Disney has hired former Apple executive Mark Bozon, who spent 12 years at the tech giant in creative and gaming executive roles, to help supervise the company's expansion into the metaverse.
The Walt Disney Studios logo is projected onscreen during the CinemaCon Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Special presentation at the Colosseum Caesars Palace on April 3, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Next-Generation Storytelling"
Bozon will lead a team throughout the corporation to work on "interconnected consumer experiences" by engaging new narrative canvases as VP, Next Generation Storytelling Creative Experiences, according to Deadline.
Bozon announced his departure from Apple in a May 20 tweet, stating, "I'm headed to an absolute dream job" (without disclosing that he was going to Disney). He was notable for being the games creative director for Apple Arcade, the tech company's gaming subscription service.
Mike White, senior VP of Next Generation Storytelling & Consumer Experiences, hired Bozon. White was named to the position earlier this year, as executives from CEO Bob Chapek on down began expressing the company's intentions to invest in the metaverse.
Although that endeavor's form and cost structure are unknown, Chapek told CNBC in February that he sees the metaverse as "a third dimension" of possibilities.
"If the metaverse is the blending of the physical and the digital in one environment, who can do it better than Disney?" Chapek said.
White currently reports to Kareem Daniel, the chairman for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, and Josh D' Amaro, the chairman for Disney Parks, Experiences & Products.
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Into the Metaverse
Bozon will report to White and be in charge of defining and designing new, connected storytelling experiences and leading the creative vision for Disney's next-generation storytelling approach.
According to the company, the NGS group's opportunities include gaming, cinema, television, toys, parks, and more.
Because the term "metaverse" means different things to different people, Disney has grouped its efforts under the Next Generation Storytelling banner and defined a strategy centered on creating "new canvases for storytelling and audience engagement" across physical, digital, and virtual experiences, according to Disney.
Bozon worked as a freelance game creator and producer before joining Apple in June 2010 and was the Nintendo Editor for IGN.
In an email to colleagues on Feb. 15, Chapek already announced the metaverse plan. Despite the fact that the Disney CEO did not use the word metaverse,' the concept is there and prominent in his choice of words:
"Today, we have an opportunity to connect those universes and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories," he wrote in the email.
According to his LinkedIn page, White has worked for Disney for over a decade. He began his career at Disney Interactive as a Senior Vice President, rising the ranks to take on bigger and more exciting projects.
Back in January, Disney's patent was found suggesting that Disney park visitors would soon be able to experience augmented reality without the use of any virtual headsets.
Bozon's inclusion in Disney could very well be the full materialization of the company's plan to immerse itself into the metaverse.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
