Paramount Pictures has named virtual and augmented reality Ted Schilowitz to the new position of futurist-in-residence, the studio announced Thursday.
Schilowitz, who joins from a consulting role at 20th Century Fox, will report jointly to Paramount Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos — a former Fox film chief — and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gumpert.
At Fox, Schilowitz was in charge of creating strategy for future technologies as the studio looked toward the next generation of cinema entertainment. Prior to that, he was a founding member and part of the product team at digital camera company RED Digital Cinema.
While at Paramount, Schilowitz will maintain his role as chief creative officer at Barco Escape, where he has worked with the company on its immersive theater concept that includes additional screens on the walls perpendicular to the main screen to provide a cockpit-style viewing experience.
“Ted has been an integral part of the film industry’s innovation into next generation visual storytelling,” Gianopulos and Gumpert said in a statement. “He has been a pioneer throughout the industry’s constant technological evolution and can identify what is and what will be relevant and important to movie-goers. He will be an incredible asset to the Paramount team.”
“From Immersive Cinema to Augmented Reality and beyond, I’m excited to work with the Paramount and Viacom teams to discover and implement the latest technological advancements and create strategies that will enhance the audience’s experiences across Paramount’s movie, television, and interactive content,” Schilowitz said in the statement.