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Happy Labor Day Wknd, Digital LA peeps!
Our VR Games panel: 12 Things You Need to  Know

VR Games are uniquely different from both games and VR experiences, said expert speakers at our first Digital LA - VR Games panel at CTRL Collective Playa Vista on Monday. Our pre-PAX panel is the first in the LA area to focus on VR and Games. Tips: Brainstorm gameplay that fits your game and VR movement, said Daniel Zeligman, Survios lead engineer on category-establishing Raw Data robot shooter VR game. Emmy-winning Secret Location is switching into games owning its own IP, with today's launch of the Blasters of the Universe sci-fi shooter game, said Eric Shamlin of Secret Location. Franchise game titles like Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, and Hitman are experimenting with VR mini-games (not full game), said Adam Sullivan of Square Enix. Music is important to help your players achieve the right actions and feelings in your VR game, said Sally of Ossic, 3D sound in San Diego. Composer must play the game, said award-winning composer Penka Kouneva, who played the Mummy VR game before composing the first note You can play Mummy VR now at Star VR's first VR arcade at Hollywood and Highland, by the Hot Topic. Sound is your best ROI, said Viktor Phoenix, audio expert with Technicolor.  See our 12 Things You Need to Know about VR Games article, our video with speakers trends for VR games, and tag yourself / friends in the FB photo album.

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7 Labor Day Weekend Ideas
Have a great Labor Day Weekend! Here are some ideas!

Long Beach Comic-Con features panels, show floor, William Shatner and other comic talent guests, space expo, fashion show, cosplay competition, Saturday and Sunday Sep 2-3at the Long Beach Convention Center. Plus a special Creator Conference on Friday Sep 1. Follow @LongBeach_CC and @DigitalLA as we will be live tweeting from the show. 

Fiesta Hermosa kicks off with food booths, music and more this Sat, Sun, Mon 10a-6p. 

LA Times The Taste food festival with bites from local restaurants, chef tastings, VIP areas and more, Sep 1-3 @ Paramount Studios lot

Three Day Rule Pool Party. Matchmaking site Three Day rule hosts its Labor Day Pool Party with DJs, swan floatiess, and more on Monday 9/4, 1-5p at the Viceroy. Get 30% off w code DIGITALLA when you  register.

Beyond LA: Burning Man in NV. PAX West games convention in Seattle. 

MOVIES
- Close Encounters re-release, Tulip Fever
- EatSeeHear: The Godfather, Sat @ Hollywood Forever 

And FREE RSVP for our pool party! 

Sunday Sept 3, 12-3p
Private Residence in Hollywood Hills



Celebrate the holiday weekend with our FREE RSVP summer pool party at a private residence in Hollywood Hills. Enjoy amazing views, relax with the swan floaties in the pool, and meet other digital peeps. Plus we will take fun pool pics and post on our social. Must wear shorts or swimsuit, no jeans! If you are nice, can bring food/beverages to share, and can bring your own towel, visit our Facebook page for RSVP details.


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OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

Sat Sept 9 at Pasadena City Hall


FREE RSVP to get on our guest list to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at EatSeeHear's outdoor movie series. Band plays at 7, movie at 8p. Bring your own blanket to sit on the plaza. Thanks to EatSeeHear for making it possible! Check out the rest of their schedule at http://eatseehear.com


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LA Tech News

Me Undies launches socks. The Culver-City based subscription underwear company, just announced it's selling socks as well, modal and other styles.  

Grid 110 Deadline Today!  Apply for Grid 110's fall accelerator programs by today August 31! Grid 110 has had two classes of fashion tech startups. This fall class is more general. Details / apply  http://grid110.org

LA Accelerators:  We updated our LA Accelerators grid, adding new fall demo days and application deadlines for Grid 100 (Aug 31) and Techstars Music (Oct). Plus we added Techstars LA and the new Starburst aerospace accelerator. Need money and mentors for your startup? Try these major LA accelerators, from Amplify to Starburst! See chart below or read description of accelerators here in our article  http://digitalla.net/accelerators



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CONFERENCES

Crowd Invest Summit, September 6-7 @ LA Convention Center. FREE rsvp to the Crowd Invest Summit focusing on crowdfunding, the largest online fundraising conference in the US. CNBC The Profit star Marcus Lemonis keynote on 9/7. Our founder Kevin Winston will be moderating the "How to Think Like a VC" panel on Thurs. Sept 7 with TX of Fika Ventures, Rob Vickery of Stage VP, and more. Use code DigitalLA for free tix while supplies last http://crowdinvestsummit.com
 
