Immersion Nation Podcast

This Immersive Globe | Steve Boyle of Epic Immersive

This week in the interview we talk with the one, the only, Steve Boyle; CEO of Epic Immersive. From immersive hackathons in Paris to swing dancing in Japanese internment camps, we cover a whole lot of ground! We start by discussing steve’s background which starts with performance education in Thailand, India, and Indonesia while attending NYU, and ends in the unexpected origins of Epic Immersive. We trace the line between producing 100 actor shows, creating immersive work in China, and sta...

This Immersive Globe | Steve Boyle of Epic Immersive

This week in the interview we talk with the one, the only, Steve Boyle; CEO of Epic Immersive. From immersive hackathons in Paris to swing dancing in Japanese internment camps, we cover a whole lot of ground! We start by discussing steve’s background which starts with performance education in Thailand, India, and Indonesia while attending NYU, and ends in the unexpected origins of Epic Immersive. We trace the line between producing 100 actor shows, creating immersive work in China, and sta...

RECON & the Room Escape Artists | David and Lisa Spira

This week in the interview, we talk with David and Lisa Sipra; the co-founders of Room Escape Artist, the most prolific publication covering escape rooms and the escape room industry. We start by talking about Lisa and David’s first escape rooms and how Room Escape Artist (or REA for short) came to be. Next, we move on to discuss how escape rooms are contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. And finally, we go in-depth on the creation of the first annual RECON, or Reality Escape Convention, w...

Crafting Immersive Performance | Amber Lawson and Erik Abbot-Main

This week in the interview, we talk with two seasoned immersive performers, Amber Lawson, and Erik Abbot-Main. One who’s principle experience comes from immersive dance in New York City, and the other from interactive acting in Los Angeles. Their professional backgrounds couldn’t be more different, which makes the similarities in their tactics and strategies as immersive performers even more striking. We discuss how they invite their audiences into the world of an experience. Contrast the ...

Into the Void | Jorge DeMoya and Julian Rodriguez

This week in the interview we get some fresh perspective from outside the immersive community, talking  with Jorge Demoya and Julian Rodriguez about the virtual reality experience, The VOID. We explore the delta between the reactions of a gamer and a non-gamer to this industry staple and go in-depth on ‘Ralph Breaks VR’. Finally, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the mixed VR and real-world experience that has made The VOID a leader in the immersive space.  You can find the compl...

Innovating out of Limitation | Kendra Slack and Jordan Chlapecka

This week in the interview, we talk with Kendra Slack and Jordan Chlapecka of Linked Dance Theatre, a group based in New York City that creates immersive experiences that utilize a multitude of mediums in their work, but of course, emphasize dance. We talk about: Their paths and how Linked Dance Theatre somewhat organically broke down that fourth wall. Their most recent in-person immersive experience, ‘Remembrance’. The adventure and challenge of creating ‘Remembrance’ on Governors Island,...

Finding Hidden Magic | Tommy Honton

This week in the interview we talk with experience designer Tommy Honton about finding hidden magic in the world and Tommy's origin story. The creation of Stash House, LA. Why the Los Angeles legislature is confused about immersive entertainment. The art of the 2nd or 3rd impression and how Tommy used his unique way of connecting with people to find his way onto the path of the professional immersive experience designer. And so much more. Note: This is the first episode of season 2 and as s...

Season 2 - Trailer 2

Season 2 - Trailer 1

2019 Immersion Awards Announcements

The results are in! For all of you who voted. Thank you so much for taking the time helping to help support both your favorite immersive experiences, creators, and the immersive community! On January 28th, we reached out to a myriad of wonderful immersive creators... Now, 18 days and couple thousand votes later, we’re back to invoke the names of 2019’s most remarkable immersive experiences. These experiences, both the recipients and the and nominees of the Immersion Awards, helped move bot...

Roundtable discussion: Immersive Entertainment and Real World Impact • Part 3

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of this roundtable discussion on immersive entertainment and it impacts on the real world. Joining us we have Caroline Murphy, Chief Creative Officer of Incantrix Productions. Jessica Creane, founder of IKANTKOAN Games. Justin Fyles, Co-founder and Managing Director of Any One Thing. And Risa Puno, creator of The Privilege of Escape and Creative Time’s first open call artist. In this episode, we push out to the edges of reality and ask the question… What h...

Roundtable discussion: Immersive Entertainment and Real World Impact • Part 2

This is part two of the three-part roundtable discussion on the real-world impact of immersive entertainment. This, in many ways, is the perfect set of episodes to be airing now, because this is the time of year where many so many people, subcultures, and industries zoom out to look at the broader picture. Where have we come from? Where is this all going? And what in the world does this all mean anyway? Well, I can think of very few people who are more qualified to help lend some clarity to ...

