The Ask
Construct an experience in Horizon Worlds for the fourth installment of the Metaverse Culture Series (MCS) for Pride (June 1-30), leveraging VR to explore queer community safety, chosen family community and expression in Horizon Worlds.
The Challenge
For our friends in the LGBTQi+ community, we needed a world that was culturally relevant, authentic, and safe, without over-indexing on anything in particular. The world would need to also function as a conversation space for artists and community leaders that identify within the LGBTQi+ spectrum. As many of these leaders were completely new to VR, I worked with each of them individually to set up their Quest 2's and navigate Horizon Worlds. I worked closely with a vendor to guide the construction of the final world through several iterations, in preparation for filming. Lastly, I directed the filming of both the couch conversation and the press junket.
The Impact
In the first three days we garnered over 1.2 billion impressions from original stories across top tier press and organic social. This was a career-evolving experience for each of the reporters as this was their first time conducting interviews in an immersive environment. Our partners, Leiomy, Law Roach, Dr. David Johns, Tess Holliday and Renee Montgomery all shared Reels content of their experience on Instagram and Facebook, and their comments were lit with positive engagement from their communities getting excited about the conversation and possibilities in the metaverse.
