and Erik Abbot-Main. One who’s principle experience comes from immersive dance in New York City, and the other from interactive acting in Los Angeles. Their professional backgrounds couldn’t be more different, which makes the similarities in their tactics and strategies as immersive performers even more striking. We discuss how they invite their audiences into the world of an experience. Contrast the disciplines of immersive dance and immersive acting. And finally, explore the mercurial and beautiful experience of performing immersive art both for and with an audience. You can find the complete show notes and more details on the guests and experiences at this page on the Immersion Nation Website

This week in the interview we get some fresh perspective from outside the immersive community, talking with Jorge Demoya and Julian Rodriguez about the virtual reality experience, The VOID. We explore the delta between the reactions of a gamer and a non-gamer to this industry staple and go in-depth on ‘Ralph Breaks VR’. Finally, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the mixed VR and real-world experience that has made The VOID a leader in the immersive space. You can find the complete show notes, time markers, and more details on the guests and experiences at this page on the Immersion Nation Website

This week in the interview, we talk with Kendra Slack and Jordan Chlapecka of Linked Dance Theatre, a group based in New York City that creates immersive experiences that utilize a multitude of mediums in their work, but of course, emphasize dance. We talk about: Their paths and how Linked Dance Theatre somewhat organically broke down that fourth wall. Their most recent in-person immersive experience, ‘Remembrance’. The adventure and challenge of creating ‘Remembrance’ on Governors Island, which is right off the south tip of Manhattan. We discuss the concept of creating an immersive experience in the world of Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’. And, naturally, touch on a multitude of other topics, including a mid-20th-century group of artists and activists called the Situationists who could very well be considered the philosophical grandparents of the rising Experience Economy. You can find the complete show notes and more details on the guests and experiences at this page on the Immersion Nation Website

This week in the interview we talk with experience designer Tommy Honton about finding hidden magic in the world and Tommy's origin story. The creation of Stash House, LA. Why the Los Angeles legislature is confused about immersive entertainment. The art of the 2nd or 3rd impression and how Tommy used his unique way of connecting with people to find his way onto the path of the professional immersive experience designer. And so much more. Note: This is the first episode of season 2 and as such, we’re going to be doing things a little differently! -- Each episode will have 3 segments First, a comprehensive explanation of the relevant experiences and an introduction of the guest. Second, the interview as always. Third, the Immersion Community Briefing, where we take a few minutes to discuss the happenings in the immersive world over the course of the last week. This week there are two relevant experiences. First, being StashHouse and the second being The Museum of Selfies. Visit the page for this podcast on the ImNation Site for complete show notes!

The results are in! For all of you who voted. Thank you so much for taking the time helping to help support both your favorite immersive experiences, creators, and the immersive community! On January 28th, we reached out to a myriad of wonderful immersive creators... Now, 18 days and couple thousand votes later, we’re back to invoke the names of 2019’s most remarkable immersive experiences. These experiences, both the recipients and the and nominees of the Immersion Awards, helped move both the entire immersive community -and the immersive world as a whole- to a turning point in 2019. The immersive revolution, movement, wave? The Immersive Renaissance that is already shaping the entertainment landscape of 2020 was aided, in earnest, by these 16 experiences.

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of this roundtable discussion on immersive entertainment and it impacts on the real world. Joining us we have Caroline Murphy, Chief Creative Officer of Incantrix Productions. Jessica Creane, founder of IKANTKOAN Games. Justin Fyles, Co-founder and Managing Director of Any One Thing. And Risa Puno, creator of The Privilege of Escape and Creative Time’s first open call artist. In this episode, we push out to the edges of reality and ask the question… What happens when we’re all creating immersive experiences for -and with- each other? When the line between the hyperreal and the surreal begins to blur into daily life? I should say, it might be a little tricky to jump in here if you haven’t heard part 1 and or part 2 because here, the concrete cadence of the conversation begins to transmute into the white-hot liquid theory around this increasingly immersive world we live in. Last time, we left off wondering how empathy, of all things, could be a destructive force. Well now, we talk about that- and how to avoid it. How to lend yourself to a shared moment in a way that respects the unimaginable experience of another person. All that, and so much more. Selected Links: Caroline MurphyIncantrix ProductionsInstagramFacebookTwitterSinking Ship CreationsCalculationsJessica CreaneIKANTKOAN GamesInstagramTwitterFacebook Justin FylesAny One ThingSouvenirInstagramTwitterFacebookRisa PunoThe Privilege of EscapeInstagramTwitterVimeo

