The No Proscenium Podcast

This week on the show: we tip toe through the our Holiday 2023 Gift Guide with esteemed members of the NoPro staff — Katrina Lat, Nicholas Fortugno, Laura Hess, and Patrick McLean — bringing a wide variety of options from the pretty affordable to the WAIT HOW MUCH?SHOW NOTESNoPro’s 2023 Gift Guide for Immersive Fans & Makers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week - NoPro arts editor Laura Hess hops into the host chair for a conversation with New England curator Leah Davis and London curator Shelley Snyder. The topic at hand?A look at Installation art and how different environments impact audience engagement. For this time out the Crew will focus on Outernet’s NOW Building installations in London and works at MASS MOCA in Western Massachusetts.And after our main segment, some thoughts on the big news of the week: the closure of Sleep No More in New York.SHOW NOTESOuternetMASS MoCAAre We Asking Too Much of Public Art? - Seph Rodney, HyperallergicLDI (Discount code: SPEAKER23)Sleep No More To Close In January - Alexis Soloski, The New York TimesLe Roi Est Mort: Sleep No More Is Closing (Op-Ed) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was recorded LIVE at The Roguelike Tavern in Burbank.Joining us were Matt Bamberg-Johnson and Chris Porter of LA’s The Speakeasy Society who came to share word about Winter Fest OC, coming up later this month in Costa Mesa and featuring all new immersive work from the beloved LA theatre collective.Then we pull John McCormick, owner of The Roguelike Tavern, away from the bar to tell The Roguelike's origin story of the bar and spotlight the immersive & interactive attractions available on site.Finally Scarlett Kim, producer of the upcoming Worlds in Play gathering at Arizona State University in Mesa this January, previews this upcoming event which will gather play practitioners from around the country and brings word of the Worlds for Change Challenge which is offering scholarships to ASU's XRts graduate degree program.SHOW NOTESWinter Fest OCThe Speakeasy SocietyThe Roguelike TavernWorlds in PlayWorlds for Change ChallengeThe Immersive ImmersiveLDIXLIVEXLDI -The Immersive Experience Round UpUse code SPEAKER23 to get 20% off VIP, Conference, and Expo Hall Pass for LDI.Special thanks to Black Ax Media for capturing video of the recording. Keep your eyes peeled! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show we’re taking a look at SPOOKY SEASON here in Los Angeles with members of the LA Review Crew — Kevin Gossett, our LA Reviews editor, No Pro Arts Editor and Squirrel Mode practitioner Laura Hess, and after years of being our roving correspondent Martin Gimenez joins the podcast for the first time.On the docket: Reign of Terror, Haunted Hayride, Halloween Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm, The Willows, Fangs!, and Angel of Light.SHOW NOTESReview Rundown for 10.17.23Love & Board Games: ‘The Morrison Game Factory’ Posts A Curiously Sweet Puzzletale (The NoPro Review)Particle Ink is Coming BACK to Vegas in a BIG way (NEWSWIRE)Call Sheet for October 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week our guests are Barry Threw, the Executive and Artistic Director of Gray Area and Vanessa Chang, curator of the CripTech Metaverse Lab and director of programs at Leonardo. Both are here to talk about the upcoming GRAY AREA FESTIVAL coming up in San Francisco OCTOBER 19th — 22nd of which the Metaverse Lab is a part. It’s a great conversation about tech, art, access, and the changing cultural landscape of the SF Bay Area.SHOW NOTESGray AreaGray Area FestivalLeonardoRecoding CripTechThe Whole of the Whole Earth Catalog Is Now Online (Wired)Whole Earth Index Immersive Review Rundown for 10.10.23‘STAR CHOIR’s Message Is Lost in a Bottle of Space Dust (The NoPro Review)COMING SOON: NIGHTCRAWLERSLA Immersive Meetup & NoPro LIVE Taping Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve gathered a special panel filled with members of our team and community from across the U.S. all to say farewell to Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the AHEAD OF ITS TIME immersive experience created by Walt Disney Imagineering that the Disney company closed at the end of last month in Orlando after a year and a half of voyages.Joining us this week are theme park and Infinite Rabbit Holes designer Dave Cobb, Emmy Award winning interactive storyteller Jay Bushman, magician & immersive experience producer James Lopez, NoPro’s own Leah Davis & Anthony Robinson, and returning guests from our NoPro Goes to the Galactic Starcruiser episode immersive creator Jessica Creane, director of gaming pathways at City College of New