Jaunt (company)

Jaunt
Type of business Private
Headquarters Palo Alto, California
Key people
Industry Technology, virtual reality
Website www.jauntvr.com
Launched 2013 (2013)

Jaunt is a Palo Alto, CA-headquartered company that specializes in virtual reality (VR). Jaunt was founded in 2013 and its mission is to bring premium VR experiences to the world through distribution/production of content, products (e.g. cameras), and VR Technology (e.g. software).[1][2]

History

Jaunt was founded in 2013 by Jens Christensen, Arthur van Hoff (current CTO and interim CEO), and Tom Annau (who desired to relive a National Park Vacation experience and believed immersive video was a vehicle for doing so).[3][4] The founders worked with Anthony Shore at branding and design agency Character to develop the company name of Jaunt.[5]

In the spring of 2015, the company launched Jaunt Studios, described by technology news and media network "The Verge" as "dedicated solely to developing and producing live-action VR experiences" and, similar to what was announced by Oculus (another VR company) earlier in the year: "an in-house creative initiative, designed to both bolster the production of VR experiences from existing artists, but also to interact with the broader Hollywood creative community to bring new filmmakers into the fold."[6] Cliff Plumer, David Anderman, and Miles Perkins, all formerly employed by Lucasfilm, were brought on as President, (CBO), and Vice President of Marketing, respectively.[7][8]

Products

In June 2015, Jaunt announced that a professional-grade VR camera series would be available that August.[9] Photos and specs of the camera were released in later that year; the camera's official name is Jaunt ONE.[10] It has been described as a "single unit that contains 24 camera mechanisms."[11] As of November 2015, the camera was not available for sale or rent; ten were in circulation among Jaunt's "strategic creative content partners."[12]

Collaborations

In June 2015, a Road to VR article noted that "Jaunt has risen to become one of the most prolific of 360 degree, cinematic VR content providers over the last couple of years, with a dozen or so experiences available across multiple VR platforms, from Oculus Rift to Google Cardboard."[13]

Significant Collaborations include:

Paul McCartney: This was Jaunt's first publicly-released content and Candlestick Park's last major event. The former Beatles bassist's live performance of Live and Let Die at a concert in August 2014 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco was filmed using Jaunt's cameras and microphones. The company released the recording as an app on Google Play; viewers could access the content in VR using an Android phone and Google Cardboard (a VR head-mounted display mount).[14]
The North Face: Treks by two athletes/employees (Cedar Wright and Sam Elias) of The North Face through Yosemite National Park and in Moab, UT were recorded with VR technology and produced into VR content (titled "The North Face: Climb"[15]) that was made available in select North Face stores in Chicago in March 2015. The VR technology/experience was soon introduced in New York City and San Francisco-based North Face store as well.[16][17]
In fall 2015, The North Face and Jaunt collaborated to create a second VR experience, "The North Face: Nepal," which included footage shot in various "environments: a temple with swinging monkeys and flying birds, a threatening cliff at the end of the runway as a plane takes off from the Lukla airport, the cobbled streets and glacial moraines of Khumbu, the gateway to Everest, and a climber scaling a craggy face en route to the sky."[18]Outside magazine also partnered in the campaign.
Condé_Nast_Entertainment (CNE): in April 2015, Jaunt announced a plan to produce virtual reality narrative/plot-based series that would be aired on CNE's digital platform The Scene. At the time of the announcement, CNE's Dawn Ostroff said, "The virtual reality space not only will allow the viewer to become more engaged, it'll make them more immersed."[19]
In February 2016, it was announced that American film director and producer Doug Liman would direct the scripted virtual reality series Invisible, to premiere on Samsung's Milk VR platform.[20][21][22]
ABC News: in September 2015, ABC News VR was launched in conjunction with its inaugural project (and collaboration with Jaunt) of an immersive experience in Damascus, Syria. Part of the focus of the content was to describe "how city workers are keeping historical artifacts safe from conflict zones during the civil war." ABC indicated it plans to use the technology for future reporting as well.[23] In a note to staff at the time of the launch, President of ABC News, James Goldston, wrote, "The collaboration between Jaunt and ABC News takes our storytelling to a new frontier. And I can't wait to see how you use this new technology to engage our audience in thrilling new ways."[24]
As a second collaboration between Jaunt and ABC News, a VR video narrated by journalist Bob Woodruff (who also served as on-scene reporter for the footage) titled "Inside North Korea VR" was released in late 2015. Part of this video includes footage of a military march that commemorated the 70th anniversary (in October 2015) of North Korea's Workers' Party.[25]
Sundance Institute: in November 2015, Jaunt Studios and Sundance announced that they were launching a six-month residency program which would be part of the existing New Frontier program associated with the Sundance Film Festival.[26] Australian artist Lynette Wallworth was the first person selected for the residency; her residency was slated to focus on a narrative piece about an Australian Aboriginal elder Nyarri Nyarri Morgan, titled "Collisions".[27]

