Kevin Tsukii, one of the top virtual reality (VR) innovators in the world visited the offices of the DMG Media Ireland-owned Evoke.ie this week to talk about VR and what the future might look like as it becomes mainstream.
Tsukii is Immersive Video Lead at the Santa Monica-based Emblematic Group, a studio founded by VR pioneer and journalist Nonny de la Peña. At Emblematic Group, Tsukii has helped produce VR experiences for media outlets like Frontline PBS, The New York Times and AJ+.
Kitted out with the latest VR equipment, Tsukii showed staff some of his best work, which included documentary style pieces that he helped create for the likes of Frontline PBS in the US. His demonstration to some key agency clients comes just weeks after Extra.ie delved into the world of 360º VR with a visit to Mosul in Iraq to watch the city being cleared of ISIS terrorists.
Following his demonstration, he said that the possibilities of VR when it comes to news gathering endless, particularly in Ireland where VR is rarely deployed in the media environment.
Speaking about Extra.ie‘s step into the world of VR, he said: “It’s very important because I think if you’re going to establish a new brand in a journalism organisation it should be done very quickly — within the first impression.”
“‘So I just think if Extra.ie becomes affiliated with VR from the beginning that would be great. Its brand would be innovative for looking at different ways to tell stories.”
DMG Media Ireland has already added the capability to shoot 360 VR video for the agencies and brands that it works with and there has been considerable interest in the offering to date.
“‘We were honoured to have Kevin Tsukii from Emblematic Group with us in the Extra.ie newsroom today to show us the very latest in 360, VR and Room View technology,” says Paul Henderson, CEO of DMG Media Ireland.
“At DMG Digital Media Ireland we have prided ourselves on being first to market with innovation which both excites and delivers great consumer experiences and we look forward to working more with Kevin and Nail Austin from PURE on more exciting projects,” he says.
