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Nonprofits Get the Keys to the VR Kingdom

Thursday, April 6, 2017

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Session Description

Virtual Reality has been touted as the ultimate empathy engine, immersing viewers in experiences that can open their eyes and create personalized memories for important causes. To widen the reach of this unique immersive technology to deserving nonprofits, Oculus has created the “VR for Good” workshop that pairs budding filmmakers with veteran VR talent to craft powerful storytelling pieces for a variety of featured charities and causes. Participants in the inaugural launch of this program will discuss their process in collaborating with these nonprofits and how the program combats the pitfalls that worthy causes often face with innovative marketing approaches.


Speaker(s):
  • Partner Marketing, Social Good, Oculus
    Amy worked in the record business at Elektra, Virgin and Sub Pop before leaping into the emerging internet technology vortex of the late 1990s. She's been running tech-driven marketing campaigns for music and culture organizations ever since; she got to know the Oculus marketing team when she launched "Orchestra VR" (and a community outreach vehicle named "Van Beethoven") with the LA Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Amy also co-founded the Backwards Beekeepers, an urban beekeeping collective in LA, and started a Bee Hotline that connected rogue bees with new beekeepers. Now she leads VR for Good, a program dedicated to using Oculus technology to spark social change.
  • Creative Director, Vivid Story
    Shannon believes in spreading messages that empower. She is Creative Director of Vivid Story, a NYC-based studio harnessing the power of visual storytelling for causes. They are a Certified B Corporation championing positive social impact and sustainability. She produces compelling visual narratives for social enterprises to increase their impact and authentically connect with core audiences. As an experienced collaborator, she brings her skills spanning video production, virtual reality, photography, public art, and interactive design. A filmmaker in the inaugural VR for Good by Oculus program, she worked with the humanitarian agency CARE to direct the virtual reality project "Women on the Move," which premiered at SXSW in March 2017. She is a StartingBloc Fellow and graduate of Tufts University.
  • Director of Marketing, CARE
    Heidi Natkin serves as Director of Marketing at CARE USA. In this role she leads marketing strategy and event marketing for the organization. Prior to joining CARE, Heidi held various roles at Coca-Cola North America and Coca-Cola Refreshments leading multicultural marketing strategy with a focus on translating insights into successful strategies for in-store customer engagement and national, regional, and local events and promotions. She has led successful cause marketing programs in partnership with organizations including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Boys and Girls Clubs of American and also built multiple promotional campaigns around the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and the Mexican National Soccer Team to engage multicultural consumer segments around their passion points while promoting the Coca-Cola brand. Heidi has also worked in various marketing and operational roles at The Home Depot and in new product development at a local startup. Fluent in Spanish, she spent several years working as a project manager in Bolivia on USAID’s largest sustainable development program at the time. Heidi spends her free time training and competing in US Masters Swimming events and taking photos around Atlanta.
  • Social Impact @ Oculus, Oculus
    Lauren leads the VR for Good Program at Oculus, focused on driving efforts on social good content in virtual reality as well as developing external projects bringing together creatives, developers and nonprofits to deliver impactful experiences. She holds an MA in Development Economics from University of Queensland and her BA from Franklin and Marshall College
  • Founder, CEO, Matter Unlimited
    Rob founded Matter Unlimited to drive positive, lasting change in the world by leveraging the power of advertising, digital marketing and creative content. Under Rob’s leadership, Matter Unlimited has created powerful campaigns for client partners including Facebook, HP, Merck For Mothers, UNICEF, ABC/Disney, NBC Universal, Kimpton and TED. In 2015, Rob and his team launched a virtual reality (VR) film series featuring global stories of social change, titled “Inside Impact”. The first film, Emmy-nominated “Inside Impact: East Africa,” is a journey with President Clinton through the Clinton Global Initiative’s work in the region. Matter Unlimited continues to pioneer content for social impact in the emerging VR/AR space. Prior to founding Matter Unlimited, Rob was Founder and CEO of Syrup, which he created in 1998. Syrup was well known for their pioneering work as Agency of Record for Puma, handling their 2010 World Cup campaign, and also for GE’s groundbreaking “Ecomagination” campaign. In 2007, he successfully navigated Syrup through their acquisition by LBi (now Digitas/LBi, part of Publicis). Rob is a founding member of The Civic Nation Creative Alliance, a group that connected The White House initiatives to the country’s top creative talent under President Obama. Rob’s passion and vision for sustainable impact also extends beyond the office – he serves as an industry expert for the United Nations Media for Social Impact Summit, PopTech, and Social Innovation Summit. Rob is a certified Shared Value Initiative Affiliate, volunteer mentor for global entrepreneurial non-profit Endeavor.org, and is also on the board for the non-profit Lineage Project.

Time & Location

Time:
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM, Thursday, April 6, 2017
Location:
Courtyard Marquee