S2 Ep2: Gayatri Parameswaran | NowHere Media

Today, I am joined by Gayatri Parameswaran. She is a journalist
and co-founder of Nowhere Media, an immersive storytelling studio
that explores how you can achieve meaningful  narratives
through immersive experiences. Her projects have not only been
featured at festivals such as SXSW, Sundance and Venice film
festival. Her latest VR experience Kusunda has actually won the
Tribeca Storyscapes Grand Jury prize just a few weeks ago.


Gayatri gives a raw account of the true hustle that is being a
foundHER. Juggling one two three projects simultaneously, having
to pitch ideas to potential investors and managing teams - all
while keeping her creative juices flowing. She is a true warrior
and I applaud her resilience.


When I met Gayatri, we co-organized a VR pop up studio in Berlin,
we also co-participated at a panel at the Perugia journalism
festival and she gave the keynote at one of the VR conferences i
co-organized with Frederic Dubois. 


I've been able to explore her work over the years and I am
honored that she is here with me today. 


Some key takeaways:


Keeping a language alive means keeping a culture alive.
Kusunda is a VR experience that lets you explore the world of the
Kusunda language.

"I am very inspired by reality ... We let ourselves be guided
by reality and people in real life ... There is something special
to immersive technologies and what it can do for storytelling."

Currently, Nowhere Media is doing research about how stories
about intangible cultural heritage affects people when they are
told in different media/formats.

"There is something magical over there that's happening
inside the VR headset."

Kusunda started with a core team. Then they received seed
funding for the prototype. Step by step, additional funding came
in to start imagining what an extended version of the story could
look like.

The project had some real life impact, including a language
revitalization program.



Gayatri's book recommendations:


Woman at the edge of time

Any book by Ursula Le Guin



More links:


Nowhere Media was featured on Voices of VR

Another moving VR experience by Nowhere Media: Home After War



Welcome to the international edition of my podcast RAT.HUB. I am
your host Linda Rath and I interview entrepreneurs who I admire
and look up to. I want to know more about their business AND ....
What drives them? What inspires them? I believe you need so much
more than just talent and skills to be successful in business.
So, let's find out what secrets our entrepreneurs will reveal to
us. 


If you have any questions or want to share some thoughts, feel
free to contact me via Twitter @Lynda420. I am your host Linda
Rath and I am looking forward to connecting with you in my next
episode.


This episode is brought to you by Media Tech Hub Potsdam. It is
one of 12 digital hubs in Germany, initiated by the Federal
Ministry of Economics and Energy – and the only one with a focus
on MediaTech. it encompasses a working space, an accelerator and
an annual conference and i highly recommend you check it out if
you want to start a business and look for networking
opportunities. I am an entrepreneur myself and our startup
Vragments used to be located at the media tech lab in Potsdam.



Credits:





Produced by Linda Rath

Photo Gayatri Parameswaran by Gayatri Parameswaran

Photo Linda Rath by Stefan Walter for Causalux Fotos 

Podcast Cover by Nicole Koppe

Episode Cover Art by Stephan Gensch

Music/Jingles by Mara Niese