Awards and recognitions

September 2015: The Advanced Imaging Society (AIS) included Jaunt as one of the annual honorees for achievement in technical advancement.[28]

February 2016: Jaunt was included on American business magazine Fast Company's list of The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies 2016. Jaunt was recognized by Fast Company "for becoming the first VR media company"[29]

March 2016: Jaunt was included on Inc. Magazine's list of 6 Innovative Startups Reshaping Hollywood.[30]

Investors, funding and advisors

British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) became one of Jaunt's initial investors in December 2013.[31] Other early investors, announced in April 2014, included Redpoint Ventures,[32] SV Angel, Peter Gotcher (chairman of Dolby Laboratories, and Blake Krikorian (co-founder of Sling Media). This seed round of funding yielded $6.8 million.[33][34] In August 2014, Jaunt announced it had raised $27.8 million in new funding. Investors in this round included the existing investors as well as new investors Highland Capital Partners and GV (formerly Google Ventures). Jaunt CEO Jens Christensen indicated the funds would be used for company growth and increasing speed of its technology development.[35]

Jaunt announced an additional $65 million in funding in September 2015. At the time, this made Jaunt the highest-funded virtual reality startup ever (with over $100 million in total funding). The three lead investors in this round were The Walt Disney Company, Evolution Media Partners, and China Media Capital. Jaunt indicated there was a plan to use the funding for scaling up existing operations as well as increasing the international extension of its brand.[36][37][38][39]

Partly because of the company's early stake in VR, it has forged collaborations with organizations and individuals across multiple industries. Many of these people serve on Jaunt's boards, or as advisors, including:

Directors

Tim Haley (Redpoint Ventures, also on the boards for Netflix);[40] Peter Gotcher (Dolby);[41] Paul Maeder (Highland Capital Partners);[42] Kevin Mayer (The Walt Disney Company);[43] Richard Hess (Evolution Media Capital);[44] Li Ruigang (China Media Capital);[45] John Ryley (Sky News)[46]

Advisors

Babak Parviz (Amazon;[47] Bernd Girod (Stanford);[48] Blake Krikorian (id8 Group Holdings, Sling Media);[49] Brad Wechsler IMAX Corporation;[50] Fred Kittler (Firelake Capital);[51] Harlyn Baker (Computer Vision Pioneer);[52] Jared Leto (Award-winning Artist and Musician);[53] Mark Romanek (Award-winning Film Director);[54] Mark Ross (Striiv);[55] Ted Schilowitz (RED camera);[56] Brian Grazer (Oscar and Emmy-winning Producer, Best-selling Author)[57]

