Horizon Productions: Bringing VR to Triangle Businesses
One of the biggest misconceptions concerning Virtual Reality is that it is solely an entertainment platform. Despite all the talk and coverage surrounding VR, there are still many people (and more importantly many businesses) who are not aware of the inherent potential offered by the medium.
Enter Horizon Productions, a multidisciplinary production house that has been providing companies in and around the Triangle with a range of customized content for nearly 35 years. When Horizon was founded in 1982 it was focused solely on video production, but as time marched on and the business landscape continued to change, Horizon changed with it, adopting the skills and tools needed to provide their clients with the best service possible.
Now, with Virtual Reality rapidly gaining mainstream popularity, Horizon is continuing to evolve. They’re already creating VR experiences for corporate clients, with projects ranging from interactive-product demos and safety training, to medical experiences for companies like Quintiles that are meant to educate patients and improve patient recruitment for clinical trials.
They’ve even created experiences for specialty events and trade shows, like a promotional VR experience for Cree and The Home Depot, which Horizon got to share with thousands of people at the Home Depot Store Managers Meeting in Las Vegas this past March.
While events like this are an excellent way to introduce people to Virtual Reality, they’re also a reminder of just how young the industry is. Jason Cooper, the Director of Multimedia at Horizon, says, “It’s surprising how few people have even heard about VR, let alone tried it. Most folks have no idea what Google Cardboard is. They don’t even know it exists. With Virtual Reality, once you’ve actually tried it, you’re sold.”
To battle this lack of awareness, Horizon Productions has taken it upon themselves to leverage their nearly 35 years worth of professional contacts and good-will to get Virtual Reality into the hands of local business people, so that they can see for themselves how valuable this technology can be in almost any industry.
Jason McGuigan, the Creative Director at Horizon, has even gone so far as to create custom VR-carrying cases for easy transportation. Each case is meant to make high-end room-scale experiences easy to set up, break down, and (most importantly) get the person you’re demoing for into the experience as quickly as possible.
Still, in order to demo for anyone you first need to make it through the door. Ultimately, it is Horizon’s numerous relationships and history with local businesses which serves as their greatest asset. After years of working in the area, developing and growing with their clients, Horizon has amassed a wealth of connections few businesses in the Triangle can rival.
McGuigan explains “It’s because we have these relationships where we can call up a client and say ‘Hey, do you have some time to sit down and talk for a few minutes?’ That ability to get into the door with these organizations and share something new like Virtual Reality, it’s absolutely crucial.”
In a very short time Horizon has created several in-headset experiences, been featured on multiple news programs and TV spots for their work, and they’ve facilitated the first-time use of VR for countless individuals. They’re making a difference on how Virtual Reality is seen in the area.
In the long-run, Horizon has one overarching goal for this new technology. “We want to make the Triangle a destination for all aspects of VR.” says McGuigan.
From what we’ve seen so far, they certainly seem like they’re on the right track.
Note: Horizon Productions will be speaking about business and VR at the next RTPVR Meetup, scheduled for Monday, June 13th at 6pm in the American Underground at Main. More info here: http://www.meetup.com/RTP-Virtual-Reality/events/231191935/
