I'm thrilled to be back at Raindance this year in a new capacity: as an official juror in the Live Performance in VR category. After participating in 2021 and winning Best Multiplayer Experience, I left that experience with the feeling that it was the best VR festival I had ever attended. The curator, Maria Rakusanova, has a vision that is inclusive and extremely forward-thinking. She deeply believes in the potential of the metaverse, she understands the shifting landscape and creative power of social VR, and she creates a culture and environment that is teeming with joy, excitement and passion for VR. In the months after our win in 2021, I couldn't stop thinking of all of the wildly innovative moments and experiences I had, and I just wished I could turn around another MetaMovie fast enough to participate in 2022. As it turned out, that wasn't necessary: Maria extended an invitation to return as a juror and I could not say 'yes' fast enough.
Being on the other side of the festival was such a pleasure. Working with fellow jurists Kent Bye and Sngmoo Lee, we experienced and discussed a wide range of highly creative and original live VR performances. It was an experience I tremendously enjoyed.