CELEBRATES WORLD BUILDERS AS PART OF FIRST-EVER COMIC-CON@HOME

The Cutting Edge Fun is Online July 23 -26

 SAN DIEGO (July 22, 2020)  –  FUTURETECHLIVE! returns for a fifth year as Comic-Con’s official entertainment-meets-tech pavilion, this time as a virtual “World Builders” activation in the first-ever Comic-Con@Home.

As a result of Covid-19, Comic-Con is all virtual this year, the first time in over 50 years in which the legendary pop culture mega-event is not being held on location in San Diego.  It runs online the same dates it was supposed to be live, July 23-26.

FutureTechLive!@Comic-Con@Home features immersive content by a global community of creators, powered by Unity. In this unique experience attendees can explore new worlds in mixed reality, unleash their imagination, and create some magic!

FutureTechLive! is the annual hub at Comic-Con for immersive experiences and technology, showcasing the latest in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Gaming, and other leading-edge experiences. This virtual version is no different, with the activation itself being a virtual world in which attendees walk around and interact as they wish.  They can even sign up in the lounge for a virtual SpongeBob pancake cooking party they can partake in at home.

“As we do each year, we wanted to give Comic-Con attendees an extraordinary immersive experience, and this year doing so online is no different,” said FutureTechLive! Co-Founder/Producer Mark Murphy. “This year we also wanted to pay tribute to some of the giants of world building, as they created the most magical of moments. And we do so inside of our virtual world.”

Attractions & Activities include:

• UNITY – Made with Unity takes on special meaning this year, as the entire Virtual World Builders activation and much of the contributor content has been made with Unity. FutureTechLive! and Comic-Con@Home’s collaboration with Unity is celebrated in the penthouse suite, as Unity plays host in honoring 32 iconic world-builders in the fields of storytelling: literature, film, television, comics and design, as part of an activation-wide Scavenger Hunt. This activation could only have been realized with Unity, the world’s premiere world-building engine.
• PARALLUX – An emerging game-changing studio and partner in the creation of FTL’s Virtual World Builders activation. Their XR experiences have been featured at Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance and other film festivals. Check out their work throughout this virtual event and especially in their XR Mary and the Monster They are magic-makers.
• WORLD BUILDERS LOUNGE – The interior of the virtual structure is a tribute to great world-builders who formed the basis of pop-culture – such as Syd Mead, Moebius, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and more.
• THE AMAZING WORLD OF DR. SEUSS MUSEUM – One of the most iconic of world builders is Dr. Seuss, and here one can virtually explore elements of the actual museum that was created to honor him. Come into the sculptures courtyard and feel bemused.
• LEGENDS OF LIGHTFALL – Explore the world of “The Legends of Lightfall,” a brand new comic series filled with cutting-edge technology and vivid visuals. Join Kort, Sofia, Treads, and their hover droid, ABDA, on a treacherous quest as they grapple with Lightstalkers, marauders, and poisonous air on the perilous path to the underground city of Steamhaven. Come in here for a virtual tour. TLOL is also featured in the new Legacy Center complex in San Diego.
• SCORPION GIRL – Get ready for a new dynamic, interactive franchise. A project of Fellows Media Entertainment, Scorpion Girl is coming to you in comics, games, and more.  Get a sneak peek here.
• DEPLOY VR / XR ART STUDIOS – Based in San Diego, Deploy both builds VR & AR systems and activates multiplayer, untethered arena VR experiences. Here, they created a stunning virtual garden of artwork that comes alive.
• ATLAS V – Come see the beautiful and haunting animated tale “Gloomy Eyes” and the stirring “Ayahuasca” by Atlas V, the award-winning production company behind stunning immersive creations in VR and AR.
• BAOBAB STUDIOS – A leading interactive animation studio whose mission is to immerse people in fantastical worlds and allow you to interact with the characters. See what they mean.
• 1RIC / JADU – an interactive studio based in L.A. pioneering narrative storytelling in AR, 1RIC has created JADU, which bring holograms of celebrities and personalities into your life. Come see some here.
• COLLEGIATE VR ESPORTS LEAGUE – VR has made its way to college campuses, with VR eSports clubs setting up and competing in VR games. Here, attendees can watch them compete in such games as Beat Saber and Echo Arena, and even change the music as they do
• BEYOND ESPORTS – Helmed by Jaymes Hines, Beyond Esports and sister company FanHacks are creating live and virtual demo events. Get a glimpse here.
• SCAVENGER HUNT – Engage in a gamified scavenger hunt searching for artifacts, tied to 32 famous world builders, sprinkled around the virtual world. Find them and you unlock the world builder displays. Hunt away!

