We’re thrilled to introduce you to Telly Awards Judge Emma Hamilton, Emma began her career in immersive content directing several conceptual 360 films for sustainable fashion collectives before moving to Paris in 2017. There, she began working with VR filmmaker Mathieu Pradat as assistant director on The Roaming (VRHAM!/ Venice 75) before joining DVgroup from 2018 until 2021. As a creative producer of original content, Emma worked directly with DV’s most ambitious narrative XR pieces (including Alice, The Virtual Reality Play), with the aim of developing the emerging medium of Immersive XR Theatre into a recognised, sustainable format. Using this valuable experience, she recently founded Paris based production studio Stare At The Wall, and now works regularly on cutting edge experiences with Marshmallow Laser Feast, Megaverse and The National Youth Theatre (GB).

Read our interview with Emma below to learn how she began her career and what makes her excited for the future of VR!

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

I produced (for Mathieu Pradat / La Prairie Productions) and assistant directed chapter 1 of an XR piece called ‘The Roaming’, which went to Venice Film Festival in 2018. It taught me a lot about the use of sensory haptics and live motion capture techniques as at the time DVgroup (makers of Alice, The Virtual Reality Play) were backing the project. Off the back of Venice I ended up joining the DV team for three years

What are the best and worst pieces of professional advice you’ve received? 

One thing always leads to another. Every job I’ve done in the industry has led to the next in one way or another, and I’ve learned so much along the way. Thankfully I haven’t had too much bad advice in my career!

What does a typical work day look like for you?

There isn’t one really. Often projects end up needing very bespoke things that mean each one is unique and there are always surprises when it comes to working with cutting edge tech.

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

I have just finished producing and assistant directing Evolver as part of the Marshmallow Laser Feast team. We received a five star review in the independent and participated in TriBeCa 2022, some audience members were even moved to tears. It’s been a whirlwind project and I’m amazed with what we achieved.

What’s the best part of your job? What’s the most challenging?

Creative experimentation. We get to play a lot and often stumble onto things that we didn’t intend to but that feel great (in VR or other immersive media), and those moments are often turning points in projects, where everything starts to come together in a really exciting way. The most challenging  part of working in this industry is usually the tech itself. We work on the fringe of what’s possible and often have to come up with custom solutions ourselves to get a project to work – but that’s arguably also what makes it fun.

What makes you excited for the future of your industry?

5G mass audience VR – allowing for high fidelity streaming. I hope it lands soon so we can get content to bigger audiences!