About
Award-winning, risk taking, heart breaking, storytelling.
Francesca Panetta
Francesca Panetta is an industry leader in the word of immersive and experimental storytelling, exploring how emerging technologies can innovate new forms that have social impact.
She worked as Creative Director in the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality pioneering flagship projects.
Previous to MIT, she worked at the Guardian for over a decade exploring new forms of journalism as Special Projects editor, directing interactive features, location-based augmented reality. She led the in house virtual reality studio at the Guardian as special projects editor.
She works both as an inspirational leader and a practicing artist whose work is characterized as crafted and polished, bold and experimental, and of social relevance leading to the work winning awards around the world.
Lucy Greenwell
Lucy Greenwell is an independent producer and director, specialising in factual speech radio, human stories and tales of the unexpected. She has made BBC features for Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as for 5Live and the World Service. She made the award-winning VR film Songbird with the Google funded Guardian VR studio and The Butterfly Effect for Audible, with Jon Ronson, called one of the 50 best podcasts of the year by Time Magazine.
She is founder of Lives on Record, a bespoke interview service for private customers, the highest quality recording of their life and stories, which has attracted rave reviews from the Financial Times, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
Shehani Fernando
Shehani is an award-winning immersive producer / director based in London, passionate about innovative forms of storytelling that combine documentary practice with new technologies.
Most recently she produced ‘The Waiting Room VR’ with BAFTA-winning director Victoria Mapplebeck about her personal journey of breast cancer. From 2016-18 she directed VR experiences at the Guardian. Her work has toured to festivals worldwide including the Venice Film Festival, Hot Docs and IDFA and have been exhibited at the Phi Centre in Montreal.
She has lectured on VR at Royal Holloway University, University of the West of England and StoryFutures Academy, as well as serving on the jury for the Encounters Film Festival and Amnesty International Media Awards.
Awards
(2020),SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater selection,US
(2019),International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam,Netherlands
(2019),Mozilla Creative Media Award,US
(2019),Thessaloniki International Film Festival,Greece
(2018),Social Impact Media Awards Awards,US
(2018),Raindance Award,UK
(2018),WAN-IFRA,Europe
(2018),VR Expo,US
(2018),VR Expo,US
(2018),VR Expo,US
(2018),VR Expo,US
(2018),VR Expo,US
(2018),Information is Beautiful,UK
(2017),Raindance Award,UK
(2017),World Digital Media Award for Best use of online video,Germany
(2017),Lovie,Europe
(2017),Gold People’s Lovie for Virtual Reality,Europe
(2017),13th Biennial of New Media Arts,Chile
(2017),Halo Award,North America
(2017),SND Digital Winner,UK
(2016),CINE Golden Eagle,US
(2016),Raindance Best Virtual Reality Film,UK
(2016),Association of International Broadcasting,UK
(2016),Lovies Bronze for Best Internet Video,UK
(2016),British Arrows Craft,UK
(2016),British Press Awards,UK
(2016),Amnesty Media Award,UK
(2016),British Journalism Award,UK
(2016),Chicken and Egg Grant,US
(2016),Tribeca New Media Award,UK
(2016),Whickers Award (Runner up),UK
(2015),European Media Award,Europe
(2015),ONA,US
(2015),Webby Award,US
(2015),Webby Award,US
(2015),Webby Award,US
(2015),Webby Award,US
(2015),Webby Award,US
(2015),Artangel Open Finalist,UK
(2014),Amnesty Media Award,UK
(2013),Tech City Insider,UK
(2013),Prix Europa,Germany
(2013),BBC Drama Awards,UK
(2013),Walkey Award,Australia
(2012),New York Radio Festival Awards,US
(2012),New York Radio Festival Awards,US
(2012),Sony Radio Academy Award,UK
(2011),TecCon Innovation Award,UK
(2011),Sony Radio Academy Award,UK
(2011),Technical Innovations Award (Nomination),UK
(2011),Arts Council Grants for the Arts,UK
(2010),Sony Radio Academy Award,UK
(2010),Radio Academy Award (Best online producer),UK
(2010),Radio Academy Award (Creative Award),UK
(2008),Sony Radio Academy Award,UK
(2007),Associate of Online Publishers,UK
Installations / Festivals
REFRESH, Zurich (2020)
IDFA (2019)
Cannes (2016)
Storyscapes, Tribeca Film Festival (2016)
Sundance (2016)
Sheffield Documentary Festival (2013)
East London Film Festival (2012)
International Features Conference, Netherlands (2011)
Manchester International Festival (2011)
CREATE London Festival (2011)
Alphaville Digital Arts Festival (2011)
Hackney Wick Arts Festival (2011)
In The Dark (2010)
The [Un]observed (2010)
London International Documentaries Festival (2010)