VRDREAMZ
In 2017 I was fortunate enough to become the CTO of a startup company called VRDREAMZ. Our mission is to bring VR to Jacksonville local hospitals to provide bed bound children with a brief escape from their confines. "At VR DreamZ, we are bringing light to an otherwise dark situation. The idea that some children will be spending a long duration of their childhoods in a hospital is never something you want to think about, but it's definitely reality. With Virtual Reality it allows a child to escape the confines of a hospital room." I helped with technology insight, software and hardware development, and investment pitches. Below is a brief video that sheds light on the project.
PRETTY NEAT VR
In 2013 I first heard about a new consumer VR headset called Oculus Rift. I lurked on reddit, youtube, and their kickstarter page before finally preordering an Oculus Rift DK2. While my main drive was to play racing and flying sims with the ability to look around and see the virtual world, my outlook on VR quickly changed once I dove in for the first time. Like my venture above, the medium of VR has much more to offer than just gaming. My first idea was to make VR youtube videos to provide reviews and let's plays of various games and experiences, which I still do today with the name "PrettyNeatVR". While doing this, I made friends in the VR space, some of which have become life-long friends. A select few of us VR video producers banded together to create a group called VRSpies. We decided to develop a website for writing VR reviews of headsets and games, and provide an online forum for people to connect and share information with. Shortly after this, we started doing a podcast about VR. We recorded over 50 episodes over the course of 2-3 years.
Since creating the Pretty Neat VR youtube channel, I have garnered millions of views and made numerous friends. Below are some of my videos.