Ryan D’Souza is the founder of Upstream XR, an award-winning producer of virtual reality experiences and films that use immersive storytelling to advance human rights advocacy. He has produced and filmed on location in Iraq, Ukraine, and Ethiopia, creating VR works on genocide and mass atrocities that have informed education, policy, and global awareness. Coming from a human rights background, Ryan has worked with the United Nations, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and other leading NGOs. His projects, recognized internationally with honors including a Telly Award, have been showcased in over 20 countries and presented at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford University, as well as at the U.S. Congress, UK Parliament, and French Senate. He continues to explore how technology and empathy-driven storytelling can deepen public understanding of human rights and the shared responsibility to prevent atrocity.
How many years have you been a judge?
This is my first year!
What excited you about judging for the Telly Awards?
I’m most excited about recognizing work that makes a real impact. With over a decade working in conflict zones and at the United Nations to advance human rights, I’m drawn to stories that center survivors and challenge audiences to see the world differently. Having produced award-winning virtual reality films on genocide and mass atrocities, I’ve seen how powerful creative storytelling can be in shifting hearts, policies, and perceptions. The Telly Awards provide a platform to honor projects that blend artistic innovation with moral purpose. For me, it’s about celebrating storytelling that not only moves people but also moves the dial toward justice and human dignity.
What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?
My first role in the human rights field was at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect in New York, where I worked on advocacy efforts at the United Nations. One of the most memorable experiences was supporting Nobel Laureate Nadia Murad and Amal Clooney in their work to bring ISIS to justice at the UN Security Council. That experience taught me both the urgency and the challenge of translating the reality of atrocities into action that policymakers can understand and respond to. When I began developing Nobody’s Listening, I wanted to use my human rights background to design a campaign that combined advocacy, creativity, and empathy in a way that could achieve lasting impact. I drew on my network of policymakers, diplomats, and NGOs to build a coalition around an innovative idea that everyone wanted to support, while balancing the objectives of survivors, governments, and creative teams. It showed me that real change happens when storytelling and policy come together—when art not only moves people emotionally but also helps shift the systems that shape their lives.
What project are you most proud to have worked on?
The project I am most proud of is Remember Tigray VR. Before creating it, I was working with the United Nations in Somalia, based in Mogadishu, where I worked closely with an Ethiopian colleague who was deeply affected by the eruption of extreme violence in Tigray in 2020. The reports of mass atrocities, sexual violence, and the government-imposed communications blackout made it difficult for the outside world to grasp the scale of what was happening. I wanted to find a way to tell this story responsibly and truthfully through a medium that could bridge distance and build empathy. Working with Sensorium in New York, we trained two Ethiopian journalists remotely and managed to get a 360 camera into Tigray to document survivors’ testimonies. The project, created in collaboration with Tigrayan civil society, academics, and technologists, premiered at the U.S. Congress in September 2023 with Amnesty International and Open Society Foundations, and was later shown at the UK Parliament in 2024, helping to establish an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tigray. I am proud that we were able to create a meaningful platform for a community whose suffering had been overlooked and to ensure their voices could be seen, heard, and remembered.
What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?
The most challenging part of my work is that human rights are often being overlooked at a time when we are witnessing atrocities and deep turmoil across the world. It can be difficult just to get into the room and convince people to take the time to experience the VR, but once they do, they understand and care deeply about these stories. We live in an age where social media platforms have been criticized for spreading disinformation and hate speech, yet these same tools can also be used to promote peace, understanding, and empathy if used responsibly. Many people have become desensitized or inward-looking because of short attention spans and busy lives, which makes it harder for these issues to break through. The challenge is finding ways to reconnect people with their shared humanity and remind them that empathy is still one of our strongest tools for change.
What do you look for to determine excellence in video?
I look for work that demonstrates empathy and authenticity, especially when telling difficult stories. For me, excellence in video comes from a survivor-centric approach that gives dignity, agency, and voice to those whose experiences are being represented. The ability to create a human connection that truly moves people is what defines powerful storytelling. Technical craft and creativity matter, but what stands out most is when a film builds understanding and inspires action.
What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?
I currently work as the Executive Producer and Curator of Nobody’s Listening, an award-winning exhibition and virtual reality experience that is traveling to educational and political institutions across the United States, including the University of Connecticut and the U.S. Institute of Peace. We are also using the VR as a training tool for government officials to strengthen understanding of genocide prevention and survivor advocacy. I’ve produced Remember Tigray VR, which was presented at Parliament, and Witness VR, developed with the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Prosecutor General. The most meaningful part of my work is collaborating with survivors and providing them with a platform to share their stories after audiences experience VR. What I love most is seeing how immersive storytelling can bridge divides and remind people that, even in an age of polarization, empathy and shared humanity have the power to bring us together. Working in this space allows me to combine creativity with purpose, helping audiences not only to witness suffering but to understand their role in preventing it.
What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?
In an increasingly divided world, I believe companies have a powerful role to play as drivers of empathy and human rights awareness. I am currently working with the University of Bergen on a course on business and human rights, exploring how virtual reality can be used as a training tool to help companies understand how human rights shape their operations and value chains. We are developing immersive learning experiences that make complex issues like supply chain ethics and conflict sensitivity more personal and relatable. It is exciting to see businesses beginning to recognize that empathy and respect for human rights are not only moral imperatives but also essential to building trust, accountability, and long-term resilience.
Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?
For me, creativity begins with listening. I spend time speaking with survivors, artists, and colleagues in the field to understand their lived experiences and what stories most need to be told. Art and immersive storytelling allow me to translate empathy into something people can feel, not just understand. Much of my inspiration comes from traveling and working in conflict zones, where hope can be fragile but the courage of the people I meet is extraordinary. Collaboration is also central to my process, bringing together human rights advocates, technologists, and creatives to tell stories that bridge policy and emotion. I also find that stepping away from technology, writing, or spending time in nature helps me return to the work with a sense of clarity and compassion. Ultimately, creativity for me is about empathy and connection—transforming the act of witnessing into something that helps people see one another more fully.
What inspired you to pursue your career path?
Growing up in London but spending time in India with my family, I became aware from an early age of the stark contrasts between privilege and poverty. Coming from a minority community in India, I saw firsthand how discrimination and inequality can shape the lives of entire communities, and I also recognized that similar prejudices exist in the West. Later, while working in Beirut as an English language teacher, I began to understand how deeply politics and conflict determine who suffers and who is protected. These experiences taught me the importance of empathy and the power of understanding across cultures. They inspired me to pursue a path where storytelling and technology could be used to humanize complex issues and bring visibility to those whose voices are too often left out of the global conversation.
In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?
One significant change I am seeing is a growing desire among filmmakers to create work that highlights situations in conflict zones and humanitarian crises. While this is encouraging, it often happens without enough consideration for the needs and rights of survivors. Too many projects risk retraumatizing people or failing to support the communities whose stories are being told once the cameras stop rolling. In my view, it is essential to work hand in hand with civil society organizations, survivor advocates, and local partners to ensure stories are told ethically and lead to meaningful impact. True storytelling is not only about exposure but about responsibility—ensuring that creative work contributes to healing, awareness, and long-term change.