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RECAP: Our 2 events last wk - SteelHouse Cocktails, Subscription Panel

SteelHouse Summer Cocktails. Digital LA and SteelHouse teamed up for a relaxing Summer Sunset Cocktails at 41 Ocean in Santa Monica last Thurs. Our guest list of attendees included: SteelHouse, The Trade Desk, GumGum, Jukin Media, Taboola, Retention Science, FastPay, Media Temple, eHarmony, Beachbody, Me Undies, Iconery, Sugarfina, Thrillist, and more. The event celebrated SteelHouse's Innovation Hub, which gives brands and agencies access to new video, mobile, and social ad formats and digital distribution channels. SteelHouse Innovation Hub partners include Facebook, Instagram, The Trade Desk, Factual, GumGum, Taboola, and TripleLift. The cocktails kicks off a series of adtech panels that SteelHouse is planning for the fall. See our  articleand FB photo  album. 



6 Secrets to Successful Subscription Services

Successful Subscription box services go beyond selling boxes, to creating community, content marketing, branded boxes, partnering with influences, and more said CEO founders and executives from Loot Crate, FabFitFun, SnackNation, and Watch Gang at our Digital LA - Subscription Services panel held at CTRL Collective Playa Vista last Monday. Speakers said LA is a home for subscription services because LA understands connecting e-commerce and fulfillment with fan passions, influencers, content creation, storytelling, and brands. See our  article with 6 Secrets to Successful Box Services. 
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LA Tech News

Jukin Media, which license viral video content, announced it will expand its Culver City offices with a 14,000 sq ft studio, which will also allow for more video production. See Variety article.

Star Wars Force Friday II adds AR sweepstakes. AR and Holograms are part of this year's Star Wars Force Friday II, Sep 1-3 featuring advanced access and peeks at merchandise and toys for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Fans are encouraged to download the Star Wars app to unlock AR characters at in-store merchandise displays at Target, Wal-Mart and more. Fans can snap photos or record videos with the characters, and post via social media #FindTheForce for a chance to win prizes. It looks like the holograms are made by 8i, which discussed using AR characters at our Movie Marketing panel last month. 

Omaze sends winner to Stan Lee celeb-studded tribute.  A lucky Omaze winner attended the "Extraordinary: Stan Lee" tribute show with celebrity guests Lou Ferrigno, David Hasselhoff, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff and more at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
The show chronicled highlights of Stan's career creating dozens of Marvel superheroes, from Spider-Man to Hulk to X-Men, which now dominate today's Hollywood box office. The show was broadcasted live to more than 180 movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada.  Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk in the TV series, thanked Stan Lee for creating the character that changed his life. Other attendees included David Hasselhoff, Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, RZA, Todd MacFarlane, Marv Wolfman and many more.  See Article.
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JOBS
Get or post a job on our job board http://digitalla.net/jobs

-  NEW: AdvertiseMent is looking for a  Digital Marketing Manger in SaMo
- Universal Music Group looking for a  Director of Interactive Media


Digital LA Association Launches

Powered by Venice-based startup Purple Squirrel, the Digital LA Association is a unique networking and employee referral platform that helps job seekers hack the job search by connecting with insiders (instead of recruiters) at top companies.
If you already have a job, join and earn $ by meeting with job seekers, or donate to charity or meet for free:
https://digitalla.purplesquirrel.io/why
If you are looking for a job, you can sign up to schedule meetings with advocates who work at LA tech companies, Silicon Beach startups and Hollywood studios and agencies
https://digitalla.purplesquirrel.io/signup
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OUR RECENT EVENTS


6 Secrets to Successful Subscription Services

Successful Subscription box services go beyond selling boxes, to creating community, content marketing, branded boxes, partnering with influences, and more said CEO founders and executives from Loot Crate, FabFitFun, SnackNation, and Watch Gang at our Digital LA - Subscription Services panel held at CTRL Collective Playa Vista on Monday. Speakers said LA is a home for subscription services because LA understands connecting e-commerce and fulfillment with fan passions, influencers, content creation, storytelling, and brands. See our  article with 6 Secrets to Successful Box Services. 