This is part two of the three-part roundtable discussion on the real-world impact of immersive entertainment. This, in many ways, is the perfect set of episodes to be airing now, because this is the time of year where many so many people, subcultures, and industries zoom out to look at the broader picture. Where have we come from? Where is this all going? And what in the world does this all mean anyway? Well, I can think of very few people who are more qualified to help lend some clarity to these questions for the immersive community in 2020. Joining us we have Caroline Murphy, Chief Creative Officer of Incantrix Productions, Jessica Creane, founder of IKANTKOAN Games, Justin Fyles, Co-founder and Managing Director of Any One Thing, and Risa Puno, creator of The Privilege of Escape and Creative Time’s first open call artist. If you’re jumping in here and want more context for our contemplative immersive creators, they all have their own episodes on the podcast. They also introduce themselves in the first episode. Selected Links: Caroline MurphyIncantrix ProductionsInstagramFacebookTwitterJessica CreaneIKANTKOAN GamesInstagramTwitterFacebookJustin FylesAny One ThingInstagramTwitterFacebookRisa PunoThe Privilege of EscapeInstagramTwitterVimeoMentioned: 2019 Immersion Awards: Nominations2019 Immersion Awards: VotingCaroline’s Immersion Nation Podcast interviewJessica’s Immersion Nation Podcast interviewJustin’s Immersion Nation Podcast interview Risa’s Immersion Nation Podcast interview Risa’s Immersion Nation Podcast interviewMattie Bryce: game designerChapter Markers can be found here

This week we have not one but 4 truly phenomenal guests. This is the first part of a round table discussion on immersive entertainment and its relationship to real experiences and the real world. Caroline Murphy of 'Incantrix Productions', Jessica Creane of 'IKANTKOAN Games', Justin Fyles of 'Any One Thing', and Risa Puno of 'The Privilege of Escape' guide us in exactly the kind of thought-provoking, assumption challenging and nuanced conversation that we here at Immersion Nation think is vital for the beginning of any cultural movement. The topics of identity, empathy, agency, trust, and diversity frame the dynamic perspectives of these creators. They work together to explore the intricacies inherent in creating experiences of depth and transformative potential for their audiences. Finally, the topic of what the future might hold for immersive entertainment speaks to both exciting and perilous potential for a world where immersive experiences are everywhere. Selected Links: Caroline MurphyIncantrix ProductionsInstagramFacebookTwitterJessica CreaneIKANTKOAN GamesInstagramTwitterFacebookJustin FylesAny One ThingInstagramTwitterFacebookRisa PunoThe Privilege of EscapeInstagramTwitterVimeoMentioned: Odyssey Works Show Notes: everywhere? “Diversity of experiences and diversity of thought is so, so important. I think we’re at a place right now, where the more space we make right now, the more space there is going to be in the long run. We have the possibility of having a really exponential impact on that by taking great care” -Jessica Creane

In this episode, we talk about the 2019 immersion awards and take a look at the big picture of immersive entertainment in 2019. We revisit the concept of play with a few listeners of the podcast joining us to share their thoughts on the importance of play. Next, we discuss the potential future of immersive entertainment in 2020 and beyond. Finally, we end the show with the nominations for the 2019 immersion awards. Selected Links: 2019 Immersion Awards Nominations Reach out to Immersion Nation Jenny Weinbloom’s Talk at ID summit Meow Wolf’s, Vince Kadlubek, on expansion plans Discussion about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Secret Cinema Creating Evermore Park The Void Experience Amazon San Diego Comic-Con 2019 immersive activations Show Notes: Episode outline: 2019, The value of play, and 2020 [1:17] On the 2019 Immersion Awards [3:00] The immersive zeitgeist in 2019 [6:47] Jenny Weinbloom, rehearsal for resistance, and Immersion as a catalyst for social change [6:50] In case you missed it: Immersive Headlines in 2019 [8:58] Growth in immersive as a backdrop [12:58] The Value of Play: Part 2 [14:58] Listener’s thoughts on the value of play [15:23] Play, risk, and experimentation [19:07] Immersive in 2020 [21:31] 2019 Immersion Awards Nomination [24:37]

By now, we all know, It’s all about connection. So why am I coming back to this topic here? Because connection can be manifested in so many different ways. It struck me when going through the first section of this interview. It seems like the way Ross cultivates connection is by seeing a spark in someone else, and lending himself to that spark in order to meet that person where they are, to speak to that person in their language. Depending on what part of the immersive world you occupy, that might sound obvious…? But, to be able to do that on every level from the experience participant to the producing executive is, I think, pretty exceptional. Today we dig deeper into how this idea of connection works in every part of the immersive design process, from vetting collaborators to the money math of big brands. This is the second part of my conversation with immersive experience designer, Ross Tipograph but! It is okay to jump in here. (Though of course, I would suggest you listen to both.) For context: Ross was recently named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work in experiential marketing and has worked on projects like the Amazon immersive experiences for the television shows The Expanse and Carnival Row at San Diego Comic-Con, in 2019. In his under 30 years, he’s been busy. Selected Links: Ross Tipograph-Linkedin-Facebook-Instagram8 Players Forbes 30 under 30Giant SpoonThe ExpanseCarnival RowBook: The Director’s VoiceSaint Anne’s warehouseUnder the radar festival Show Notes:

