Christina Heller — Co-Founder & CEO, VR Playhouse
Christina talks to TheNextGag about why VR is all about telling stories, what you should know as a VR virgin and why VR is not just for entertainment.
Christina Heller is the Co-Founder & CEO of VR Playhouse, a boutique studio specializing in virtual reality, augmented reality, 360 video production, and realtime development, in the USA.
As co-founder and CEO of VR Playhouse, Christina Heller holds a very unique role in the world of virtual reality — a woman. We all know the dire state of diversity in the tech industry, and the VR industry follows suit. As both the organizational leader and company figurehead, Heller brings a female perspective, global awareness and journalistic approach to each and every project that VR Playhouse creates.
Christina spearheaded the creation of a VR music video for woman of color musician Dawn Richard and the innovative mobile interactive VR experience for Boost Mobile. VR Playhouse’s psychedelic 360 music video for Jack N’ the Box, “Brunchfast,” has been selected as one of the winners of Campaign’s Brand Film Festival. Additional brand work includes VR experiences for such top brands as Chevron, Toyota, Pepsi, Red Bull and Honda.
Christina got her start in radio in Boston, producing and hosting a weekly politics show which won Associated Press Awards for the two years it was under her leadership. She moved to television, producing, shooting, and hosting “My Voice,” a program broadcasted into 9 million homes. She covered the 2008 presidential election for both MyTV New England and Al Gore’s Current TV, and was featured on Good Morning America as a commentator on the Millennial impact on politics. She directed and produced two feature documentaries, Libertopia and Reversing the Mississippi. She currently serves on the Board of Advisors for SH//FT, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity in virtual reality.
Heller is passionate about creating immersive VR experiences that allow brands to connect with audiences in a way never before possible, truly affecting emotions and leaving lasting personal memories.
THENEXTGAG: HOW DID YOU END UP BECOMING A FILM PRODUCER ?
CHRISTINA HELLER: I got my start in radio, producing and hosting a weekly politics show before I moved into TV. I was producing, shooting and hosting broadcast programs and then later directed and produced feature documentaries. I’ve always loved telling stories, so shifting into virtual reality was a very organic transition for me. It’s a truly exciting new medium to learn about and experiment inside.
TNG: WHY DID YOU CHOSE TO NAME YOUR COMPANY VR PLAYHOUSE ?
CH: VR is a such a constantly changing industry and our team comes from a wide range of creative and technical backgrounds. We wanted to create an environment where we could have fun with exploring the emerging technologies and creatives processes and break the mold on what is possible. Two of of key members come from a theater background, so it’s also a nod to a traditional playhouse, mixed with a little bit of PeeWee’s.
VR is such a multimedia experience that people from all walks of life and backgrounds can bring something beneficial to the VR content creation landscape.
TNG: WHAT PAST ACQUIRED SKILLS CAN BE USEFUL FOR PEOPLE WILLING TO DELVE INTO VIRTUAL REALITY ?
CH: Honestly, VR is such a multimedia experience that people from all walks of life and backgrounds can bring something beneficial to the VR content creation landscape. Theater and live event experiences can be helpful for conceptualizing a 360-degree environment, and game design is also a useful skill. Any experience in game engine with Unity and Unreal is so valuable, so we are always looking for developers with those skills. Also, in general, I think it is valuable to be someone who is willing to learn new creative technology. In this industry, as soon as you learn one program, something new comes along. People who are willing to continually learn emerging software, tools and techniques and are excited by challenges are going to have a competitive edge in VR.
TNG: WHAT ARE YOU EXTRA-TIRED OF SAYING OVER AND OVER ON PANELS, MEETING AND INTERVIEWS ?
CH: Everybody is looking for best practices when it comes to VR and there are no hard guidelines for good 360 and VR content. A question that gets asked a lot is, ‘How do you transition between scenes?’ If you are interested in exploring these kinds of concepts, there have been many storytelling VR panels that are available online where they answer these kinds of questions. People also want to know how to make money in VR. The answer is… we are still figuring it out. Another big question is about user adoption and whether people are going to be buying more headsets and using them regularly. There have been a lot of overly optimistic forecasts about that and we need to be careful to not tailor our strategies to this hype.