Roundtable discussion: Immersive Entertainment and Real World Impact • Part 1

This week we have not one but 4 truly phenomenal guests. This is the first part of a round table discussion on immersive entertainment and its relationship to real experiences and the real world. Caroline Murphy of 'Incantrix Productions', Jessica Creane of 'IKANTKOAN Games', Justin Fyles of 'Any One Thing', and Risa Puno of 'The Privilege of Escape' guide us in exactly the kind of thought-provoking, assumption challenging and nuanced conversation that we here at Immersion Nation think is vi...

Roundtable Discussion: Immersive Entertainment and Real World Impact • Part 1

This week we have not one but 4 truly phenomenal guests. This is the first part of a round table discussion on immersive entertainment and its relationship to real experiences and the real world. Caroline Murphy of 'Incantrix Productions', Jessica Creane of 'IKANTKOAN Games', Justin Fyles of 'Any One Thing', and Risa Puno of 'The Privilege of Escape' guide us in exactly the kind of thought-provoking, assumption challenging and nuanced conversation that we here at Immersion Nation think is vi...

Immersive in 2019 & 2020 • The Value of Play pt. 2 • The 2019 Immersion Awards

In this episode, we talk about the 2019 immersion awards and take a look at the big picture of immersive entertainment in 2019. We revisit the concept of play with a few listeners of the podcast joining us to share their thoughts on the importance of play. Next, we discuss the potential future of immersive entertainment in 2020 and beyond. Finally, we end the show with the nominations for the 2019 immersion awards. Selected Links: 2019 Immersion Awards Nominations Reach out to Immersion Na...

#36 Connection is the Secret Sauce with Ross Tipograph

By now, we all know, It’s all about connection.  So why am I coming back to this topic here?  Because connection can be manifested in so many different ways. It struck me when going through the first section of this interview. It seems like the way Ross cultivates connection is by seeing a spark in someone else, and lending himself to that spark in order to meet that person where they are, to speak to that person in their language. Depending on what part of the immersive world you occupy, t...

#35 Inside the Mind of an Experience Designer with Ross Tipograph

We all have our superpowers. The set of unique experiences we have that make us uniquely suited for specific things. Often, our superpowers come from the combination of many different skills.  Now, in our world, the world of immersive entertainment;  theater and marketing may seem like an obvious combination. But Ross is a perfect example of the way in which these skill sets can come together to become greater than the sum of their parts. Theater and Marketing, at their core, have one essen...

#35 Inside the Mind of an Experience Designer with Ross Tipograph

We all have our superpowers. The set of unique experiences we have that make us uniquely suited for specific things. Often, our superpowers come from the combination of many different skills.  Now, in our world, the world of immersive entertainment;  theater and marketing may seem like an obvious combination. But Ross is a perfect example of the way in which these skill sets can come together to become greater than the sum of their parts. Theater and Marketing, at their core, have one essen...

#34 When fiction looks at you with Jeromy Barber of Dinolion

To recap, last week we left off. Jeromy had gotten a call from a local bar/beer garden asking him to produce a Halloween season show for their upstairs space. They had a month to make this show, the rabbit cage, come together.  We talk about this adventure in creation and how one could layer experiences together, in the make it immersive segment. Jeromy tells us about an experience he had with Sleep No More, and another where he was momentarily, and thrillingly convinced he was about to be ...

#34 When fiction looks at you with Jeromy Barber

To recap, last week we left off. Jeromy had gotten a call from a local bar/beer garden asking him to produce a Halloween season show for their upstairs space. They had a month to make this show, the rabbit cage, come together.  We talk about this adventure in creation and how one could layer experiences together, in the make it immersive segment. Jeromy tells us about an experience he had with Sleep No More, and another where he was momentarily, and thrillingly convinced he was about to be ...

#33 Designing for Champaign Problems with Jeromy Barber of Dino Lion

In 2005, Jeromy Barber moved from New York City to a small town in Texas. If Jeromy's life was a screenplay, and I was editing? I would probably advise the writer to make it just a touch less formulaic. It is fantastic. Jeromy has trained with the comedy monolith, Second City. Founded the improv focused Beta Theater in Houston and, of course, owns and operates Dino Lion, a quote “Creative video house” which rocks the tagline “Projects we love with people we love.” and does everything from v...

