Lifestyle and fashion publisher Conde Nast has announced a major move into virtual reality with two new “narrative/plot-based” series later this year.
The latest announcement of VR series content created by Conde Nast’s TV and film division, Conde Nast Entertainment (CNE), came in front of a standing room crowd at the NewFronts advertising and digital content showcase in New York today.
Attendees received a Google Cardboard gift, signaling the big unveil today of the two new series, one about a family of window washers, the other about a family who owns an events business.
CNE is producing the virtual reality series content in collaboration with virtual reality technology company Jaunt, who also announced today the forming of a Los Angeles-based wing of the company called Jaunt Studios. Jaunt Studios is similar to Oculus’ announcement earlier this year with Oculus Story Studio, which will be an in-house creative studio designed to both strengthen production of VR experiences from existing creators and interact with the broader Hollywood creative community to bring new content to light.
Heading up the Jaunt Studios initiative will be Cliff Plumer, the former CEO of visual effects company Digital Domain, who also spent time at Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm. Two other Lucasfilm alum are joining Jaunt’s ranks as well: the company’s former COO David Anderman is stepping in as Jaunt’s chief business officer, while Miles Perkins is now Jaunt’s VP of marketing communications.
Conde Nast is the first major publishing house to use VR technology for serialized storytelling. The series will be aired on CNE’s The Scene, a digital platform launched in 2014 to showcase video content from Conde Nast publications as well as media partners including Buzzfeed, Forbes, Variety, and ABC News.
Print publishers have been gearing up their online video content to draw digital consumers to their brands and spark interest from advertisers. With Conde Nast’s digital audience having now surpassed its print audience, it would seem virtual reality content development is a natural evolution to future video content production for the company.
“We’re speaking to some very impressive film makers to partner with us on this venture,” said Dawn Ostroff, president of CNE. “The virtual reality space not only will allow the viewer to become more engaged, it’ll make them more immersed.”
Image Credit: Conde Nast
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