1. Build Community

Speakers unanimously said that building community is key to a successful box services. You must go beyond putting products in the box to create and engage community. Panelists' companies do that in different ways.
Loot Crate started being very active on social media to create a community. Loot Crate replied to its first subscribers on Twitter thanking them for tweeting. Since then, Loot Crate has engaged fans on Facebook, Instgram, and Twitter to engage with fans.
FabFitFun beauty box engages its community via social media and its message forums, where fans will often answer questions for each other.
SnackNation, which delivers monthly health snacks to businesses, engages its community of HR managers with forums about creating happier employees.
Watch Gang, a subscription watch service, creates community via trading. Subscribers can trade watches via its online forums.

2. Content Marketing
Creating content that fans share, or fan-generated content helps. Loot Crate has produced short films related to fan passions. FabFitFun creates beauty and style guides, said Lucy Liu, VP of Product (photo right). SnackNation creates article and guides about creating healthy work environments for HR managers.

3. Branded Boxes

Unike a cardboard brown Amazon box, which is purely functional and not part of the experience, subscription box companies understand that your box is part of your brand and experience.

4. Unboxing

Content Marketing and Branded Boxes combine with unboxing videos. These are videos fans make of themselves opening boxes. Unboxing videos have become "a thing" on YouTube, Instagram and social media, with fans eager to see what's in the box, and the opener's reaction to contents. Some customers have even built a following for their unboxing videos.

5. Box Content Algorithms: What People Want 
Successful box companies use an array of tools to determine what goes into each box. When the box companies on the panel first started, contents were determined by the founders, their friend - tastemakers, and what products they were able to scramble to get to put in the box. Years later, the companies use a combination of tools to figure out what goes in each box. SnackNation employs "Snack Wizards" who taste each product for its B2B snack boxes, said CEO Sean Kelly (photo right)

6. Influencers

Loot Crate partnered with game and pop culture influencers early on, giving them boxes, which they posted about on social media. FabFitFun also works with influencers, or just gives boxes to influencers and celebs, who naturally post photos of the box.
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Esports: LA is epicenter for publishers, teams, events

Esports athletes can make $50K - $300K a year, with more including brand deals, and winning championship prize money, like the $24M at the recent Doda 2 tournament, said esports experts at our first Digital LA - Esports panel at CTRL Collective in Playa Vista. Speaker included Noah Whinston, CEO of The Immortals, a top LA-based team, Brian Kim of Damage agency which helps traditional sports companies and brands work with esports athletes, and Darren Yan of Everyday Influencers which helps place Twitch streamers, YouTubers and esports players in games and mainstream publications like Rolling Stone. Esports is rapidly growing, with increased prize money, sponsorship dollars and attendees at tournaments. Panel highlights, photos, and video of top esports trends in our  article.
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Hollywood Movie Marketing: VR, AR, VFX, Superheroes