References

  1. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (2016-03-01). "Will VR rock in 2016?". TBI Vision. Television Business International. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  2. ↑ Clark, Willie (2015-09-28). "Jaunt's CEO on its $65M funding and the humanity-advancing mainstream future of virtual reality". Venture Beat. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. ↑ Takahasi, Dean (2014-04-03). "Virtual reality has another 'wow' moment as Jaunt introduces 360-degree cinematic videos". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  4. ↑ Telegraph Staff (December 2013). "BSkyB takes stake in 360 video start-up Jaunt". The Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  5. ↑ Gabler, Neal (2015-01-15). "The Weird Science of Naming New Products". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  6. ↑ Bishop, Bryan (2015-04-28). "VR company Jaunt is starting a virtual reality movie studio". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  7. ↑ Zeitchik, Steven (2015-04-28). "VR Watch: Jaunt forms studio, hiring Lucasfilm veterans to run it". Los Angeles Time. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  8. ↑ Terdiman, Daniel (2015-04-28). "Big-time Hollywood vet heading up virtual reality film production studio". Venture Beat. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. ↑ Nafarrete, Jonathan (2015-06-30). "First Look: Jaunt's VR Camera Codenamed NEO". VR Scout. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  10. ↑ Hayden, Scott (2015-09-24). "First Look: Jaunt's 'ONE' VR Light-Field Camera with Newly Revealed Specs". Road to VR. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  11. ↑ Murie, Michael (2016-01-12). "The Jaunt ONE – Development of a VR Camera". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  12. ↑ Scoblete, Greg (2015-11-19). "Inside the Jaunt ONE: Why a VR Content Company Had to Build the World's Best VR Camera". Photo District News. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  13. ↑ James, Paul (2015-06-23). "Jaunt and Google Announce 'High-End' Cinematic Content Collaboration". Road to VR. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  14. ↑ Blistein, Jon (2014-11-20). "Paul McCartney's Candlestick Park Footage Gets Virtual Reality Release". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  15. ↑ Nafarrete, Jonathan (2015-11-18). "Jaunt and North Face Continue to Bring Virtual Reality to Retail". VR Scout. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  16. ↑ "Experience Virtual Reality with The North Face". Never Stop Exploring. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  17. ↑ Halzack, Sarah (2015-05-10). "Ever wanted to base jump? North Face wants you to try it – in its stores.". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  18. ↑ "The Nepal Experience". Outside Online. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  19. ↑ Nafarrete, Jonathan (2015-04-28). "Conde Nast Announces Virtual Reality Series With Newly Launched Jaunt Studio". VR Scout. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  20. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2016-02-19). "Condé Nast & Doug Liman Team For VR Scripted Series 'Invisible'". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  21. ↑ Longwell, Todd (2016-02-22). "'Bourne Identity' Director Doug Liman Explores VR with 6-Part Series for Conde Nast and Jaunt VR". VideoInk. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  22. ↑ Durbin, Joe (2016-02-22). "'Invisible' Is An Action-Packed VR Series From Jaunt And Doug Liman". UploadVR. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  23. ↑ Plaugic, Lizzie (2015-09-16). "ABC News launches VR experience to give viewers a 360-degree tour of Syria's capital". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  24. ↑ Bernstein, Alyssa (2015-09-16). "Introducing ABC News VR". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  25. ↑ Strange, Adario (2015-12-10). "Virtual reality video drops you in the middle of North Korea's massive anniversary march". Mashable. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  26. ↑ Robertson, Adi (2015-11-03). "Sundance Institute opens residency for virtual reality filmmakers". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  27. ↑ Hayden, Scott (2015-11-04). "Sundance and Jaunt Announce Immersive Video Residency Program for VR Storytellers". Road to VR. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  28. ↑ Business Wire (2015-09-30). "The Advanced Imaging Society Bestows 16 Awards for 6th Annual Technology and New Products at Ceremony Held at Paramount Pictures Studios". Fast Company. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  29. ↑ Fast Company Staff (2016-02-16). "The Most Innovative Companies of 2016". Fast Company. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  30. ↑ Winfrey, Graham (2016-03-01). "6 Innovative Startups Reshaping Hollywood". Inc. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  31. ↑ Shu, Catherine (2013-12-24). "BSkyB Invests $350,000 In Early-State Immersive Video Startup Jaunt". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  32. ↑ Haley, Tim (2014-04-03). "A Revolutionary Investment in Jaunt". Redpoint. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  33. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2014-04-03). "Cinematic Virtual-Reality Startup Jaunt Raises $6.8 Mil from BSkyB, Others". Variety. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  34. ↑ Hart, Brian (2013-04-03). "Inside Look: Jaunt Pulls in $6.8 Million in Venture Funding for Virtual Reality Cinema Toolset". Road to VR. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  35. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (2014-08-21). "Jaunt Aims to Kick-Start Hollywood Virtual Reality With $27.8 Million in New Funding". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  36. ↑ Cadell, Cate (2015-09-22). "Walt Disney, CMC Invest in VR Company Jaunt As They Plan China Expansion". Tech Node. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  37. ↑ Johnson, Eric (2015-09-21). "Disney Invests in Jaunt as Part of $65 Million Round That Makes It Highest-Funded VR Startup". Re/code. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  38. ↑ Clark, Willie (2015-09-28). "Jaunt's CEO on its $65M funding and the humanity-advancing mainstream future of virtual reality". Venture Beat. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  39. ↑ Terdiman, Daniel (2015-09-21). "Disney Leads $66 Million Investment In Virtual-Reality Startup Jaunt VR". Fast Company. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  40. ↑ "Partner Tim Haley". Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  41. ↑ "Peter Gotcher". Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  42. ↑ "Company". Jaunt. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  43. ↑ "Kevin A. Mayer". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  44. ↑ "Rick Hess". UCLA School Of Theater, Film and Television. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  45. ↑ "Ruigang Li". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  46. ↑ "Company". Jaunt. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  47. ↑ "Executive Profile: Babak Parviz". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  48. ↑ "Bernd Girod". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  49. ↑ "Blake Krikorian". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  50. ↑ "Brad Wechsler". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  51. ↑ "Fred Kittler". VB Profiles. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  52. ↑ "Executive Profile: Harlyn Baker". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  53. ↑ "Executive Profile: Jared Leto". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  54. ↑ "Mark Romanek". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  55. ↑ "Mark Ross". Angel. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  56. ↑ "Ted Schilowitz". CrunchBase. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  57. ↑ "Company". Jaunt. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
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