York Nicholas Fortugno, and former NoPro Executive Editor Kathryn Yu.So, you know, just a few friends.SHOW NOTESNoPro Goes to the Galactic StarcruiserBatuu PrideTogether As One - by Dave CobbFull Agency Storytelling - Johanna Koljonen, CEO, Participation Design Agency (Talk at IDS 2019)The Experience Design of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Immersive and Interactive, Personalized and Communal - Kathryn YuNoPro Call Sheet for October 2023Immersive Review Rundown for 10.3.23Philadelphia Fringe Diary 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show, Jessica Kubzansky, the writer & director of Measure STILL for Measure, which is currently in its premiere run at Boston Court Pasadena joins us to talk about making a site-specific meta-theatrical play out of one of Shakespeare’s problem plays about a very problematic theatre production.Yes, that’s right, it’s a theatre nerd episode and we really, really go there. SHOW NOTESMeasure STILL For MeasureCarving Out a Slice of Theatre Life at ‘Measure STILL for Measure’ (The NoPro Review)SoCal Spooky Season 2023 Review Rundown SpecialReview Rundown: NYC Heats Up, Toronto Blasts Off, and ABBA Take London… wait ABBA?NYC Immersive Meetup (Oct. 9th)The Incomplete CollectionThe Immersive Immersive in Denver (Nov 13-15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show we talk with NoPro's Toronto curator Katrina Lat about her coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023, where she caught 57 of the 3553 shows that sprung up around the city this August. You can check out her written coverage in the show notes.Plus: in the back matter host Noah J. Nelson goes long on LA's Angel of Light & Knott's Scary Farm's 50th Anniversary.SHOW NOTESEdinburgh Festival Fringe Diary 2023: Festival OverviewThe Best Immersive at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023Review Rundown: Music Fairs and London NightsCarving Out a Slice of Theatre Life at ‘Measure STILL for Measure’ (The NoPro Review)NYC Immersive Meetup (Oct.)Lucid Immersive Summit (Singapore)Angel of Light (LA)Knott's Scary Farm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week an old fashioned double header as we cover two very different events in the Southland.First, Carey Lovelace, Founder of Visions 2030 will be on hand to talk about Vision 2030 Earth Edition Festival, which is unfolding on the campus of CalArts in Valencia.Then Sarah Mann of Madmann’s Playground and performer & poet Katie Rediger join us to talk about Van Helsing’s Dracula, their upcoming collaboration which mixes circus arts and dining, and turns the Dracula story on it’s head. SHOW NOTESVisions 2030: Earth Edition FestivalVan Helsing's DraculaSeptember Call SheetEdinburgh Festival Fringe Diary 2023: Festival OverviewPhiladelphia Fringe Diary 2023The Immersive 5 with Katie Rediger, Co-Creator of ‘Van Helsing’s Dracula’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show we’re joined by Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp & Tommy Wallach, the owners of Hatch Escapes and the creators of Lab Rat, here in Los Angeles, the boxed puzzle story experience Mother of Frankenstein, and the long anticipated The Ladder, also in LA and on the set of which we spoke with the pair.SHOW NOTESHatch Escapes (Lab Rat, The Nest, The Ladder)Mother of FrankensteinEverything Immersive This Week (LinkedIn)Call Sheet September 2023Everything Immersive (Website)Lucid Immersive Summit (Singapore)Visions 2030 Earth Edition Festival Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Venice Immersive, the biggest festival showcase of augmented & virtual reality projects in the world, has returned as part of the Venice International Film Festival and so too has our annual check-in with programmers Michel Reilhac and Liz Rosenthal to talk not only about the festival's line-up but the state of digital immersive as a whole.Show NotesVenice Immersive LineupSen (Venice Immersive)Complex 7 (Venice Immersive)Fatboy Slim – Eat, Sleep, VR, Repeat (Venice Immersive)Everything Immersive This Week (LinkedIn)Everything Immersive This Week (Web)Review Rundown for 8.29.23Innovating Immersive Theater In Japan (Feature - NoPro) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past year immersive creator Jessica Creane has become one of my favorite people to talk shop with. The creator of Chaos Theory and the co-creator, with Yannick Trapman-O’Brien, of Fair Trade, Creane’s new work – Tea Party at the End of the World — will debut in the Philadelphia Fringe next month.In this episode of NoPro we talk about how that show is coming together, tackling themes like grief, and just what immersive experiences excel at on the interpersonal