25 Jul USES (& ABUSES) OF VIRTUAL REALITY – with Nathan Brown – ON SUNDAY JULY 29, AT #BAPF2018
PANEL CONVERSATION FOLLOWING THE STAGED READING OF T.D. MITCHELL’S PLAY VRTU-L
Moderator: Nathan Brown
Guests: Dr. Elizabeth McMahon, PhD, T.D. Mitchell, Alex Mallory
What is Virtual Reality? How does it work? How is it being used in the arts, in entertainment, and in the wider culture? Local tech exec Nathan Brown and a panel of experts will discuss various topics relating to VR and the themes of the play.
Nathan Brown is a media executive, production veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience dedicated to the development, convergence and disruption of emerging platforms, content, technology, advertising and media.
Panelists include Dr. Elizabeth McMahon, who specializes in the use of VR in psychotherapy, and Saschka Unseld, who co-founded Oculus Story Studio, where he explored the future of VR storytelling.
More information on the play & link to tickets here.
The reading starts at 2pm on Sunday, July 29th, at Potrero Stage. The conversation will begin immediately after the performance.
Please let us know if you’re coming on Facebook or by sending an email to hello@playwrightsfoundation.org
About Nathan Brown
Nathan Brown is a media executive, production veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience dedicated to the development, convergence and disruption of emerging platforms, content, technology, advertising and media. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of XR content, research and technology start-up, Tomorrow Never Knows.
Prior to TNK, Nathan was the President of Seeker, where he oversaw strategy, revenue, operations and all P&L responsibilities for Group Nine Media’s Exploration and VR brand (formerly Discovery Digital Networks). Group Nine Media is a merger between Discovery Digital Networks, Thrillist Media Group, The Dodo and Now This Media. With over 3.5 billion monthly video views and 100m social followers, Group Nine Media is one of the world’s largest digital-first media companies.
Previous to that, Nathan was the SVP Development and Operations at Discovery Digital Networks overseeing strategy, operations, development and monetization. Additionally he was the head of the Industry-leading Discovery VR platform and studio. As the previous GM and SVP of Video at The Huffington Post, Nathan oversaw all areas of global video, TV and film, including development, production, programming, distribution and monetization. Nathan joined The Huffington Post from Complex Media, where he was General Manager of video and TV, overseeing original and branded content for a millennial audience, on everything from news and pop culture to style and gaming. Before that, he co-founded and ran Rehab Media, an award-winning film production company in San Francisco.
As a thought leader and someone very passionate about the current state and future of the industry, Brown often speaks at conferences such as MIPCOM, CES, Digital Hollywood, Media Summit, OMMA, Techweek, LDV Summit, Playlist Live and others.
About Tomorrow Never Knows
Tomorrow Never Knows is a content, technology and rese
About Elizabeth McMahon, PhD
Elizabeth McMahon, PhD is a licensed psychologist who has been using virtual reality (VR) with clients since 2010. She is a passionate advocate for the potential of VR to make psychotherapy more effective. Her private practice in San Francisco focuses on virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) for anxiety, fears, and phobias. When used as part of effective therapy, VR can help people overcome fears of flying, driving, public speaking, claustrophobia, heights, needles, and many other common fears. VR can make treatment easier and more effective.
She initiated the use of VR at the Kaiser Permanente Psychiatry Department in Fremont and received an outstanding innovator award for her research on the effectiveness of VR in anxiety treatment. She presents at professional conferences such as “VR and Health Symposium 2018” at Harvard Medical School this past spring and at community workshops like Upload’s “Healing with VR” panel.
Dr. McMahon trains other psychotherapists in the use of VR through continuing education workshops for the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, and Psious. She offers individual and group consultation to therapists interested in VRET and speaks about VR to community groups.
No Comments