104. Ryan Ritchey on the Future of Immersive Entertainment

The Unisphere at the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York City

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We have come full circle this week on The Tomorrow Society Podcast with the return of my first interview guest from Episode 2. Ryan Ritchey appeared on that early show, originally released on August 28, 2015. We talked about his film After the Fair, which covered the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. The warm documentary also focused on where the pavilions and pieces ended up following the event. It was awesome to have the chance to talk to Ryan again this week.

Ryan Ritchey, director and editor of After the Fair, is currently working on immersive entertainment. — Ryan Ritchey

On this episode, we chat briefly about his documentary but also delve into the future. Ryan is working on exciting projects in the realm of immersive entertainment and projection mapping. It’s hard to say how themed entertainment will change based on the COVID-19 pandemic. When spaces open, we may have more interest in location-based events like Ryan describes on this show.

The foundation for Ryan’s interest in the industry was EPCOT Center, and we spend time on why it meant so much. Attractions like Horizons, World of Motion, and other early pavilions envisioned an exciting future. During this episode, Ryan discusses the proposed changes to EPCOT from Disney and whether it’s possible for the original park’s spirit to remain. Similar ideas may have to come from other sources than Disney. It’s cool to hear Ryan talk about some possible routes for the future of immersive entertainment.