Creative studio VR Playhouse in L.A. has merged with postproduction studio Identity FX, shifting co-founder Ian Forester from CCO to CEO and bringing on Leo Vezzali (of Identity FX) as executive producer. The union will pivot VR Playhouse in a more technology-centric direction, focusing on original technical IP and high-end interactive services, utilizing a global team of artists and technologists. Former CEO and co-founder Christina Heller, who will be devoting time to a new venture, will remain as chief development officer and continue to lead the educational and community initiatives at VR Playhouse, including the recently-launched VR Playhouse School.
The alliance comes on the heels of VR Playhouse’s migration into substantial CGI and interactive VR projects, including its recent character work on Skydance Interactive’s AAA videogame Archangel and recent Special Jury Recognition for Room-Scale VR at SXSW. The partnership continues this forward momentum and further infuses VR Playhouse’s dedication to technology, combining Identity FX’s VFX workflow and team of global artists with VR Playhouse’s deep knowledge and expertise in the VR industry. The diverse aesthetics of Identity FX’s network of artists will allow VR Playhouse to tailor its creative approach to the appetite of the continually growing global VR marketplace.
Vezzali brings his diverse and multi-disciplinary background in visual effects, animation, stereoscopic 3D and postproduction to his role, allowing him to execute a multitude of projects in feature films, commercials, interactive digital campaigns and AR/VR experiences, from ideation and story conception through final delivery. Most recently, he has fine-tuned the 3D experience for The Amazing Spider-Man and Prometheus and was the in-house 3D VFX supervisor for Green Lantern, Conan The Barbarian, and Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More