[April 28, 2015]

Jaunt Launches "Jaunt Studios" Led by Hollywood Veterans to Ramp up Production of New Virtual Reality Content

Jaunt, the virtual reality company pioneering end-to-end solutions for creating truly immersive cinematic VR, today announced the launch of Jaunt Studios, a new arm of the company that will be focused solely on developing, producing and collaborating on live-action virtual reality experiences. Through Jaunt Studios, Jaunt will work with today's leading creative talent to produce VR content. In addition to expanding collaborative projects with top creatives and brands across, music, adventure, travel, sports and other verticals, Jaunt Studios will also ramp up production of original, narrative VR content.

To lead Jaunt Studios, the company today announced it has hired Cliff Plumer, former CEO of Digital Domain and CTO of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. In addition to Plumer, the company has recruited Lucasfilm alumni and entertainment industry veterans David Anderman and Miles Perkins. Former COO and General Counsel of Lucasfilm, Anderman has joined Jaunt as Chief Business Officer to lead the growth of Jaunt's business and help the new content studio meet the significant demand for custom VR experiences. Anderman was named Variety's Dealmaker of the Year in 2012 for his work on Lucasfilm's acquisition by Disney (News - Alert). Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic veteran and Head of Corporate Communications, Miles Perkins, has joined Jaunt as Vice President of Marketing Communications.

"Entertainment and the way we consume content of all kinds, from film to music to sports, is evolving quickly, especially with the proliferation of smartphones. Virtual reality is already playing a huge role in the future of media and this is just the beginning," said Jens Christensen, CEO of Jaunt. "Jaunt Studios will allow us to put more specific resources and expertise behind creative content, while at the same time the Jaunt team in Silicon Valley can continue to build best-of-class technology."

With the launch of Jaunt Studios, Jaunt is tapping directly into the creative community to connect the most creative storytellers of our time with the most advanced technology and talent in cinematic VR. The new creative studio will have a location in Los Angeles, where its team will work directly with storytellers, filmmakers, musicians and artists. Jaunt's team in Silicon Valley will continue to innovate and push the limits of VR technology for creating cinematic VR, both in hardware and software, and then bring these experiences to audiences worldwide.

To kick off the effort, yesterday Jaunt and Condé Nast Entertainment (CNÉ) announced a VR production deal at CNÉ's Digital Content NewFront event. Jaunt Studios and CNÉ will produce two virtual reality series that explore Condé Nast's strong portfolio of travel, lifestyle, fashion, sports, and technology content. They will release further details in the coming months. Jaunt Studios is currently in negotiations with other top content partners and will announce additional partnerships and projects, which build on the company's existing library of content, in the coming weeks and months.

"The entertainment industry is undergoing a fundamental shift in the way content is created, consumed and delivered. The next wave of innovation is upon us and it's called VR," said Plumer. "There will be a huge demand for high-quality virtual reality experiences, and Jaunt Studios will be there to meet this demand. I'm excited to be a part of this new field and the team at Jaunt."

Serving as President of Jaunt Studios, Cliff Plumer was formerly CEO of Digital Domain, an industry leader in content creation. Prior to Digital Domain, Plumer held positions as CTO of Lucasfilm, the production company behind the iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies, and CTO of Industrial Light & Magic, the multiple Academy Award-winning and legendary visual effects company behind such iconic films as Jurassic Park the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, The Avengers, etc. Plumer was also an early investor and advisor to Oculus, as well as Board advisor to Tell Tale Games.

Since coming out of stealth just a year ago, Jaunt has already collaborated with some of the world's leading creatives and brands to create an array of fully immersive, 360-degree VR experiences that put viewers right in the middle of the scenes, including Sir Paul McCartney, Jack White, REVOLT, The North Face, Condé Nast, ELLE Magazine, Rebecca Minkoff, 7 For All Mankind, Warner Brothers, Oscar-winning Director Ian Hunter, Emmy-nominated Visual Effects Supervisor Matthew Gratzner, and many more.

Jaunt's collaboration with Oscar-nominated director Paul Feig to create a VR extra for his new Yahoo! series, Other Space, is available beginning today on Google (News - Alert) Play for Google Cardboard and Android phones.

"VR is the future and after working with Jaunt, I can see they are leading the way," said Paul Feig.

About Jaunt

Jaunt is pioneering the future of creative storytelling through cinematic virtual reality. Founded in 2013, Jaunt is the leading developer of the hardware, software, tools, and applications to enable cinematic VR and put the power of virtual reality in the hands of today's best content creators. In addition, Jaunt works with leading creatives - from brands to artists to filmmakers - to create cutting-edge content through its studio arm, Jaunt Studios. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California, the company also maintains a presence in Los Angeles and produces branded and original VR content for audiences worldwide. Jaunt's investors include Highland Capital Partners, Google Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Peter Gotcher, Blake Krikorian, and British Sky Broadcasting (corporate.sky.com). Experience more at www.jauntvr.com.

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