At our post-Comic-Con pre-SIGGRAPH panel on Wed, speakers from Fandango, VNTANA, 8i and Framestore,  discussed how Hollywood studios are increasingly partnering with digital companies to provide never-been-done-before content, AR, VR and VFX for superhero movies and other projects.  AR company VNTANA has even developed "Hologram Best Practices"! Yes what a time to be alive! See how these companies create AR holograms, VR, VFX, and other  digital  campaigns to promote superhero and other movies. Article. Video.
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Women VR CTO s discussed how they manage the ever-changing world of VR technology software and hardware, and more at our Digital LA - Women in VR: CTO panel at CTRL Collective Playa Vista. The panel is the first Women in VR: CTO panel ever held in LA and nationwide, featuring only women CTOs of VR companies. Speakers included:  Linda Gedemer of Source Sound VR, and Adriana Vecchioli of VRTIGINOUS, moderated by Espree Devora of Women In Tech podcast.  Gedemer and Vecchioli described their paths from their schooling to tech to VR. They also described issues VR CTOs face with ever changing camera hardware, stitching and producing software, increasing data needs and scalability.  They also shared advice for women developers to get into tech and VR. See our  article  including video.
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Our Digital LA - Anime PokeParty.  We  celebrated the one-year anniversary of Pokemon Go with our Anime PokeParty during Anime Expo.  We celebrated with Pokemon Go Club LA, Cuddli dating app, and Bionic Buzz at CTRL Collective DTLA. Attendees chose red, yellow or blue trainer candy, dressed up, played Jenga, and compared notes on Anime Expo. Pokemon Go  remains one of the most downloaded game apps ever, with hordes of Pokemon trainers packing parks and piers around the world. The app made AR mainstream, and has helped AR companies raise funding, because people are familiar with AR now. Companies are using AR in movie marketing, like the Spider-Man Homecoming app, where you can use the AR Suit Explorer to make Spider-Man appear next to you and your friends. 
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Content Creators experts talk Post-VidCon wrap-up. Experts from digital studios, agencies, and creators spoke about trends in content, creators, brands, social and m onetization at our post-VidCon panel discussion  at CTRL Collective Downtown LA. Speakers from Studio71, DEFY Media, Live.me, Portal A, and more discussed trends both at VidCon, and in the broader creator / influencer space. Top trends: More brands "get it" now on how to work with creators authentically and within the creators own voice, rather than advertisers asking for a bunch of product shots and mentions. C reators are branching into other revenue streams beyond YouTube including merchandising, Patreon, touring, paid appearances and more.  See our  article  and  pics.
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AR Panel: Augmented reality experts discussed AR applications, games, access and revenue models after Pokemon Go at our Digital LA - AR panel at IgnitedSpaces in Hollywood last night. Ben Conway of VNTANA discussed creating branded HOLLA-gram kiosks at events that fans can interact with to make videos sharable on social media. VNTANA has created hollo-grams with Marvel Disney to wear Doctor Strange's cape, and with Spongebob Squarepants to throw him a football at the Super Bowl. Drew Minock described how DAQRI's AR helmets help construction workers learn maintenance and repairs. Josephine Munis of Candy Labs AR creates location based AR games using GPS, or beacons when there's no wifi/service. She said that for her Texas Rope 'Em location based AR card game, she asked her engineer to create three card stops near our panel so people could play. Philippe Lewicki of AfterNow described AR as part of a mixed reality continuum, exemplified by his Microsoft Hololens egg hunt demoed at VRLA Expo. Allyson Cunha of Image Metrics described creating face-filter digital makeover apps, working with L'Oreal and other cosmetics brands. See our summary  article and what speakers are most excited about in the future of AR in this  FB video.
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Digital LA in Hawaii. We talked drones, clean tech and LA - Hawaii tech connections at our second Silicon Beach meet Startup Paradise: Digital LA - Aloha Digital Drinks at the Moana Surfrider Beach Bar in Waikiki on  Wednesday. We enjoyed sunset views of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, as we ate poke nachos and sipped strawberry pina coladas and mai-tais.  Attendees included a digital branding agency based in Santa Monica that just opened up an office in Hawaii; Samantha Kimsey, Program Director at Computational Thinkers, which teaches programming courses in Hawaii; and developer who's done work for Sony Pictures, Riot Games and Dog Vacay. We also talked 
future LA - Hawaii tech connections. See our article with upcoming Hawaii Creative Lab bootcamp and details to get involved at http://digitalla.net/aloha

- Digital LA - VR Music panel featured e xperts from Live Nation, the composer of Survios Raw Data VR game, and Silicon Beach startups.  Speakers shared insights on four areas of VR and music: spatial sound in VR, composing music in VR, music VR startups, and bands creating 360 music videos or livestreaming their concerts in VR. We also talked about the future of VR Music, including VR teleporting to multiple VR cameras at a concert, festival, or worldwide festival; composing music in VR, and social music VR attending concerts with friends in VR. Summary in our 10 Keys to Music VR article.
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Digital LA - Games VR Executive Dinner featured startup executives and influencers met for our Digital LA - Games Executive Dinner presented by TriNet at the new Tao Hollywood. Attendees included several past speakers of our Digital LA events including games influencer Mari Takahashi of SMOSH Games / Defy Media, Caspar Bohme founder of Navel.Live livestream VR who spoke on our  VR Monetization panel, Amy Allison of Two Bit Circus, Valerie Wang of TriNet who spoke on our  HR Tech panel, and Gilda the founder of Candy Lab AR, whose CMO will be speaking at our  Augmented Reality panel on May 25. Thanks to host TriNet. See recap  article.
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Our Digital LA - EdTech panel featured Silicon Beach startups discussing tech sites and apps, and tech and entrepreneurship tools at schools and universities. Panelists described AI, AR, and VR applications for EdTech. Thanks speakers from CreatorUp, Flocabulary, Cue Career, GoGuardian, and LMU Leeds student group. See our  article and video including Flocabulary's Ike Ramos' history/geology  rap that got panelists standing up and audience clapping along (can we do music raps at all our panels?) in the last five minutes of this  video . 
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HR Tech Panel.   We hosted LA's first panel on HR Tech with speakers from Hired, ZipRecruiter, Comparably, Purple Squirrel and TriNet on how to create and develop tools, platforms, and apps for  recurring  and comparing salaries, and recruiting, as well as HR operations. 
We also discussed how to get a job and find talent in Silicon Beach. Thanks to Hired for sponsoring, and CTRL Collective for hosting.  Article.
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Silicon Beach Meets Silicon Valley.  We discussed how tech ecosystems in LA, SF and San Diego can increase communication at our panel at WeWork Golden Gate in San Francisco. Speakers included Cam Kashani of CoAccel, Matt Kosko of Service, Tim Ryan of Lab Fellows and Desirae of Rewardopoly discussed what they do, and increased communication of tech ecosystems in LA, San Francisco, and San Diego. Many LA and SD startups go to SF for investors or accelerator programs. Article