#33 Designing for Champaign Problems with Jeromy Barber of Dinolion

In 2005, Jeromy Barber moved from New York City to a small town in Texas. If Jeromy's life was a screenplay, and I was editing? I would probably advise the writer to make it just a touch less formulaic. It is fantastic. Jeromy has trained with the comedy monolith, Second City. Founded the improv focused Beta Theater in Houston and, of course, owns and operates Dinolion, a quote “Creative video house” which rocks the tagline “Projects we love with people we love.” and does everything from vi...

#32 Always a challenge but absolutely possible with Immersive Producer Niyia Mack

This episode is brimming, overflowing even with tips and techniques for those who like to look behind the curtain. If you didn’t catch last week’s episode, it gives some background on our guest Niyia Mack’s experience producing and consulting on immersive experience design.  This week, Niyia answers questions about creating immersive experiences when you’re not based in LA, New York, or Chicago, what she’s excited about in the changing world of immersive, and how it’s possible to make more ...

#31 It's ALL Co-creation with Immersive Producer, Niyia Mack

How does it all come together? How does one take a multitude of moving parts; actors, and scripts, and settings, varying degrees of audience agency and assemble them into emotionally evocative experiences?  If you are the creator, the producer, the director, the writer venturing into unknown territories; the prospect of working in a medium where you are intentionally giving the audience an opportunity to exert their own philistine agency on your creation… Might sound like an undisguised nig...

#31 It's ALL co-creation with Immersive Producer, Niyia Mack

How does it all come together? How does one take a multitude of moving parts; actors, and scripts, and settings, varying degrees of audience agency and assemble them into emotionally evocative experiences?  If you are the creator, the producer, the director, the writer venturing into unknown territories; the prospect of working in a medium where you are intentionally giving the audience an opportunity to exert their own philistine agency on your creation… Might sound like an undisguised nig...

#29 Relearning agency and rehearsal for existence with Noah Nelson of No Proscenium

“The art of immersive isn’t about the art of engagement, it isn’t about holding people’s attention... It’s about attachment. It’s about forging a connection.” -Noah You can consume or you can create. Usually, it’s one or the other. Whether you’re considering a movie, music, or a book.. You can choose what you consume, for the most part, but you can’t alter the thing while in the midst of a storyline. Which, I believe, is part of what makes immersive so confounding. In the space of immersive...

#29 Relearning agency and rehearsal for existence with Noah Nelson of No Proscenium

“The art of immersive isn’t about the art of engagement, it isn’t about holding people’s attention... It’s about attachment. It’s about forging a connection.” -Noah You can consume or you can create. Usually, it’s one or the other. Whether you’re considering a movie, music, or a book.. You can choose what you consume, for the most part, but you can’t alter the thing while in the midst of a storyline. Which, I believe, is part of what makes immersive so confounding. In the space of immersive...

#28 Most People Think The Medium Matters with Noah Nelson of No Proscenium

What is immersive entertainment? Oh my word, does anybody know?? When someone asks you what you did Saturday night, what is the 2 second explanation? I went to see this movie, I went to dinner at x place, I went to this concert. These work because everyone knows what the movie, dinner, the concert experience is. The experience is the medium, the method of communication. You don’t have to work to come up with that mental image.  This reeeeally doesn’t work with immersive entertainment, which...

#28 Most people think the medium matters [preview] with Noah Nelson of No Proscenium

The man, the myth, the legend, Noah Nelson of No Proscenium joins the Immersion Nation Podcast today talk about what he knows best, Everything Immersive. Full episode coming Monday, 11/24

#27 Enabling empathy and cultivating connection with Siobhan O’Loughlin of Broken Bone Bathtub

Now this is where things change. One small group of people, one small room, one unexpectedly vulnerable interaction at a time. And it’s not easy. It’s hard to just be present, let alone open up to strangers. And this is where Siobhan comes in. Someone who can take something serious, and turn it into laughter. Someone who can take something that is so hard to explain, a performance in a bathroom? And not leave you feeling like it makes sense, but like it’s the only thing that makes sense. S...

#26 Social design and Invisible Privilege | Risa Puno of The Privilege of Escape

We often think of people as so individual, so removed from their context. As individuals.  But try as we might, we are.. the constantly shifting point that sits at the intersection of our internal identity and our external environment.   And if you think about the curve of human history, this fact has been the point *pause* of thousands of years of frustration. It’s a little bit of an adversarial  relationship. Most of what we categorize as necessities, clothing, shelter, access to clean wa...

