Have you ever attended a virtual boxing class, or watched a 3D movie on an aeroplane to block out your surroundings? Reading graduate Damian Collier is here to share his vision of a virtual future as it becomes the everyday.
Damian studied LLB (Hons) Law with Legal Studies in Europe at Reading (and the universities of Salamanca and Trier), graduating with a First Class degree in 1998, and now owns Blend Media, the largest library of 360 and Virtual Reality (VR) content in the world. They connect brands and businesses with a global network of highly skilled creators and content to make virtual and augmented reality more accessible to improve work, life and play.
Damian’s love for entertainment began as a child, with cinema and theatre trips – as an adult, he saw an opportunity to take entertainment to the next level.
He said: “Life for most people is quite stressful, particularly in a world where we have wars, pandemics and the work/life balance juggle – everyone needs a way of finding some relief and escapism.
“Entertainment is the ultimate escapism and I’ve always been interested in pushing the boundaries, whether that’s through viral videos or immersive experiences.”
An entrepreneurial streak
Damian’s always had an entrepreneurial streak – from selling sandwiches cheaper than the tuck shop at school, to buying crates of beer to sell by the bottle at University (knowingly in contravention of the Licensing Act). However, before becoming a full-time entrepreneur Damian had a successful law career which began at Reading.
He recalled: “I started working at a criminal defence law firm in the school holidays when I was 16 and I became fascinated by the law. But I also loved languages – I did five of them at GCSE level – and I chose Reading because they let me study both Spanish and German law. The University of Oxford refused to let me study two languages and only offered me a place to study Law and German Law so I turned down their offer. I also fell in love with Reading’s campus and the School of Law itself, so Reading was a no-brainer for me.
“I loved every minute of being there. I lived in Foxhill House – which is coincidentally now the School of Law and is such a beautiful place. Reading gave me a great legal training delivered by inspirational professors, one of whom I am friends with to this day.”
As a law student Damian assumed his next step was to become a solicitor or barrister. He went onto train and qualify at one of the ‘Magic Circle’ law firms, Linklaters, before relocating to California with his wife and moving to top US firm Latham & Watkins. But it wasn’t long before Damian’s entrepreneurial passion won out and he left the LA law firm to embark on a new career in media.
Charlie Bit My Finger
The ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ video went viral in 2007 as the most watched YouTube video – and it was Damian’s business, Viral Spiral, who grew it to a billion views.
He said: “Viral Spiral was a viral video agency and one of the first to licence videos from YouTube into marketing campaigns.
“In the days before YouTube had ads and pop-ups it was hard for video owners to monetise their videos, which is where my company stepped in to generate income by licensing these videos to brands and TV shows.”
After selling Viral Spiral in 2014, Damian’s next business venture was sparked by Mark Zuckerberg posting the first 360 degree video – where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time – on Facebook in November 2016.
Damian said: “I thought 360 videos looked really interesting and I wondered if the brands I’d worked with previously would want help using this new format. So I set up a new company in 2016 called Blend Media, and since then we have expanded into virtual reality and augmented reality.
“The business is comprised of two parts. One is that we manage the largest library of virtual reality video in the world. For example, if someone wanted a virtual video of Bondi Beach whether for entertainment, relaxing, or training, then we can provide that. The other half is comprised of clients including Google, Deloitte, L’Oreal, and Disney amongst others, who want to use VR or AR in their campaigns or training but don’t know how to create the content themselves.”
The War Of The Worlds
Alongside Blend Media Damian has also been producing live entertainment since 2006 – with a particular focus on the intellectual property of ‘The War of the Worlds’.
He said: “‘The War of the Worlds’ was written by HG Wells in 1898, and in 1938 Orson Wells created a radio production that famously made people think aliens were invading. In 1978 Jeff Wayne created a multi-platinum selling double album, his Musical Version of The War of The Worlds, and I have worked with him to grow that record into a multi-media property. When Paramount released a movie version with Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg I was involved in that from a business perspective.
“I saw the opportunity in 2018 to create a two-hour immersive experience that has been resident in the City of London ever since. You walk through it, rather than sit and watch, with live immersive performances from actors as well as three virtual reality sections.
“I also produce an arena show version of Jeff Wayne’s musical, which tours every two to three years. In the UK we play at Wembley Arena, the O2 Arena, and other arenas from Aberdeen to Bournemouth, as well as overseas as far as Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s a sizeable show with 50 actors, singers and musicians, and performers from Jason Donovan, to Blue’s Duncan James, to Kaiser Chief’s Ricky Wilson have been part of it. We filmed Liam Neeson as a 3D Hologram in 2010 and he has “performed” in the show ever since. We have sold over one million tickets around the world and will be returning to the UK arenas in Spring 2025.
“This is what inspires me – using cutting-edge technology to take entertainment to the next level.”
Considering possibilities
Damian’s career showcases that you do not have to follow the conventional route after your studies, whilst still being able to use your degree.
He shared: “Even though I have moved away from law as the sole focus for my career, I still use my degree in my career. I do 90% of my own contracts as well as contracts for clients – I rarely need to pay a lawyer or for third-party legal advice.
“I’ve stayed in touch on a personal level with Professor Chris Newdick over the years, and I’ve returned to Reading to give talks at the University to both law students and more widely.
“I love coming back onto campus and being able to hopefully inspire current students – particularly in showing them they don’t just have to assume that there is only one career path if you’re doing a vocational degree.
“My advice is to consider what skills you are learning as part of your course and what you enjoy doing day-to-day. Choose something you’re excited by and it will make your career much more interesting.”
Find out more about Damian, or share your own story with us at alumni@reading.ac.uk.
