{"id":14102,"date":"2025-01-23T10:07:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T10:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=14102"},"modified":"2025-01-23T11:27:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T11:27:56","slug":"the-next-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2025\/01\/23\/the-next-level\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next Level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DamianDamian studied LLB (Hons) Law with Legal Studies in Europe<\/a> at Reading (and the universities of Salamanca and Trier), graduating with a First Class degree in 1998, and now owns Blend Media<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Damian\u2019s love for entertainment began as a child, with cinema and theatre trips \u2013 as an adult, he saw an opportunity to take entertainment to the next level.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cLife for most people is quite stressful, particularly in a world where we have wars, pandemics and the work\/life balance juggle \u2013 everyone needs a way of finding some relief and escapism.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cEntertainment is the ultimate escapism and I\u2019ve always been interested in pushing the boundaries, whether that\u2019s through viral videos or immersive experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An entrepreneurial streak<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Damian\u2019s always had an entrepreneurial streak \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

He recalled: \u201cI 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 \u2013 I did five of them at GCSE level \u2013 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\u2019s campus and the School of Law itself, so Reading was a no-brainer for me.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI loved every minute of being there. I lived in Foxhill House \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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 \u2018Magic Circle\u2019 law firms, Linklaters<\/a>, before relocating to California with his wife and moving to top US firm Latham & Watkins<\/a>. But it wasn\u2019t long before Damian\u2019s entrepreneurial passion won out and he left the LA law firm to embark on a new career in media.<\/p>\n

Charlie Bit My Finger<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The \u2018Charlie Bit My Finger\u2019 video went viral in 2007 as the most watched YouTube video \u2013 and it was Damian\u2019s business, Viral Spiral, who grew it to a billion views.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cViral Spiral was a viral video agency and one of the first to licence videos from YouTube into marketing campaigns.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"BlendAfter selling Viral Spiral in 2014, Damian\u2019s next business venture was sparked by Mark Zuckerberg posting the first 360 degree video \u2013 where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time \u2013 on Facebook in November 2016.<\/p>\n

Damian said: \u201cI thought 360 videos looked really interesting and I wondered if the brands I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019t know how to create the content themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The War Of The Worlds<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"TheAlongside Blend Media Damian has also been producing live entertainment since 2006 \u2013 with a particular focus on the intellectual property of \u2018The War of the Worlds\u2019.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201c\u2018The War of the Worlds\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also produce an arena show version of Jeff Wayne\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"The\u201cIt\u2019s a sizeable show with 50 actors, singers and musicians, and performers from Jason Donovan, to Blue\u2019s Duncan James, to Kaiser Chief\u2019s Ricky Wilson have been part of it. We filmed Liam Neeson as a 3D Hologram in 2010 and he has \u201cperformed\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is what inspires me \u2013 using cutting-edge technology to take entertainment to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Considering possibilities<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Damian\u2019s career showcases that you do not have to follow the conventional route after your studies, whilst still being able to use your degree.<\/p>\n

He shared: \u201cEven 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 \u2013 I rarely need to pay a lawyer or for third-party legal advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve stayed in touch on a personal level with Professor Chris Newdick over the years, and I\u2019ve returned to Reading to give talks at the University to both law students and more widely.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI love coming back onto campus and being able to hopefully inspire current students \u2013 particularly in showing them they don\u2019t just have to assume that there is only one career path if you\u2019re doing a vocational degree.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy 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\u2019re excited by and it will make your career much more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about Damian<\/a>, or share your own story with us at alumni@reading.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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