What is the new reality for narrative design in immersive storytelling?  Meet the internationally recognized VR and AR storytelling pioneer and author Stephanie Riggs and listen to her keynote called “The End of Storytelling?” at #mthcon. The narrative designer and immersive technologist will share her game-changing theory and personal experiences with our audience. Why is it so important to move beyond traditional ideas of storytelling for the future of narrative branding across industries? Find out in her keynote which is based on her brand new book “The End of Storytelling. The Future of Narrative in the Storyplex”, a must-read for anyone trying or wanting to tell stories with immersive technology. This keynote will bring together storytelling theory with practice and is as important for entertainment as it is for the industry.

As immersive media transforms from hyped-up disruption to a mainstream technology, have we really understood what it means for storytelling on the whole? Attempts to apply traditional and familiar storytelling techniques used in books, theatre, and film to immersive environments frequently result in unengaging results, as these spaces require a deep rethinking of narrative's fundamental building blocks. You too will rethink your assumptions after you listened to Stephanie Riggs. 

A former Disney imagineer with a background in both theatrical narrative and computer science, she began creating interactive virtual worlds two decades ago and continues to revolutionize the immersive technology industry. 

Find out how Stephanie Riggs applies her new narrative philosophy in her work as Creative Director of Experiential at Refinery29, evolving their immersive funhouse 29Rooms, an immersive world of cause, culture, and creativity. She is working with world-class clients such as Facebook, Amazon, Reebok, Netflix to bring their brands and products to life in unique interactive, immersive experiences. 

Her work has been featured around the world in The New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and UploadVR. She spoke around the world at conferences such as SIGGRAPH, Tribeca Film Festival, IEEE, Digital Media Summit, World Immersion Forum (Brussels), and the Hollywood Entertainment Technology Festival on everything from the future of narrative, immersive experiences, and human-computer interaction. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama and School of Computer Science. She is based in New York.