#25 Soundbaths, soundscapes, and flourishing experiments with Andrew Hoepfner of House World

The word ‘soundscape’ seems to get lobbed around haphazardly, kind of like a half deflated football picked up out of a sense of obligation around the Thanksgiving season. However, the idea of a ‘soundscape’ seems to have a bit more vigor when applied more literally to an immersive experience. Especially when the lens -or maybe more appropriately, the voicing- of an immersive experience, the original impetus, comes from a musician. Someone who’s first artistic language is not visual. Andrew...

#24 Possession, Regret, and The Cutting Room Floor with Patrick Mueller of Control Group Productions

This is a season of the surreal. On some certain,  inexplicable terms we find ourselves drawn to the ethereal, the supernatural, the unknown, and the misunderstood. At the intersection of all these things lies The Cutting Room Floor. The Cutting Room Floor is not a traditional haunt, no. This show lends a seasonally appropriate levity and exaggeration to the topics of regret and possession. There are ghosts, there are aliens, there is the Aurora Fox theater, but most importantly, there is...

#24 Possession, Regret, and The Cutting Room Floor with Patrick Mueller of Control Group Productions

This is a season of the surreal. On some certain,  inexplicable terms we find ourselves drawn to the ethereal, the supernatural, the unknown, and the misunderstood. At the intersection of all these things lies The Cutting Room Floor. The Cutting Room Floor is not a traditional haunt, no. This show lends a seasonally appropriate levity and exaggeration to the topics of regret and possession. There are ghosts, there are aliens, there is the Aurora Fox theater, but most importantly, there is...

#23 The Heightened Mystery of Poe’s Passing With Aaron Salazar of Poseidon Theatre company

On the date of this recording, 170 years ago, Edgar Allan Poe died. It is disputed exactly how Poe died, and why. But there is a theory... Now, if you were to find yourself in manhattan 50 years ago, you might also find a group of young adults, gathered in a basement with Poe’s words eager on their lips, and a singular determination to uncover the story behind the poets death. Would you join them?  Today, Aaron Salazar of the Poseidon Theatre Company has made it possible for one to ask the...

#22 Privilege, Play, and Starting conversations with Risa Puno of The Privilege of Escape

A door has opened with the rise of immersive experience. Immersive experience can be fun, and wondrous, mind bending, but it can also aid incredible empathy in a way that very few other things can.  The privilege of escape is an escape room and an experience that uses this fact to address the real world problems of privilege and social inequity. Risa Puno, is a new york based artist that, in collaboration with creative time, has pioneered a new front, a new world of potential, for what imme...

#21 The value of play pt. 1

Why is play important? What is the value of play?  Well, today’s episode of the immersion Nation Podcast is a little bit different. This is the first in a series of mini episodes that we’re going to be releasing periodically in place of our normal interviews.  We’ve been asking guests of the Immersion Nation podcast why play matters. There are certain concepts that are intrinsic, not just to the immersive wave, but to how we understand and interface with the world as a whole. But often th...

# 20 The playful experience of chaos with Jessica Creane of IKantKoan

On May 18th, 2019, Ikantkoan Games founder Jessica Creane took the TED stage, under unusual circumstances, to give a talk about chaos theory. She explained that as a game designer, she takes complex systems and turns them into “playful interactive experiences”  Today, Jessica joins the show to talk about leaning into chaos in daily life, learning how to harness it, and of course how one turns a haiku into a full contact sport.  Selected Links: -TED talk- Gamifying Chaos: Embracing Uncertai...

#19 Invisible but not hidden: Wellness and the transformation economy with Melinda Lauw of Whisperlodge

On a humid August night in williamsburg brooklyn, Melinda Lauw, cofounder of the genre creating asmr experience, Whisperlodge, took the stage at new york immersive night. Melinda explained that she thought of immersive experience as a kind of wellness practice. At that moment I was sitting in the back of the room, utterly fascinated. Today melinda discusses this concept, the transformation economy, and the kind of things that are so pervasively common, they fade into the background and bec...

#18 Hallowed Haunt: Inside a nationally acclaimed haunted experience: Dwayne Sanburn of The 13th Gate

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sitting just off the bank of the mississippi river is The 13th Gate. A repeatedly nationally acclaimed haunted house and escape room. The founder and owner -an understated multi-medium master- Dwayne Sanburn joins the podcast to discuss the experience that has repeatedly set the bar for each of his respective categories. Opening on September 27th this year, The 13 Gate is a haunted immersive experience spanning 40,000 square feet. 13 highly detailed themed areas a...

#17 Mimes, Accidental Immersion, and the Power of Story: Billy Angel of Story Works

Stories are trust. They create understanding and shared meaning. Stories are the fabric of culture so it is befitting that Billy Angel has carved his path through the world with his stories.  From the Netherlands, to the UK, to the co-founding of Story Works in the United States.  In this conversation Billy tells the stories of...  How he came to create an immersive tour across 60 schools by necessity and accident.  How teaching mime opened the door for an exploration of the intersection ...