level.SHOW NOTESTea Party at the End of the WorldIKantKoan (Jessica Creane's site)Review Rundown for 8.22.23Everything Immersive This Week (LinkedIn)Everything Immersive This Week (Web)NoPro Newsletter SignUpCall Sheet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Mike Michaels of Austin’s Eureka Room talks to us about making a room in his house as bright as the sun, roadside attractions, and Austin’s immersive scene. We have a lot of fun.SHOW NOTESThe Eureka RoomIRL Experience Creators Society (Austin)Huis Ten Bosch Theme ParkMike's write up of Huis Ten BoschEverything Immersive This Week (LinkedIn Version)Everything Immersive This Week (EI Version)Review Rundown for 8.16.23The Immersive 5 w/Jennine WillettPatrick's Port of Entry ReviewAugust 2023 Call SheetLucid Immersive Summit (Singapore) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Nick Fortugno, The Director of Gaming Pathways at City College of New York, slips into the host chair to interview an artist he’s collaborated with for years now: filmmaker and Director of Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab Lance Weiler, whose critically acclaimed immersive storytelling experience Where There’s Smoke is currently running at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey through Oct. 1st with an upcoming artist talk on September 30th.Nick and Lance have been working together for a long time now, and we thought it would be a unique opportunity to play with the NoPro format and have artistic collaborators take a deep dive into a piece of work. We're pretty happy with how it turned out!SHOW NOTESWhere There's Smoke at ARTYardWhere There's Smoke Artist Talk (Sep. 30)Gaming Pathways at City College of New YorkReview Rundown for 8.8.23American Dreams Are Just Out of Reach in Stunning ‘Port of Entry’ (The NoPro Review)CALL SHEET AUGUST 2023This week No Proscenium is brought to you by SEE TICKETS, which has proudly supported thousands of clients across the globe in areas as diverse as historic attractions like Stonehenge, immersive theater like The Burnt City, and important cultural touchstones like LA Pride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Curtis Hickman co-founder and chief creative officer of The VOID is here to talk about his new — and quite excellent book: Hyper Reality - The Art of Designing Impossible Experiences.Join us for a quick, action-packed conversation that covers how magic and virtual reality interact, the differences between storytelling and storybuilding, and the role Dungeons & Dragons plays in the design philosophy behind impossible experiences involving Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Jumanji.Show NotesCurtis HickmanHyper Reality - The Art of Designing Impossible ExperiencesThe VOIDMaking GhostbustersReview Rundown for 8.2.22Hey coffee lovers! Promo code NOPROYESPLZ gets you 25% off your first purchase of any bag of YES PLZ beans.Thanks again to SEE TICKETS for sponsoring this year’s Next Stage Immersive Summit Making An Impact Pillar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Keram Malicki-Sanchez of VRTO and FIVARS is with us to talk about the recently wrapped VRTO — the Spatial Media World Conference in Toronto, and of course we get into live performance in VR, the cutting edge of haptics, and the true identity of Shakespeare.Wait… what was that last one?SHOW NOTESVRTOFIVARSTitan HapticsGames by StitchDerek Jacobi and Mark Rylance: Reasonable Doubt about the Identity of William ShakespeareThis episode's recording session is brought to you by… the fact that I buy my coffee from YES PLZ.Promo code NOPROYESPLZ gets you 25% off your first purchase of any bag of YES PLZ beans.Not a paid ad, mind you, just an offer from a friend! Whose coffee I actually drink! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eight years. 400 Episodes.This week we are marking the anniversary by having NoPro team members Allie Marotta ( our NYC Curator), Kevin Gossett (LA reviews editor), Patrick McLean (Chicago Curator), Leah Davis (New England curator), Laura Hess (Arts Editor) and Parker Sela, (associate producer of this very podcast) join us.On this team episode we look back on the crew's "moment before" joining the NoPro team and take a snapshot of where everyone feels immersive is at the moment.Plus: an old fashioned Noah Rant at the START of the show.SHOW NOTESAlien War (wikipedia)The City, Burned: Immersive in a Era of Radical Change (Op-Ed)“Transformational Experiences” Are The New Buzzword, But Are You Making Change Or Just Selling It?Special for NoPro listeners & readers: Promo code NOPROYESPLZ gets you 25% off your first purchase of any bag of YES PLZ beans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a very special VERY LONG episode of the podcast featuring guest host Mikhael Tara Garver, Head of Culture House Immersive and Director of Immersive Experience for the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser who is here to interview myself, Kathryn Yu, Graham Wetterhahn, Jessica Creane, and Nick Fortugno my shipmates for the absolutely incredible surprise trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando to head aboard the Galactic Starcruiser that Graham and Kathryn organized for us, and that a whole lot of people contributed to.The conversation that follows dips between talking about our characters to inside baseball stuff about immersive and back again. It is deeply nerdy in every sense of the word. It’s also unlike anything we’ve done before. SHOW NOTESCALL SHEET JULY 2023My Star Wars SagaWaking Up With The ForceRegarding RoseOur coverage of the Starcruiser is brought to you by Agile Lens, bringing XR and theatre together for over a decade, and After Hours Theatre Company, producers of the Los Angeles Immersive Invitational, with additional support from listeners like you.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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PostCurious founder and lead game designer Rita Orlov is joined by writer Lauren Bello (Apple TV's Foundation, Netflix's Sandman) who talk about their collaboration on Threads of Fate, the revised version of PostCurious' very first game The Tale of Ord. Chicago Curator & Remote Experiences Editor Patrick McLean guest hosts.SHOW NOTESPostCuriousThreads of FateThe Morrison Game Factory“Transformational Experiences” Are The New Buzzword, But Are You Making Change Or Just Selling It?The City, Burned: Immersive in a Era of Radical Change (Op-Ed)NoPro’s 10 Most Anticipated New Works of 2023 (Part II)NoPro on THREADS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Garcia, creator of WE BUILD HOUSES HERE and co-director of San Francisco's Detour devised dance company is interviewed by Parker Sela about the immersive dance production that explores the idea of queer sanctuaries by combining shipwrecks and San Francisco's iconic OASIS drag nightclub.Then stick around for the missing part of last week's show.SHOW NOTESDETOUR DANCEWE BUILD HOUSES HERENoPro’s 10 Most Anticipated New Works of 2023 (Part II)Stoking Vegas’ Immersive Flame: Lost Spirits Distillery (Review)Denver Fringe 2023 Immersive SuperlativesReview Rundown: The One With Magic & Multiverses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: a DOUBLE FEATURE.First: our good friend Monica Miklas joins us to talk about a career arc that has taken her from indie work at the Hollywood Fringe Festival to being a senior manager of creative direction at RWS Entertainment, one of the biggest themed entertainment companies in the world, working on everything from haunts to cruise ships.Then we take a leap over into the digital realm and talk with Clement Deneux and Michael Masukawa of Atlas V about MONSTRORAMA, a Tribeca Immersive selection that truly delighted me this month.SHOW NOTESRWS EntertainmentCapital WAtlas VMONSTRORAMA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a true rarity — a SEQUEL. This week we’re following up last week’s minisode with a conversation with my former colleague — entrepreneur and technologist — Kurt Collins about just what Apple is really up to with the Vision Pro.SHOW NOTESKurt Collins on BlueskyNo Proscenium on BlueskyNoah J. Nelson on BlueskyMeow Wolf's The Real Unreal (Grapevine, Texas) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, as we catch our breath after The Next Stage, host Noah Nelson shares his impressions – and concerns – about the Apple Vision Pro announcement and then pivots to talk about two pieces in this year's Tribeca Immersive – The Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend and MONSTRORAMA – both of which are being showcased this at the festival through June 17th.SHOW NOTESFirst Impressions of Vision Pro and VisionOS - Daring FireballApple’s Messi Vision - 500ishThe Pirate Queen: A Forgotten Legend - Tribeca ImmersiveMONSTRORAMA - Tribeca ImmersiveTribeca ImmersiveWhy You Need to Get Yourself to the Nearest Meow Wolf Portal and Jump In - io9 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show Lucas Martell of Mighty Coconut, the creators of Walkabout Mini Golf, is with us to talk about the present and future of one of our absolute favorite things to do.SHOW NOTESMighty CoconutWalkabout Mini Golf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us on the show this week is Erin Reilly Founding Director of The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Immersive