BUILD!   FutureTechLive!@Comic-Con@Home offers the attendees an opportunity to make things virtually.  This includes:

• SPACECRAFT / SPACE TEAMS – SpaceCRAFT is a planetary generation and simulation platform, from a Space lab at Texas A&M University, led by former NASA astronaut Dr. Greg Chamitoff. SpaceCRAFT is the platform powering new educational initiative SPACE TEAMS. Come in and play with SpaceCRAFT to build virtual spacecraft, habitats, and planets.  Submit your build for an opportunity to win a NASA hoodie, bomber jacket, or other NASA gear courtesy of NASAstore.com (one prize to be awarded each of the five days of Comic-Con@Home, depending on submissions).

• ZOE – A VR app from Apelab, Zoe provides creation tools that empower students to create interactive experiences using immersive technologies whether they are in a classroom or virtually anywhere in the world. Come in and build with it.  ZOE is also the tool used by the San Diego Jewish Academy and its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking.  See how they are using it.

Let them eat panCAKE!

A truly hands-on activity of FutureTechLive@Comic-Con@Home, which also celebrates world building in a rather immersive way:

Live from Food Channel & SugarGeek Studios, as part of FutureTechLive!@Comic-Con@Home:  “SPONGEBOB VIRTUAL PANCAKE COOKING PARTY!”  

Attendees can partake in a live virtual cooking get-together in which cake master Liz Marek will have everyone make delicious pancakes that look like their favorite SpongeBob characters!  Participants can take photos of their pancake creations and post in the photo gallery in FutureTechLive!’s world builders lounge in the Comic-Con@Home website.  By posting, they could win prizes for the best from these Bikini Bottom denizens.

It is recommended that people register early, before it fills up, and to get a list of necessary ingredients they may want to get for the cook-along.

This is a free event, with two options: Sat. July 25 at 10am PST and Sun. July 26 at 10am PST. Those who want to register for this event, need to go to:  www.foodchannel.com

About cake master Liz Marek:

Liz Marek has been creating fun and creative food on her YouTube channel youtube.com/sugargeekshow and her online cake decorating school www.sugargeekshow.com since 2009. She named her school “Sugar Geek Show” because of her obsessions with baking and #geekculture. Liz often combines her love for comic book characters, movies and anime into her cake creations.  She is a winner of the Halloween Wars cake competition.

PANEL

FutureTechLive! is also presenting a panel on world building as part of the panels of Comic-Con@Home:

World-Builders: The Evolution of Immersive Entertainment

Sunday, July 26 at 3:00 PM

The hunger for unique content and the current challenges global content creators face to establish safe production solutions have pushed technology to evolve. Join the creative drivers who are introducing remarkable “virtual production” and content creation solutions.

• Isabelle Riva, Head of Media and Entertainment Innovations, Unity Technology
• Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, Paramount Pictures
• Kwaku Aning, Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking
• Emilie Joly, Co-Founder & CEO, Apelab (Zoe in-VR Creation Software)
• Brooks Brown, Co-Founder & CCO, ViRvii (Bringing Virtual Reality to Art)
• Asad J. Malik, CEO & Founder, IRIC / JADU (Augmented Reality Storytelling)
• Moderator: David Bloom, Senior Contributor, Forbes; journalist covering entertainment tech

VISIT:

https://parallux.co/comic-con

https://www.comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome

www.futuretechlive.com

#SDCC@home,  #madewithunity,  #FTL2020,  #futuretechlive