Sphere Entertainment has announced that Glenn Derry, an academy award winning technologist with over 30 years of entertainment technology experience, has joined as executive vice president of MSG Ventures.
In this role, Derry will oversee a wide range of technology initiatives across MSG Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sphere Entertainment focused on developing advanced technologies for live entertainment.
MSG Ventures also supports Sphere Studios, the immersive content studio dedicated to creating multi-sensory entertainment experiences exclusively for Sphere, and the Sphere platform overall, including future Sphere venues. Derry will work across the organisation to deploy both new and existing technologies that enhance Sphere’s live entertainment and experiential content.
He will be based at Sphere Studios in Burbank, and report to Jim Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer, Sphere Entertainment.
Dolan said: “Our vision for Sphere was to combine cutting-edge technologies with storytelling – bringing audiences together to share in experiences they cannot experience anywhere else. Glenn is a creative technologist whose work has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry. His expertise will be an asset to Sphere as we continue to build on this next generation entertainment medium and reinforce our position at the forefront of immersive experiences.”
Derry added: “Throughout my career I have focused on developing technologies in service of creative visions that expand the possibilities of entertainment, and there is no better opportunity to continue that work than at Sphere. Sphere sets a new standard for immersive experiences, and together with my colleagues across the organisation we look forward to creating new tools and experiences that push creative boundaries and drive innovation across the industry.”
Derry brings to Sphere extensive experience from various facets of the film and gaming industry, where he is credited with introducing the concept of “virtual production.” He joins Sphere Entertainment from AGBO, an academy award winning independent film, television, and gaming studio, where he served as president of production technology.
Prior to joining AGBO Mr. Derry served as vice president of Visual Effects at 20th Century Fox Studios following the acquisition of Technoprops, an R&D firm specialising in motion capture and emerging visual production technology. He was the founder and CEO of Technoprops.
