Industrial Light & Magic sets the gold standard for visual effects and immersive storytelling in collaboration with some of the world's most popular IPs. On today’s episode of the FoST podcast, ILM’s SVP, Chief Creative Officer Rob Bredow and VP of Immersive Content Vicki Dobbs Beck discuss the work of ILMxLAB and the exciting ways that storytelling is becoming more immersive than ever with AR, AI, and other next-generation technologies.

With critically acclaimed shows worldwide, Punchdrunk is the company that put immersive theater on the map. On today’s episode of the FoST Podcast, Punchdrunk’s founder and artistic director Felix Barrett gives us a very special “one-on-one”– he’ll take us through their iconic production Sleep No More from beginning to end, illuminating the creative process behind it all along the way. For additional links and more information, visit our website. -- © 2023 Future of StoryTelling,...

In their new book Your Brain on Art, VP of Hardware Design at Google Ivy Ross and Founder and Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Susan Magsamen show that great art and stories are not just enjoyable, but necessary for us to flourish as humans. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, they discuss the neuroscience supporting their hypothesis and the culture shift needed to help us live fuller, more artistic lives. For additional links and...

Burning Man is much more than an event– it’s a co-created immersive world. Marian Goodell, the CEO of Burning Man Project, has helped the community grow while maintaining its culture, spirit, and collaborative ethos. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, Marian talks about what makes Burning Man such a fertile ground for creativity.

Chief Metaverse Officer at Journey and “Godmother of the Metaverse” Cathy Hackl is paying close attention to the metaverse– and if you’re a creator or an entrepreneur, you should be too. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, Cathy shares how she defines the metaverse, what opportunities it’s creating for commerce and creativity, and how she’s working towards a protopian world both physical and virtual.

Escape rooms give audiences the opportunity to use their minds and bodies in an exciting, participatory experience. Victor van Doorn and his company Sherlocked are taking that offering to the next level by integrating deep storytelling into their rooms for an altogether more immersive experience. Hear Victor talk about how Sherlocked designs with an eye towards narrative and flow on today’s episode of the FoST podcast.

Fans dream of living in their favorite storyworlds, and as Head of Experiences at Netflix, Greg Lombardo is helping make those dreams come true for lovers of shows like Stranger Things and Bridgerton. What's more, he and his team are bringing shows to people in cities across the globe, producing immersive experiences at incredible scale. In this episode, Greg discusses the strategy behind these experiences and what makes them special. 

As new technology arises, so do new opportunities for expression, empathy, and empowerment. Our guest today, Alton Glass of GRX Immersive, shares how he’s making the most of these opportunities and helping others do the same through educational programs designed to help diverse creators take advantage of virtual reality and other emerging forms.

We all play roles in our day-to-day lives– but we don’t always have a choice in them. Roleplaying games, and particularly live action roleplays (aka “LARP”), allow us to reclaim the ability to decide who we’re going to be, both within the game and beyond. On today’s episode of the FoST Podcast, Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman shares her learnings on how roleplaying games work and why they’re becoming more and more popular.

Today’s marketers are tasked with telling stories that not only represent their products, but that also empower their customers. As VP of Global Marketing at Google, Marvin Chow understands better than anyone how important it is for a brand to have a positive impact and help its users do the same. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, Marvin shares learnings on marketing for one of the biggest brands in the world.

Creators, marketers, and other storytellers have long wondered: could there ever be an objective measurement of how moving our stories are to audiences? Neuroscientist and tech entrepreneur Paul J. Zak says yes— and he's studied 50,000 brains to back up his claims. Paul shares science-based insights on what makes stories effective from his new book, "Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness," on this episode of the FoST podcast.

In recent years, brick-and-mortar retail has been facing a crisis. But Ben Kaufman and his company, CAMP, have come up with a solution: make shopping in person a memorable, immersive experience. On this episode of the FoST podcast, Ben discusses how CAMP is combining play, product, and programming to give young families a place to make memories together.

With immersive experiences becoming more and more popular, it's important to ask: what makes an experience not just entertaining, but transformative? Margaret Kerrison, former Disney Imagineer and multi-award winning writer for immersive experiences, shares her answer to that question and more from her new book, “Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer’s Guide.”

Singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc sits down to talk about what makes a song “evergreen,” how he writes his lyrics, and the potential of machine learning in art.

Co-founder & CEO of thatgamecompany, visionary designer of Journey (2012) and Sky: Children of the Light (2019), and game media evangelist Jenova Chen talks about designing video games that bring out the best in people.

David Byrne, multi-award-winning artist and front man of Talking Heads, shares the insights and aspirations that shaped his newest immersive project, Theater of the Mind.

Marc Simons, co-founder of Giant Spoon, the agency behind the legendary Westworld SXSW activation discusses immersive as a tool for building brands.

Want to know the future of the metaverse? Ask author, futurist, and digital media trailblazer, Robert Tercek. Hear his forecasts on the future of virtual reality on this week's episode.

Jessica Brillhart shares stories about the highs and lows of working with an emerging technology and takes a look at the past, present, and future of VR cinematography.

Innovator in the world of narrative gaming, Sam Barlow, talks about making games that break the mold and letting the player drive the story.

Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, and Jennine Willett of Third Rail Projects on caring for the audience, incubating new work, and intimacy versus scale.

Chief engagement officer at Salesforce.org, Cristina Jones, weighs in on the power of listening to your audience, using storytelling for good, and why action leadership is the new thought leadership.

Peabody Awardee and “Godmother of Virtual Reality,” Nonny de la Peña shares her vision for the future of immersive journalism and virtual reality.

Chris Alden, founder of Palace Games, named one of the top escape room companies in 2020 by TERPECA, gives us a peak behind the curtain at how story, experience, and technology all factor into designing great escape rooms.

Writer and digital anthropologist Frank Rose shares his insights about how the art of storytelling shapes our world, changes with new technology, and is wired into our brains.