We all have our superpowers. The set of unique experiences we have that make us uniquely suited for specific things. Often, our superpowers come from the combination of many different skills. Now, in our world, the world of immersive entertainment; theater and marketing may seem like an obvious combination. But Ross is a perfect example of the way in which these skill sets can come together to become greater than the sum of their parts. Theater and Marketing, at their core, have one essential but elusive thing in common. Connection. In the next two episodes, we talk about how the combination of these two abilities led Ross Tipograph to found 8 players, work on 4 experiences for amazon studios, work with the experiential marketing powerhouse, Giant Spoon, and to represent the experiential and immersive world on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2020 Selected Links: Ross Tipograph -Linkedin -Facebook -Instagram 8 Players Forbes 30 under 30 Giant Spoon HBO’s Sharp Objects Windy City Playhouse Influences and inspirations: Scream Influences and inspirations: Haunted Mansion Ride Book: The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering Book: How to operate a financially successful haunted house New York Immersive Night Show Notes: Ross’ chosen Fictional world to live in [2:44] Why we rescheduled [4:32] Ross awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 [6:02] Ross Tipograph: Origins [7:29] Disneyworld and the haunted mansion [9:20] The 2013 turning point [11:00] Creating 8 Players [13:40] “Sometimes it takes busting open a door” [16:23] Make it Immersive! Sharp Objects [20:00] 2 ways to make a small audience work [27:12]

To recap, last week we left off. Jeromy had gotten a call from a local bar/beer garden asking him to produce a Halloween season show for their upstairs space. They had a month to make this show, the rabbit cage, come together. We talk about this adventure in creation and how one could layer experiences together, in the make it immersive segment. Jeromy tells us about an experience he had with Sleep No More, and another where he was momentarily, and thrillingly convinced he was about to be abducted into an experience. Finally, Jeromy talks about the power of being seen and what could happen when an experience is bold enough to stretch the boundary of entertainment. The ideas that make the foundation of what we do when we create, or go out to an immersive experience are becoming more common. The language of immersive [beat] is beginning to be adopted because whether you’re designing a set, a workplace, a school, or your living room, it applies. If you’re listening to this, you’re witnessing the edge of what is likely a profound shift in the way our culture thinks about shaping the world around us. [beat] And no matter what happens, there is one thing we can be sure about the future of immersive experience… 2020 is going to be wild. Enjoy Selected Links: Dino Lion -Facebook -Instagram The Rabbit Cage Festival of Disruption David Lynch Sleep No More Day for night festival Sundance Film Festival Grey Area, San Francisco The 21 experience Beta Theater Alternate Reality Game Overlook film festival Show Notes: •A month to create a show [4:03] •All ideas beget other ideas [5:54] •A brilliant spoiler (for The Rabbit Cage) [7:01] •Make it immersive [8:47] •The festival of disruption: Dino Lion Style [6:38] •Immersive is…. [11:30] •The in-between could also be an immersive experience! [15:25] •A Sleep No More Story [16:10] •An experience within an experience. Where the experience ends [18:31] •A story about the twenty-one experience. “These guys are going to get out and bag me and throw me this van” [20:24] •Jeromy Barber on exciting new things in immersive creation [23:01] •“I want to make work that authentically knows people… There’s a lot of power in being known” [25:24] •The lattice effect; on being a supportive structure [27:16] •Being seen; when fiction looks at you [30:13]

In 2005, Jeromy Barber moved from New York City to a small town in Texas. If Jeromy's life was a screenplay, and I was editing? I would probably advise the writer to make it just a touch less formulaic. It is fantastic. Jeromy has trained with the comedy monolith, Second City. Founded the improv focused Beta Theater in Houston and, of course, owns and operates Dinolion, a quote “Creative video house” which rocks the tagline “Projects we love with people we love.” and does everything from video marketing to, of course, immersive experience design. My read on The Dinolion brand, as a creative expression of Jeromy’s style, is bright and brash and I think can only really be described as brilliantly refined chaos. But that’s just my read on it, go check out their reel for yourself after the show; also, fantastic. Jeromy’s way of thinking about the creation of immersive experiences is incredibly innovative. So, again for you practicing or aspiring immersive creators out there, these two episodes will hopefully likely spark the same kind of curiosity and excitement that I walked away with. And for the immersive fans, adventurers, connoisseurs? Have you ever heard of a one-person immersive experience in a plane? Once again, fantastic. Selected Links: Dinolion -Facebook -Instagram The Rabbit Cage Beta Theater Bill Callahan David lynch Festival of Disruption Transcendental Meditation Second City The Steam Powered Hour Pollok Texas Lonely girl 15 Cassie is Watching Alternate Reality Game Overlook film festival The Axelrad Beer Garden Show Notes: Jeromy’s fictional world [3:08] What is Dinolion? [7:16] The path from video to immersive [9:25] New York to Texas & discovering ARG [10:42] Consuming to create in a new medium [13:25] Starting with easter eggs [14:34] Cross-discipline: Video and immersive [17:18] Video in immersive experience [19:14] Spoilers and marketing for immersive productions [21:33] The ONLY person who has said the marketing is easy and the complexity ceiling [23:31] The golden ratio of immersive: post-experience interest is a champagne problem. [26:23] The draw to the haunt genera [28:14] The inception of The Rabbit Cage [30:29]

