Hogarth, WPP’s specialist global creative content production company, has launched The Metaverse Foundry, a global team of over 700 creatives, producers, visual artists, developers and technologists who seek to deliver–from design to execution–brand experiences for clients in the metaverse.
The Metaverse Foundry is a resource available to all of WPP’s clients and agencies globally, bringing the very best expertise in metaverse production and virtual art together to help realize strategies and ideas from across the WPP network. WPP agencies are already delivering multiple metaverse projects for clients including Wendy’s, Under Armour, Duracell, Pfizer, Pizza Hut and Bombay Sapphire.
The Foundry will also collaborate with specialist WPP agencies such as Subvrsive (virtual events and immersive experiences) and Ars Thanea (design/animation and live action/visual effects studio) to supplement with specific additional skills.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of innovative technologies as people have learned to connect with each other in new ways. The metaverse–encompassing and connecting virtual worlds, augmented reality, NFTs and the blockchain–presents limitless opportunities for brands to build new creative experiences and engage with diverse, highly loyal audiences. Its market size in 2021 was estimated to be more than $1 trillion, growing at mid double-digits for the foreseeable future. To be successful in these areas, clients need strong expertise in experience design, brand strategy and audience insights, as well as virtual art and gaming engine execution.
Richard Glasson, global CEO of Hogarth, said, “This is a very exciting time to be in the production and content creation business. We are living through extraordinary change, and our clients have whole new worlds to navigate and radically new ways to engage with their customers. At Hogarth we are perfectly positioned to launch our clients into these new channels and create incredible experiences for consumers globally.”
Mehta Mehta, global executive creative director of Hogarth, said, “The Metaverse Foundry is a limitless place where creative, production and innovation come together to bring to life your greatest ideas. A place for future-focused brands that want to build communities, and technologies that are designed to elevate e-commerce and customer experiences. In a nutshell, The Metaverse Foundry is built to take ideas to the next level at scale. The only limitation is going to be your imagination. You think it, we’ll make it happen.”
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More