On the 15th of last month, officials from Gyeongsangbuk-do visited the LA Center Studio in Los Angeles. This visit, part of a trip to the United States from October 15 to 17, involved meetings with representatives from companies and institutions in Los Angeles and Irvine to promote the AI and metaverse industries and strengthen exchanges and cooperation for film festivals.
Gyeongsangbuk-do aims to expand and reorganize the ‘Gyeongbuk International AI and Metaverse Film Festival’ into a film festival that can foster the region’s metaverse and AI industries through the convergence of culture and industry.
During their stay, they met with representatives from global film and animation production companies as well as AI, metaverse, and XR (extended reality) companies to discuss exchanges and cooperation.
On the 15th, they discussed the integration of advanced technology into the film industry and the convergence of AI and metaverse technology in culture with officials from LA Center Studios. LA Center Studios, located in downtown Los Angeles, is an independent film and television production facility known for movies like ‘Top Gun,’ ‘Terminator 3,’ and ‘Spider-Man 2’ that incorporate XR and immersive AI technologies. The studio pledged cooperation with Gyeongsangbuk-do’s metaverse digital media innovation hub project.
On the 16th, the delegation visited the multimedia production company MBA Productions, specializing in VR and XR technology, to sign a business agreement on exchange plans with metaverse and new media content major students and ways to foster the XR industry. MBA Productions has conducted advertisements and motor show productions for Hyundai, Kia, and Honda, among other international events.
Gyeongsangbuk-do officials also met with Mayor Farrah Khan of Irvine City to discuss plans to sign a business agreement in January next year, focusing on providing game and immersive content education in collaboration with local universities and promoting related industries.
Present at the meeting were Johanna Faries, CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, an Irvine-based chamber of commerce, and Robert Scaringe, CEO of electric vehicle company Rivian. Blizzard Entertainment is a renowned global game developer, organizing worldwide esports competitions and fan events like BlizzCon.
In the afternoon, they held the ‘AI and Metaverse Film Conference’ at the Beckman Center of the prestigious public university, UC Irvine, in Orange County, California. Attendees included Mayor Farrah Khan, UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman, Dean Tyrus Miller of the School of the Arts, and about 100 people from the American political, industry, and academic sectors.
The conference showcased ‘Witness’ (Korean title ‘The Witness’ by director Yang Ik-june) and ‘My Dear’ by director Kim So-hee, both representative works of the Gyeongbuk International AI and Metaverse Film Festival. Lee Jung-woo, director of Gyeongbuk’s Meta AI Science Bureau, emphasized the heated discussions on the convergence of new technologies like AI and the metaverse with cultural industries at the conference held at a STEM powerhouse like UC Irvine. He also expressed his intent to develop the Gyeongbuk AI and Metaverse Film Festival into an international festival where filmmakers and advanced industry and investment companies can enjoy the evolution of the future video industry.
On the 17th, the delegation will sign business agreements to promote the AI and metaverse industry with global investment advisory firm Clearbrook and AR-based content production company Livingpopups. Elliot Wisler, CEO of Clearbrook, and Cheryl Baier, CEO, and co-founder Jamie Dixon of Livingpopups, are expected to attend the signing ceremony.
Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to nurture its AI and metaverse industry by discovering global investment companies like venture capital and firms with AI and metaverse technology through this agreement with Clearbrook. They have also requested technical support cooperation from Livingpopups for the development of the Gyeongbuk International AI and Metaverse Film Festival. Jamie Dixon, co-founder of Livingpopups and an expert in VFX, pledged support for fostering the AI and metaverse industry and supporting the film festival.
Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, “Through this trip to the United States, we aim to grasp a significant opportunity for Gyeongbuk to leap forward as a world leader in the AI and metaverse industries,” adding, “We will continue to seek diverse global cooperation methods to enable Gyeongbuk to play a bigger role on the world stage.”