#16 Fluid identity, empathy, and the struggle to understand: CoAct Productions

Identity is a complex topic under the best of circumstances. We are often defined by the invisible scripts we learned so long ago we forget we’re even reciting lines. The Severance Theory casts you in the role of someone contending with DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder.  DID is tricky to portray through narrative. Especially so in the context of immersive theater. The creative minds behind the show, Lyndsie Scoggin & Danielle Levesque of C...

#15 What does it mean to be human?: Ben Cox of Trailblazer Productions

Imagine if human touch were a felony. What would that world look like? Ben Cox of Trailblazer Productions is exploring this question in his productions of TOUCH & TOUCH: INCARNATION. Ben joins the Immersion Nation Podcast for an adventure through dystopian futures, cultural change, and the presently evolving idea of human connection.  Ben has used this dystopian backdrop to raise the question, ‘what does it mean to be human?’. In TOUCH, you are placed into the midst of a rebellious group, f...

#14 Carnivals, crowns, and learning the power to change: Caroline Murphy of Incantrix productions

 Any who have truly lost themselves in an immersive experience have glimpsed the potential of immersion as a whole. Caroline Murphy -co-founder of Incantrix production- discusses this potential, and the cause behind the air of wonder and openness that often follows audiences out the doors, after an immersive production.  Caroline seems to have a particular propensity for looking at immersive design as both an engineering problem and a piece of social art at the same time. This ability has m...

Mini-Episode #13.5 New and upcoming with Windy City Playhouse

Windy City Playhouse has so much coming up, we pulled this clip out of the conversation in Episode 13 to try out a new format.  If you have not heard Ep. 13, you can check that out here: And, of course, you can DM Immersion Nation on Instagram if you have any thoughts, questions, comments, or just want to say hi. 

#13 Emotional realism, being first, and the infinite learning curve: Amy Rubenstein of Windy City Playhouse

Amy Rubenstein is in many ways the metaphorical tip of the spear within the burgeoning world of immersive theater in Chicago. As the artistic director of Windy City Playhouse, Amy explains the path to  creating a bracingly lifelike visage of 1960’s Georgia in their recent show, Southern Gothic.  If immersive theater can be thought of as practical magic, the show Southern Gothic, can be thought of -explicitly- as a time machine. Of an initial expected run of about 3 months, Southern Gothic w...

#12 Data Privacy and Immersive for social good: Justin Fyles of Any One Thing

     Any One Thing, can be thought of as similar to the futuristic Netflix series, ‘Black Mirror’ (excluding episode 1, for any who stopped there). Subtracting a heavy portion of darkness, ‘Any One Thing’ (or A1T) explores the edge of what could be possible with technology, today, or in the very near future.        A1T, Co-founder, Justin Fyles joins Immersion Nation to discuss everything from data privacy to the relationship between mortality and digital legacy; The topic of their upcoming...

# 11 Game VS. Story, A love tale: Haley and Cameron Cooper of Strange Bird Immersive.

It’s rare that you find an actor in an escape room. It’s even more rare to discover that the actor doesn’t detract from you an experience, but helps create it. Cameron and Haley, are masters of this very thing. Madame Daphne guides you through a seance in attempt to contact the ghost of Harry Houdini. While many escape rooms worship at the altar of the clock, Strange Bird laughs in the face of convention; stopping the clock entirely to ensure that the story has your complete and undivided ...

# 11 Game VS. Story, A love tale: Haley and Cameron Cooper of Strange Bird Immersive.

It’s rare that you find an actor in an escape room. It’s even more rare to discover that the actor doesn’t detract from you an experience, but helps create it. Cameron and Haley, are masters of this very thing. Madame Daphne guides you through a seance in attempt to contact the ghost of Harry Houdini. While many escape rooms worship at the altar of the clock, Strange Bird laughs in the face of convention; stopping the clock entirely to ensure that the story has your complete and undivided ...

#10 VR, AI, and the edge of immersive media: Pete Billington of Fable Studio

“I’m absolutely convinced that the best way to learn is through play” Fable Studios has created a piece of Immersive storytelling that is pushing the boundaries of both technology and immersion as a creative medium; Wolves In the walls. A Virtual Reality story based on the book, Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaimen and Dave McKean. In this experience you are cast as the imaginary best friend of Lucy, a little girl who has become convinced that there are indeed wolves in her walls.  It is har...