Cinesite has appointed Adipat Virdi as executive director, XR (global). The U.K.-based Virdi joins Cinesite’s leadership team and will oversee the company’s XR initiatives worldwide.
With a proven track record in XR and immersive technologies, Virdi brings over two decades of experience. He has a background in experience design and immersive storytelling, skills which he has brought to projects for a wide range of major brands and organizations such as BBC, Sony, Netflix, Virgin Atlantic, HSBC, Cosworth, Harbour Immersive, NASA, Charlotte Tilbury, Balenciaga, Lamborghini, Nike, IoC, Real Madrid and PagoNXT, among others. Virdi specializes in developing immersive storytelling frameworks for both social and commercial impact. He joins Cinesite from Facebook (Meta), where he was the global creative product lead for immersive, spearheading the emerging platforms team’s exploration of VR/XR and immersive experiences.
Cinesite CEO Antony Hunt said of Virdi, “His expertise in XR will be invaluable as we continue to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling and expand our offerings in this rapidly growing market.”
Virdi will drive Cinesite’s XR strategy, foster collaboration across the company’s global studios, and explore new opportunities for XR applications in entertainment, fashion, the automobile industry, and beyond.
“At Cinesite, our decades of experience crafting stunning visual effects for Hollywood blockbusters have equipped us with a unique understanding of storytelling and immersion,” said Virdi. “Now, we’re excited to leverage this expertise to create XR experiences that truly transport audiences into the heart of the action. Our goal is to make them feel like they can choose to be main characters and dynamic participants rather than just passive observers.”
Cinesite’s appointment of Virdi reinforces the company’s commitment to innovation and its position as a leader in the immersive sector. The hiring of Virdi follows the company’s division launch in January 2024. Since then, it has announced a long-term partnership with Frameless, creators of the U.K.’s largest multi-sensory art experience. The studio’s immersive work has been recognized with several awards including: a THEA Award (The Bourne Stuntacular, 2020); VES Awards (The Bourne Stuntacular 2021 and The Rembrandt Seascape 2024); a BIMA award (The Rembrandt Seascape 2024, Frameless); and the LIT Entertainment Award ( Forsaken,2024)
