VRFocus Ltd. is proud to announce its sponsorship of the VR Diversity Initiative, a UK event dedicated to improving diversity within the technology sector.The VR Diversity Initiative offers support and workshops for underrepresented groups in media and technology, including women, LGBT, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic professionals who are considering a career in the VR space.
In its first event, set to take place early summer 2017, the VR Diversity Initiative will host a roundtable discussion on overcoming the issues faced by underrepresented groups in VR, captured in full 360 degrees by VRFocus on VRfocus.com, and three, one‐hour masterclasses from inspiring industry professionals. A development workshop will then follow, where attendees can create a rough prototype project or script.
The VR Diversity Initiative will be fronted by Catherine Allen, a VR producer and curator whose credits include producing one of the first VR documentaries at the BBC and exec producing the BBC’s first 360 talk show. Allen is currently curating VR for Watershed, one of the UK’s leading independent cinemas, with a focus on attracting broader audiences to VR content. Catherine’s written columns covering VR for Wired and The Bookseller, acts as a BAFTA VR associate and regularly keynotes, judges and mentors at industry events, contributing towards her goal of supporting the healthy growth of an emergent, immersive media industry.
Catherine Allen, Executive Producer, The VR Diversity Initiative said, “VR is fast evolving from a cool new medium into a fully‐fledged industry. As this happens, this industry is truly what we make of it. We have a golden opportunity, before norms bed in to make VR healthy and inclusive from the beginning.” She continued, “This approach is not only ethically sound, but makes commercial sense too: a diverse workforce is what we need to attract mainstream audiences and sustain the industry for the long term. The need to turn words into actions has become increasingly pressing, and therefore I am delighted to lead the efforts of the VR Diversity Initiative.”
Kevin Joyce, CEO of VRFocus, said: “Promoting diversity in the technology industry is rapidly growing in importance, and I’m proud that VRFocus can offer support to directly raise awareness of this issue. Catherine Allen is hugely respected as a spokesperson for diversity in VR and with the support of VRFocus, will drive opportunities for a more diverse industry in the UK.”
Additional supporters of the VR Diversity Initiative include Bossa Studios, Epic Games, Hammerhead VR, Nick Morey of Dynamo PR, Fierce Kaiju, Triangular Pixels, Opposable VR, Psytec Games and Little Big PR.
More details on the event will follow in due course. To get involved in the VR Diversity Initiative, please contact:
Catherine Allen: cdjallen@gmail.com
Kevin Joyce, CEO VRFocus: kjoyce@vrfocus.com