Tech To The Future with Francis Hellyer

Andrew Hawken is CEO and co-founder of Mesmerise. Andrew spent 10 years as a current affairs journalist for the BBC; he was drawn to the world of technology at the dawn of the internet revolution and decided to make the leap to join Microsoft in 1996. He was a pioneer of the early techniques of online journalism and helped build MSN as a portal in the UK. Later, he worked for Sky before co-founding Mesmerise in 2016. Mesmerise is a business-to-business Virtual Reality (VR) platform that provides unique and tailored VR products to solve business problems by building rich and immersive computer-generated worlds. The company creates and produces virtual ‘gatherings’, which can refer to conferences, multi-day events or company meetings in the metaverse.

In this in-depth conversation, Andrew delves into the fundamental aspects of Mesmerise and how they differ from their competition, with a key focus on all members feeling a “co-presence”; discusses their first-ever VR Morningstar Investment Conference, which welcomed hundreds of attendees worldwide to watch live talks and try out immersive role-plays designed to appeal to investors and financial advisors; and shares his advice for businesses wanting to establish their brands in the new virtual world.

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Miriam Feiler is the founder of MAX Volume, a content company that produces both virtual and physical creative works to offer a global community for small business owners and entrepreneurs building their future in the Metaverse. Miriam is the host of ‘The Metaverse with Miz,’ podcast which is inspired by her own experiences from her NFT project, ‘New Day Tomorrow.’ She is also the founder of ‘Women in the Metaverse,’ a community project to map the Web 3.0 and the Metaverse ecosystem to celebrate women creators, founders, investors, and evangelists.

In this in-depth conversation, Miriam takes us back to the inspiration behind founding MAX Volume, with an aim to bring others on what she describes as “the journey of the metaverse;” she talks us through her podcast, providing short and snappy lessons on all aspects of the metaverse, highlighting the importance of education within the industry; and shares what it’s like being a woman in the space, and how she hopes it will become more gender-balanced in the future.

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In this episode, Francis is joined by Mark Kovic, British singer-songwriter, producer, and founder of Kovic Productions. Mark's debut album 'Running Underwater' reached over 40 million online streams and his single 'Drown' was featured in EA games’ FIFA franchise, joining the top 50 viral Spotify charts. After receiving a shoutout from Dolly Parton, he now works alongside her at CTK Enterprises and is also the founder of his own music agency, Kovic Productions. In this in-depth conversation, Mark shares his experience working alongside Dolly Parton, being part of the ‘Dollyverse,’ discussing how performing in metaverse allows fans to have a more intimate experience with the artist. He then delves into NFTs, explaining how he creates one NFT for every song he releases which then act as a golden ticket for life, where the holder will always have free access to his shows and exclusive new projects and content.

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In this episode, Francis is joined by Anthony Batt, co-founder of Wevr and former founder and chief executive of BUZZmedia. In 2004 Anthony founded BUZZmedia, which created and purchased forty-five acclaimed internet media brands such as Buzznet SPIN, Just Jared, and Celebuzz. Anthony then co-founded Wevr, a leading interactive software company that produces top-of-the-range virtual worlds, pushing the technological and artificial boundaries. Their first original production, ‘TheBlu,’ is an award-winning immersive experience recognized as one of the most iconic VR titles to date. In this in-depth conversation, Anthony recalls founding Buzzmedia and Buzznet, reflecting on how they started what is now known as an “internet influencer,” launching early social media stars like Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and Jeffree Star. He delves into the transition to co-founding Wevr, sharing the inspiration behind their ocean experience ‘TheBlu;’ and creating the well-known Harry Potter experiences ‘Wizards take Flight’ and ‘Chaos at Hogwarts.'

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In this episode, Francis is joined by Thomas Winsor, founder and chief executive of The Round, the world’s first platform for live entertainment in augmented reality. The Round app facilitates premium, live, and holographic performances, which allow artists, creatives, and performers to virtually enter locations worldwide for a shared and intimate experience with their audiences. In this in-depth conversation, Thomas reflects on what inspired him to enter the world of live entertainment in the metaverse, with accessibility playing a vital role, and the pandemic securing the need for business. He delves into The Round and their recent project with EE and Liam Payne for his performance at the BAFTAs, and shares his predictions for augmented reality in the future, with an expansion of holographic entertainment.

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