Secret Location: The Podcast

Host Vanessa Costa moderates a fun and lively panel where we discuss some of the hottest tech trends today! Secret Location panelists and friends of the show will give their two cents on tech trends such as Non-Fungible Tokens, AI-driven art, and the conversation around data privacy. They'll also give their predictions on what other trends they see on the horizon. Join us for this fun and light-hearted free-for-all on this season's Hot Takes!Visit us at www.secretlocation.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join us as we peek behind the curtain of what it's really like to buy and sell tech start-ups and entertainment companies - the potential pitfalls, how it impacts company culture, and the emotional journey of handing over control of a company you built from the ground up. eOne's Darren Throop (President & CEO) and Secret Location's Ryan Andal (President & Co-Founder) discuss eOne's purchase of Secret Location in 2016 and Hasbro's acquisition of eOne in 2019, including Darren's first conversation with the late Brian Goldner that convinced him to sell. This episode also features the challenging and personal story of retail tech company PopCom's 2020 purchase of A.I. driven survey company Wyzerr and what happens when you don't quite get your fairytale ending.Visit us at secretlocation.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Where do you draw the line between art and commercial entertainment experiences? How are these immersive spaces changing the way we experience art? We speak with Winston Fisher, the CEO of AREA15 – a new Las Vegas experimental entertainment space. From his perspective as an entrepeneur, we get an insight into the business and design philosophy behind launching AREA15 during the pandemic and how audiences are responding. We also speak with Marsi Gray of Meow Wolf and examine how alternative artists are using immersive entertainment to create unexpected and mind-bending worlds of their own. Visit us at www.secretlocation.comCheck out Meow Wolf at www.meaowwolf.comSee Area15's offerings at www.area15.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the COVID-19 epidemic and ensuing lockdowns, schooling around the world turned digital. This episode explores the growing industry of digital ‘Edutainment', from the perspective of app producers, parents, and children's media experts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we examine the lack of inclusion and racial equity in the tech industry, examining the systemic barriers to science and technology education for low income, racialized communities and the lack of diverse role models in the STEM field. How do those barriers follow marginalized people into the workforce? How do we create safe and inclusive workplaces? This is a crucial issue in today's digital workforce thatnone of us can ignore.Check out Dr. Eugenia's work with Vision of Science at www.vosnl.org.Find out what if Karlyn can help you or your company be better at www.kdpmconsultinggroup.comVisit Secret Location at secretlocation.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We take a deep dive into the latest digital trends in the music industry – Virtual Artists. With the rise of virtual influencers such as Lil' Miquela, the music industry is wading into the wild world of virtual artists, marrying digital avatars to musical artists and producing unique live digital events. We hear how the teams behind virtual artists make decisions on what the avatars should look and sound like, how they reflect larger societal values and trends, and what the future holds for the music industry in this new technological chapter.Check out Spirit Bomb's virtual artists at https://spiritbomb.ai or on social media @spiritbomb.aiVisit Secret Location at www.secretlocation.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome back to Secret Location: the Podcast! Join us for 6 brand new episodes showcasing new skills, themes, and industry trends happening in the space of immersive entertainment through the lens of the studio and its people. We're exploring everything from the evolution of virtual characters in music, tech's diversity and inclusion problem, and what really happens when you sell your tech start-up. This season has a greater range of topics, more diverse perspectives, and more personal, impactful stories. Keep an eye out for the first episode in two weeks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a special bonus episode to wrap up our first season--the complete, unedited interview with Bob Cooney from episode 6! Listen for his unabridged thoughts on the changing definiton of a "location" in location-based entertainment, the consuming habits of millenials, and how immersive tech couldn't completely change our society, for better or forIf you would like to learn more about LBEs and want to hear more from Bob, checkout: www.showup.eventsFollow Bob Cooney at: www.bobcooney.comVisit SecretLocation at: www.secretlocation.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shopping malls, arcades, even mini-putt …all great examples of “location-based-entertainment” (or LBEs as we like to call them). Now, the definition of LBEs have expanded and it’s all about creating an immersive experience that adds cutting edge technology like motion tracking, projection mapping, and VR. With malls closing, and movie theatres in jeopardy - what’s the future of entertainment? Today we talk to Secret Location's Executive Producer Michala Duffield, and Creative Director Stephen Bosco on their new LBE called "Waking WonderLand". We also (virtually) travel to Australia to talk to Bob Cooney, an early adopter and innovator in the LBE and Virtual Reality space.If you would like to learn more about LBEs and want to hear more from Bob, checkout: www.showup.eventsFollow Bob Cooney at: www.bobcooney.comVisit SecretLocation at: www.secretlocation.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do you maintain a vibrant and supportive work culture during a pandemic that's forcing you to work from home? In this week's episode, Vanessa talks to her colleagues about how Secret Location's unique culture has changed, the challenges they've all faced while working remotely, and the ways that SL's culture team has tried to keep people motivated and connected. Listen and find out what's worked for us, and what hasn't. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, we take a deep dive into Secret Location's newest virtual reality project: Paranormal Pest Patrol, a location-based VR escape-room style experience. How does an idea evolve into a fully realized project? We speak with the project's co-directors on the creative journey of the concept, what they learned from the process, and what it was like to finish and release a product during the COVID-19 pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two of our virtual reality experts break down what makes VR such an immersive, exciting, and challenging medium for stories and experiences, and one of our producers tries it for the first time. Whether you're deep into the VR world or you're just hearing about it now, listen and find out where it came from, where it is now and where it might go in the future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode we explain our brainstorm process--how we generate the ideas that are later put into production as immersive games, experiences, and stories. Our creative leads, Marty Flanagan and Kathryn Rawson, dive into how to run an effective and inclusive brainstorm, how to evaluate ideas, and how working from home has changed SL's ideation process. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first episode of Secret Location: The Podcast, we explore the values and processes that define us as a studio, the current state of the innovation industry, and how the team has adapted to working from home during the pandemic. Guests include Ryan Andal, President of Secret Location, and a host of other team members who provide their unique perspective on working in immersive entertainment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Secret Location is a multi-Emmy winning content studio, creating entertainment and narrative experiences for emerging platforms, including this podcast! Secret Location: The Podcast explores the creative process and culture of this one-of-a-kind workplace. Join our key team members as we tackle ideation, changing technologies like virtual reality, and innovative trends like location-based entertainment and immersive storytelling. Learn about the future of entertainment and have some fun with us along the way! First episode coming November 30! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.