Institute at the Moody College of Communication. She's here to tell us about the program there and how the next generation of immersive creators is using emerging technology to create deeply human stories.SHOW NOTESTexas Immersive InstituteThe Next Stage Immersive SummitThe Review RundownThe Immersive 5 w/Terence Leclere of #metaforyou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show we welcome Nataki Garrett and Scarlett Kim of Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Latoya Peterson of Glow Up Games to talk about Hella Iambic the collaboration between the famed theatre company and the game studio that has previously worked with the likes of HBO on creating original games based on existing works.The existing work in this case is Shakespeare’s best known play Romeo & Juliet, and the Hella Iambic app is adding a whole new dimension later this month to OSF’s currently running production of the play. SHOW NOTESRomeo & Juliet at OSFNataki GarrettScarlett KimGlow Up GamesThe Next Stage Immersive Summit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show Evan Neiden, the founder of Candle House Collective — the makers of telephone-based experiences like the award-winning CLAWS and the serialized Lennox Mutual joins us.Evan and host Noah Nelson go one-on-one in this episode, but keep your ears on the feed for some bonus material soon that features a deep dive with the Review Crew and the Candle House Collective on Lennox Mutual.SHOW NOTESCandle House CollectiveCLAWSLennox MutualThe Next Stage Immersive SummitReview Rundown: The One With Fair Trades, Mystery Boxes, and Drag Sanctuaries‘Threads of Fate’ Captures Hearts, Challenges Minds (The NoPro Review) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NoPro Arts Editor Laura Hess joins host Noah Nelson to trade notes on their experiences at the 2023 Without Walls Festival, a production of La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. That includes stops at A Shared Space, Brassroots District, Fair Trade, Cleaning The Stables, and La Lucha.Show NotesWithout Walls 2023A Shared SpaceFair Trade Brassroots District Cleaning The Stables La LuchaA Saturday That Wow'd (A NoPro Diary) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show we're joined by Terence Leclere & Dasha Kittredge, two thirds of the core team at #metaforyou, the actor led immersive services company whose work can be found in marketing & brand activations from coast to coast. LA immersive heads know Terence and Dasha as two of the powerhouse performers on the LA immersive scene, so it should come as no surprise that the conversation to follow goes long on talking about acting and the art of immersive often in the context of a brand activation aka the thing that pays so many performer’s bills.In other words: It’s a cozy chat with some friends this week on the pod.SHOW NOTES#metaforyouThe Next Stage Immersive SummitThe Long Road To Longmont: Paralysis’ ‘Omega’ Brings Immersive Horror To Colorado (FEATURE)Checking In On The Black Immersive Creators Grant As Deadline Looms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Director Steven Calcote is a partner at Butcher Bird Studios and has created all kinds of projects for the likes of Legendary Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Disney, BBC America and more… but today we're going to talk about Making It VRy Big, BuzzFeed’s giant-sized food show which he shot in the 180 VR format and which you can find on Meta Quest TV. The topics at hand include how to make a 180 VR video feel connected to the audience, and just what happens to a film set when a 30 lbs cinnamon roll is introduced.Show NotesMaking It VRy Big (MetaQuest TV)Making It Big (Tasty's YouTube Channel)The Next Stage Immersive SummitImagi-Ne’er-Do-Wells w/ Jenn Wong & Noah Nelson (April 23)Call Sheet April 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Without Walls Festival Producer Amy Ashton and Director of Experiences and Activations Mia Fiorella join us to talk about this year's festival, as the La Jolla Playhouse produced event in San Diego moves to an annual schedule, goes free for all, and enjoys a partnership with the San Diego Symphony at the home at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The festival runs April 27-30th.Show NotesWithout Walls FestivalThe Next Stage Immersive SummitREA Los Angeles Escape Room Meetup (April 17th)TEA x Immersive Institute Meetup in LA (April 20th)Imagi-Ne'er-Do-Wells w/ Jenn Wong & Noah Nelson (April 23)Call Sheet April 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Graham Wetterhahn, Sara Beil, and KJ Knies of After Hours Theatre Company to talk about The Tempest: An