TNG: DO YOU FIND THAT CLIENTS NEED CONSTANT EDUCATION ABOUT THE STATE OF VR ?
CH: Definitely. I think that in order to work with clients in the VR space, you have to exhibit a lot of leadership both creatively and technically. For most people, it is their first time working in VR. The workflow is a lot more technical and complicated than what we are used to in any other media forms that came before it. You have to provide clients with a clear path forward of how you are going to proceed and be very clear with them every step of the way. It’s important to give them an idea of when they should check in, what they should check in about, what stage notes are appropriate and what they will be giving notes on specifically. Dealing with nervous clients in par for the course, you need to be the confident one and reassure them that the work will turn out great and it will all get done. We like to tell clients working on a VR project is like white water rafting. Sometimes it’s going to be smooth, sometimes it’s going to be bumpy. You have to trust you are with guides that have been down this river before and you’ll come out on the other side knowing it was worth it, but it won’t be fun the entire time.
TNG: HOW DO YOU EVALUATE SUCCESS FOR YOUR CONTENT ?
CH: For the last year or so, it’s been a little bit about clicks and how many people have watched a piece of content on YouTube and Facebook 360 campaigns. Honestly, it’s also about recognition from peers inside of the industry that has given us a lot of validation on our work. They have seen a lot of the work that is out there, so earning their praise and recognition really means a lot. Until there is a real marketplace though, we really can’t fully measure success, but if someone comes out of a headset in a better mood than when they went in, that is a win for me.
TNG: IF YOU HAD TO SHOW ONE VR EXPERIENCE TO SOMEONE THAT HASN’T TRIED IT BEFORE, WHAT WOULD YOU SHOW THEM ?
CH: Putting someone inside Google Earth VR or Tilt Brush is a solid move for first-timers. Tilt Brush shows how VR is different, giving them a way to interact with art in a 3D space and Google Earth VR shows what a powerful tool it can be.
TNG: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT VR LACKS A POWERFUL DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM (OTHER THAN YOUTUBE.COM/VR OR JAUNTVR.COM) ?
CH: The truth is that the web is a viable distribution platform for 360 and VR. The moment people realize that and start to takes chances in web VR (or, said another way, the immersive web), then we are already working inside an established platform and infrastructure. Browser VR takes a platform we are already using and engaging with, rather than asking viewers to come to a foreign place. It’s better to meet them where they live. Viewers can experience web VR by using their mouse, but can also engage with it more on their phones or on a VR headset.
TNG: DO YOU FIND THAT THE CURRENT STATE OF HEADSETS IS SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE GREAT VR EXPERIENCES ?
CH: There have been some amazing strides made in terms of headsets. Vive and Oculus Rift are both very good, but they both still feel a bit heavy and clunky. They are continually working on this, but that has been one of the biggest limitations with headsets that are currently in the marketplace.
TNG: IS VIRTUAL REALITY LOSING ITS MOMENT ?
CH: They have been prophesying this trough of disillusionment for a while. There is a lot of interest in Asia, but it seems like Americans and Europeans are still feeling it out. As an industry, we can’t just expect the general population will automatically embrace AR/VR. It is a very different way of consuming media than what we are used to, so it’s important to show people why they should engage. Experiences in real estate, travel and healthcare provide a palpable way to improve existing industries and practices. I think it’s important to start there, rather than focusing exclusively on entertainment. VR Playhouse is actively talking to people in these other industries, exploring how VR can benefit them in real, tangible ways, and then merge that with great creative content. We need to create an organic diversified marketplace. Right now, it is being sustained by Facebook, Samsung, Google, HTC, and venture capital.
TNG; I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE DAY WHEN THEY ENHANCE SPACE MOUNTAIN WITH VR. WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE OF VR ?
CH: The day where more people are using the tool is exciting to me. I really enjoy social VR and being in a heightened reality with others can make for some truly amazing experiences. There is so much power and promise, but it still feels like only a small community of people are engaging with it on a day-to-day basis. There are so many people around the globe and lots of different kinds of creators and artists, I just want more people at the party.
Christina Heller
Co-Founder & CEO
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