Film/TV
Sony Pictures, Reality One Announce VR Partnership (MESA)
Story Highlights
The virtual reality arm of Sony Pictures Sept. 20 announced a deal with Los Angeles-based Reality One to develop a slate of VR content, with the studio distributing content by the end of the year. The two companies will produce VR experiences based on both the studio’s films and franchises, and will also mine other original content ideas. “Sony is a company born of technological innovation and SPE born of storytelling,” said Sony chair Tom Rothman. “VR is the next frontier in the intersection of those two forces and today we join Madison Wells’ Reality One, who has already done some of the coolest stuff out there, to push those boundaries.”
Reality One, co-founded by Gigi Pritzker and Clint Kisker in 2015, recently co-produced “Gnomes and Goblins,” an original VR production created by filmmaker Jon Favreau. Reality One will be working closely with Jake Zim, SVP of VR at Sony Pictures, and the studio’s VR group, to come up with a slate of narrative VR content for the studio’s motion picture arm.
“Through this groundbreaking pact with Reality One, Sony Pictures will expand our efforts to develop new audiences and new revenue from our studio’s content, leverage longstanding relationships with some of the best creative minds in the business, and explore exciting opportunities for high-quality, interactive storytelling in this new medium,” Zim said.
Pritzker added: “Clint Kisker and I founded Reality One to create immersive content from the world’s best storytellers and we believe this landmark partnership will allow both Sony Pictures and Reality One to take maximum advantage of Sony’s wealth of intellectual property, relationships with established storytellers and willingness to experiment with new technologies.”