Immersive Experience, their current collaboration with the Shakespeare Center LA. The gang at After Hours Theatre Company are some of our favorite people to talk shop with.Show NotesThe Tempest: An Immersive ExperienceAfter Hours Theatre CompanyShakespeare Center LANext Stage: Spotlight Sessions & Deep DivesImagi-Ne'er-Do-Wells w/ Jenn Wong & Noah Nelson - April 23, 2023Review Rundown for 4.4.23The Immersive 5 with Brett Jackson of Imagi-Ne’er-Do-WellsDesert X 2023 Begets Apathy and Heartbreaking Magic (Review) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we head down to San Diego to talk with Optika Moderna's David Israel Reynoso about LA LUCHA, the company's latest immersive theatre piece that will preview during the Without Walls Festival (April 27-30) and then full open in May. Reynoso's previous shows Waking La Llorona and Las Quinceañeras stand tall in NoPro's immersive pantheon, and we expect LA LUCHA to to the same. Plus: a few more notes on WOW, and some updates on The Next Stage and our ongoing Patreon campaign.SHOW NOTESDon’t Miss These Shows At Without Walls Festival 2023Immersive Review Rundown for 3.28.23Intercon U 2023 — A NoPro DiaryNoPro Pod: Getting Down with the ‘Brassroots District’ and Planning Your EscapeCall Sheet March 2023The Next Stage Scholarship & Subsidy ApplicationThe Next Stage Badges Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Those of you who follow the world of experiential marketing have definitely heard of Giant Spoon, the full stack advertising agency that has put together some of the most talked about marketing activations of the era. Favorites of ours like SXSWestworld, The Last of Us premiere, or maybe our favorite thing ever: The Ink Hole puppet speakeasy for The HappyTime Murders. We talk a lot about production here, but we wanted to understand more about how these activations come into being from the client/agency side of the equation, and no one is better for insight into that process than Giant Spoon co-founder Marc Simons. Fresh off being named the most innovative ad agency in the world by Fast Company, we sat down with Marc to get a handle on the view of the experiential marketing world from his point of view.SHOW NOTESGiant SpoonCall Sheet March 2023Review Rundown for 3.14.23The Next Stage Summit 2023The Next Stage Pricing InfoNoPro Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a special teamspeak episode of the podcast featuring the NoPro Staff including Leah Davis, Patrick McLean, Laura Hess, Blake Weil, and for the first time on the show Parker Sela, our associate producer.We recorded this a couple of weeks ago, chatting about what we’ve been going to see and experience with a touch of what we’re looking forward to.The conversation ranges WILDLY, but at around the 55 minute mark we get into a discussion and a description of artist Paul McCarthy’s White Snow for about 20 minutes. That involves discussion some pretty graphic imagery, and younger ears or those who just don’t want to get into sexualized material may want to hop ahead.So yeah, that’s an EXPLICIT tag. We’re so 90's.SHOW NOTESDoors Of DivergenceLiving PaintingsPOV: you are an ai achieving consciousnessPaul McCarthy’s WS White SnowInterconUA Blistering Case of SXSW FOMO (A NoPro Guide)Review Rundown for 3.7.23CALL SHEET March 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show our dear friend artist Nancy Baker Cahill is back for another enlightening conversation about digital art — both her work and the big currents that are shaping this constantly evolving world — from XR to working on massive public pieces that are immersive in a whole other dimensions, with stops along the way to talk about museum grade NFTs and incorporating generative AI into the work. SHOW NOTESNancy Baker CahillNoPro Podcast Episode 177: Nancy Baker CahillQuest’s Back Catalog Could Be A Knockout, But Meta Pulls Its PunchesImmersive Review Rundown for 2.28.23Hunt A Killer Reviews Round UpSXSW: Sport And Immersive: The Past and Future of Fan EngagementSXSW: Is This Really Live? Performance in the Age of XRSXSW: This is Not a Person Part 2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show NoPro’s London curator Shelley Snyder takes over the interview duties to talk with Immersive Everywhere’s Brian Hook about the company’s upcoming debut of The Great Gatsby in New York City after a long London run, along with a few updates about Gatsby’s future in the UK.It's the first of what’s set to be some regular podcast dispatches coming out of London thanks to the continued support of our Patreon backers. SHOW NOTESImmersive EverywhereThe Great GatsbyReview Rundown for 2.22.23Call Sheet for Feb 2023Everything