So much has happened this past month, that this week I’ve been trying to take the time to process, reflect, and land in the new reality which is life in Los Angeles. Oculus Launchpad was an amazing experience to participate in, and it reignited my passion to develop groundbreaking content from virtual reality, but it also came at the heels of a cross-country trip, and a big move to Southern California. I’ve been living out of a suitcase for the past month, and a huge part of the process of digging back into my work in virtual reality is reassessing where I’m at, where I want to go, and building in a little stability in my routine to support that happening.
A big reason we moved to Los Angeles is that I want to pursue developing cinematic virtual reality content, and there wasn’t enough consistent work for me to do that in the Bay Area. Though the VR technology and platform companies are centralized in the Bay Area, the content production seems to more and more be centralizing in Los Angeles. As a new arrival here, I’m working on reaching out and connecting with the community. I’ve visited the Upload space in LA, and may work out of there for part of this month. I’ve tapped into my existing network for references and reached out to several meetup groups. I’m also trying to stay connected with people I met at Oculus Launchpad. Collaboration is a huge key to making work in VR possible, and it’s something I definitely need to strengthen.
As far as what I’m thinking for my Oculus Launchpad submission, I’m looking to expand on a documentary project I’ve been working with Henry Evans, Robots for Humanity, and the De Young Museum (https://vimeo.com/182799690). I am super passionate about the project, and see huge opportunity to work with the De Young to further develop it as educational content. There are a few directions I could take it in, and I’d like to begin the conversation with the Museum, as well as seek out a collaborator who may be able to support me technically with Unity development and building interactive elements.
Thanks for the update! Suitcase life is never easy, but It's good to hear about your experiences. I plan to focus on cinematic content for VR and I've heard that LA is really becoming a hub for that. I look forward to hearing about your process.
Hi S Berky - I was observing the same thing about California, that the production end of things seems to be centered in LA. It sounds like you are working on all of the right paths there to get yourself plugged into a new community. Exciting! I haven't been to the Upload space but it seems like a lot is always going on there. I'll have to look up Robots for Humanity and the De Young Museum...you've piqued my interest! Good luck with this first step and choosing which direction you take it in.