This episode is brimming, overflowing even with tips and techniques for those who like to look behind the curtain. If you didn’t catch last week’s episode, it gives some background on our guest Niyia Mack’s experience producing and consulting on immersive experience design. This week, Niyia answers questions about creating immersive experiences when you’re not based in LA, New York, or Chicago, what she’s excited about in the changing world of immersive, and how it’s possible to make more intimate immersive productions financially viable. Whether or not you’re a creative in immersive entertainment, getting a window into the world of those who carefully craft experiences for others can be incredibly eye-opening to the end of understanding the ways in which the world around you might be changeable, designable, and resoundingly story-worthy. Enjoy Selected Links: Niyia Mack Niyia Mack’s projects Janell Langford’s Obsidiopolis SXSW panel Some of Niyia Mack’s work and collaborations: Meow Wolf Denver Delusion Spy Brunch’s “Safehouse’ Speakeasy Society’s ‘Johnny cycle’ CoAct Production’s ‘Sideshow’ LEIA Pasadena Playhouse Show Notes: Creating a space of safety [2:41] Creating when you’re not in LA, NY, or Chicago [7:46] Finding the community [11:17] What Niyia is excited about in immersive? [12:48] LARPing and immersive rookies [16:47] Financially viable small shows [18:31] Surprised by the effects of immersive [24:18]

How does it all come together? How does one take a multitude of moving parts; actors, and scripts, and settings, varying degrees of audience agency and assemble them into emotionally evocative experiences? If you are the creator, the producer, the director, the writer venturing into unknown territories; the prospect of working in a medium where you are intentionally giving the audience an opportunity to exert their own philistine agency on your creation… Might sound like an undisguised nightmare. But, as it turns out, there is some methodology to this and! A select few brilliant producers with more than a little experience in the subtle art of immersive experience. Niyia Mack is an LA-based producer and consultant who has worked with Meow Wolf, Safehouse 77’, and 82’, Delusion, and CoAct Productions to name just a few. Niyia is here to share her experience creating in the immersive realm with all of you. Selected Links Niyia Mack Niyia Mack’s projects Janell Langford’s Obsidiopolis SXSW panel Some of Niyia’s work and collaborations: Meow Wolf Denver Delusion Spy Brunch’s “Safehouse’ Speakeasy Society’s ‘Johnny cycle’ CoAct Production’s ‘Sideshow’ LEIA Pasadena Playhouse

“The art of immersive isn’t about the art of engagement, it isn’t about holding people’s attention... It’s about attachment. It’s about forging a connection.” -Noah You can consume or you can create. Usually, it’s one or the other. Whether you’re considering a movie, music, or a book.. You can choose what you consume, for the most part, but you can’t alter the thing while in the midst of a storyline. Which, I believe, is part of what makes immersive so confounding. In the space of immersive entertainment, there is the option to do both. Today we have, once again, good sir Noah Nelson the creator of No Proscenium. Based in LA, for the last 5 years Noah has strived to knit together the immersive community across the country and help the world understand this change in the way that our culture consumes narrative and story. Selected Links: No Proscenium Instagram Twitter Facebook Spiderman Into The Spiderverse The Void Selfie Palace that does it right: Museum of Ice Cream Everything Immersive Facebook Group No Proscenium Podcast HERE summit Show Notes: On oculus and interface [2:05] What is immersive? What is the goal? [3:40] The art of immersive isn’t about engagement [5:27] Emotional agency [7:18] You are Shia LaBeouf [8:54] The entertainment in immersive [10:55] Relearning what matters [15:35] You can’t spend all day long questioning reality [20:38] The trough of disillusionment [22:35] Rehearsal for existence & learning agency [23:53] What isn’t immersive? [27:37] Selfie palaces [29:03] Justifying immersive [30:14]