Immersive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show YET ANOTHER doubleheader, only this time we’re staying on the VR side of things with a check in with ILMxLAB and then with the organizers of the XR Live Performance festival.First — From ILMxLAB we talk with Director Jose Perez III and CG & Lighting Lead Ronman Ng about the PLAYSTATION VR2 launch title Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge: Enhanced Edition. This is what it says on the tin: an Enhanced Edition of the game we already love, and we get into just what is going into the new edition, what the PSVR2’s haptics are opening up for designers, and the state of VR on this eve of the launch of the highly anticipated peripheral for the wildly successful Playstation 5.Then Braden Roy and Brian Tull of The Ferrymen Collective are here to talk about something at the other end of the VR spectrum: the XR Live Performance Exhibition now underway which is putting the spotlight on one of VR’s all too secret joys: live interactive theatrical performances staged inside virtual worlds.  SHOW NOTESILMxLABStar Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge: Enhanced EditionXRLive Performance ExhibitionThe Ferrymen CollectiveReview Rundown: The One With Murder Mysteries, An Evil Ikea, and a Baby in a Well‘NOWISWHEREWEARE’ Brings Us to ‘The Stars’ and Back (REVIEW)NoPro's CALL SHEET, February 2023NoPro Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show another doubleheader, this time reaching into two different parts of the immersiverse.First up we have a great talk with Nate Koch, the prolific producer who has been part of Sleep No More, Queen of the Night, and the epic opening of Hermès’ flagship store in New York City to talk about a career that balances creating art and working with some of the biggest companies in the world as clients for experiential marketing. It’s the first time Nate and I have talked, and we have a fantastic conversation. Then Athena Demos and Doug Jacobson of Big Rock Creative are back on the show to chat about the surprise closing of AltSpaceVR, where they’ve been hosting the award winning virtual Burning Man celebration known as BRCvr, the future of that particular project and of Big Rock Creative as a whole… and we get into some broader thoughts about the state of VR at this particular moment in time.SHOW NOTESEnveekayWith a Musical Block Party Extravaganza, Hermès Feted its New (and Marvelous) Madison Avenue Home (Vogue)Big Rock CreativeAltspaceVR is shutting down as Microsoft’s mixed reality division shrinks (The Verge)BRCvrCALL SHEET FEBRUARY 2023 (NoPro)NoPro’s 10 Most Anticipated New Works of 2023 (So Far) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show a DOUBLEHEADER with a double dose of horror.First, our good friend Bryan Bishop stops by wearing a brand new hat: he’s the Immersive Curator for this year’s Overlook Film Festival — the horror focused genre festival which is coming up in March in New Orleans, and he’s here to tell us all about what’s on tap for the festival. Then Winston Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO of AREA 15 dials in to give us the lowdown on the recently announced next phase of the Area 15 District in Las Vegas, which will include the first YEAR ROUND Halloween Horror Nights attraction from Universal. SHOW NOTESOverlook Film FestivalFangoria Article on Overlook's immersive offeringsArea 15Universal Is Bringing A Year-Round Horror Attraction To Vegas' Area 15 (Las Vegas Weekly)NoPro’s 10 Most Anticipated New Works of 2023 (So Far)A Shift at ‘Saint Jude’ (Review, NoPro)The Immersive 5 with Patchwork Adventures (NoPro) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a special episode of the pod as Leah Davis, our New England correspondent, takes over the host duties for a panel on LARP in 2023. They’re joined by Darker Larper aka Dann, a LARP creator and academic and Nicholas Fortugno, Director of Gaming Pathways at City College of NY and co-founder of the Come Out and Play festival. (Plus Noah is there in the background, engineering and chiming in a little.)Show NotesNYC Immersive Community MeetupThe Nest40 Watts From Nowhere on KCRWCall Sheet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Sugar Land, Texas, just outside of Houston, a bold experiment that brings together performance, puppetry, creative technology, and interactive storytelling waits for the curious and adventurous. This is The Department of Wonder, and it looks to be bringing together all the elements we talk about on the podcast regularly all under one roof. This week we talk with Brandon Oldenburg and Limbert Fabian Co-Heads of Creative at The Department of Wonder about what their team has built, how they got there, and their plans for the future of the project.SHOW NOTESThe Department of WonderCall Sheet (January) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last January we told you all about the Black Immersive Creators Grant, which gives direct support to a Black maker who is launching original immersive work with a grant fund target of $10,000.This year the Grant is back and looking to do it all over again. Joining us on the pod this week is Maya Carter - Vice President of the Board of the Black Immersive Creators Grant — and Grant support team member Kendra Slack of Linked Dance Theatre.Show NotesBlack Immersive Creators GrantCall Sheet - Jan 2023Universal Plans New Family Resort in Texas, Las Vegas Horror AttractionReview Rundown for 1/13/23 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off 2023 by talking with the creators responsible for one of our 2022 highlights: the NoPro Review Crew trip to The Ministry of Peculiarities: Hope End in Azuza, CA. This escape game is the talk of SoCal's immersive scene, as it blends the best of escape room sleuthing with dialed in performances and a game structure where story is the ultimate reward.We sit down with Adam Moody and brothers Jonathan & Benjamin Berk, the creative team who are Overlook Film Festival bound this Spring.SHOW NOTESThe Ministry of PeculiaritiesOverlook Film FestivalCall Sheet - January 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — you’ve got two MIGHTY SEGMENTS featuring members of the Senior Staff of NoPro — Arts Editor Laura Hess, Senior Editor Leah Davis, LA Reviews Editor Kevin Gossett, East Coast Curator at Large Blake Weil all join us in part one [6:37], and then London Curator Shelley Snyder and Chicago Curator Patrick McLean join us for part two [57:23].SHOW NOTESNoPro's Best Immersive Moments of 2022NoPro's Best Immersive Experiences of 2022Telelibrary Public Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we sit down for one-on-one talks with members of our Review Crew to dive into their favorite moments & experiences of 2022. Each team member covers their favorite moment and one of their top shows of the year.You can find an expanded written, but not identical, version of this at our website.RUN ORDERShelley Snyder, London Curator [6:42]Kevin Gossett, LA Reviews Editor [19:06]Katrina Lat, Toronto Correspondent [23:23]Nicholas Fortugno, New York Correspondent [36:25]Patrick McLean, Chicago Curator [51:42]Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent [59:56]Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large [1:10:25]Laura Hess, Arts Editor [1:20:49]Leah Davis, Senior Editor/New England Correspondent [1:28:28]Noah Nelson, Publisher and Host [1:43:25] Show NotesThe Telelibrary Ticket Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — first we take a trip out to the South Coast Botanic Garden the site of Moment Factory’s ASTRA LUMINA, where with talk with Jonathan St-Onge and Thomas Pintal of Moment Factory and Isabel Solano Global Vice President of Live Experiences at Fever, who are co-presenting Astra Lumina in LA.Then we chat with Andy Barnes of London's Immersive Experience Network about what this creative community centered group has on tap for 2023, including their current fundraiser for their Immersive Huddle series there in the global capital of immersive.Show NotesAstra Lumina LAMoment FactoryImmersive Experience NetworkIEN FundraiserBacker Exclusive: The Telelibrary Auction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — we’re sharing with you the audio from the panel from the NYC Immersive Meetup hosted last month at Andrew Hoepfner’s GYMNOPEDIE that was moderated by NoPro’s New York Curator Allie Marotta.The panel features:Alex Chmaj - co-owner of Future ProofEvan Neiden - Candle House CollectiveAndrew Hoepfner - Houseworld ImmersiveJessica Creane - IKantKoanRisa Puno - Installation Artist, creator of The Privilege of Escape This is a frank conversation about the impact of the pandemic on their work, where the field of immersive is going, and includes questions from the audience. Note: the audio was recorded live, and we recommend NOT using headphones or earphones for this episode due to a few rare audio issues that are sprinkled through the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the show — we’re taking a quick trip through the 2022 NoPro Gift Guide with No Pro East Coast Editor at large Blake Weil. Blake and I have pulled seven items from the Gift Guide to talk about including video games, boxed experiences, and live events you should definitely treat you and yours to.Show NotesThe 2022 NoPro Gift Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.