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Digital LA - Meet the New Funds panel

vcsInvestment dollars continue to pour into LA, with the launch of several new VC funds already in 2017. 
While the funds are new, the VCs have extensive experience investing in LA Tech and Silicon Beach. 
VCs shared info about their funds and advice for investors at our Digital LA - Meet the new VC Funds panel at CTRL Collective in Playa Vista.
Speakers gave 10 Dos and Don'ts for startup founders looking for funding - see article
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Digital LA - VR Access panel.  Our VR experts described 15 ways to increase access to VR for mainstream, women and kids, diversity groups and more at our Digital LA - VR Access panel at CTRL Collective Playa Vista.
It's important to focus on increasing access to grow VR consumer base as a whole, and ensure niche communities and groups are not being left out of this much anticipated technology from consumption to creation of VR content.  More VR monetization tools in the  video  and our article . 

Women Gamers panel. Thanks to our Digital LA - Women Gamers speakers for an inspirational discussion! Seven top game influencers described how they started to game for a living, build their audiences, engage fans, and work with brands. Thanks LolRenaynay, Mari, Emuhleet, Brizzy Voices, Amber Plaster, Briana White, and LilyPichu. Watch entire panel via our  Periscope. Article soon




Digital LA - Love and Dating. Experts from Tinder, eHarmony, Three Day Rule, Grindr, and more gave tips on dating, from improving your dating profile to your dating app, at our annual Digital LA - Love & Dating panel at CTRL Collective in Playa Vista. See our article and FB album. 
LA is the #1 city for dating apps and online dating, with a large number of single, busy, attractive people who like to date frequently.
LA's online dating companies help people connect from short term dates to long term relationships.
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Our Digital LA - Music Startups panel featured speakers from Techstars and Silicon Beach music startups. Music investment and startups are slowly coming back pianissimo, focusing on revenue from music services transactions and subscriptions, rather than actual song licensing. In LA, Troy Carter's SMASHD Labs accelerator had some music startups. And new Techstars Music accelerator will invest $1.2M in its first class of expected 10 startups to be announced later this month. After our panel, band  FOXTRAX, an official SXSW 2017 showcase band,  performed . See our highlights recap in our  article.


Chinese investors have increased interest in Silicon Beach, especially in entertainment, AR/VR, influencer data, and more, said speakers at our annual Chinese - LA Tech panel to celebrate Lunar New Year, held at Cross Campus Downtown LA. Speakers included Jiyuan Hu of ArcheMatrix Investment Group, and Stella Poon of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Speakers discussed how startups can open operations in Hong Kong as a gateway to expanding into China. Silicon Beach startup Milk & Honey custom shoes did just that before founder Dori Howard sold it. We also talked what's hot in China, including eSports, games, and more, in our  article. 


Women VR experts from Specular Theory, Huffington Post Ryot News, and more discussed how to create, produce, market VR on our panel, with food by Clean Living Club. Panelists said that trends to look for in VR include untethered, live VR, social VR, and more. Several speakers said that there are several great 360 video experiences, but more interactive VR experience will really showcase VR. Also, brands like Cartier are experimenting in VR to build their worlds. Four female founder pitched their VR projects ranging from saving honeybees to creating VR games for female gamers. See our  photos. Article soon. 
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Digital LA - Digital Health is increasing in LA and worldwide, said speakers at our annual Digital Health panel, timed to New Years health and fitness resolutions. Attendees included startups, PR, developers, and a cardiologist at CTRL Collective Playa Vista. See our  article.

Since our Digital Health panel last January, Techstars Cedars-Sinai Healthcare Accelerator has invested more than $1.2M in 11 startups. Eight of them were from the LA area. Techstars held a demo day with 600 attendees at the Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills, the largest digital health event in LA, with physicians, health and HMO administrators, entrepreneurs and more. Nearly all of the 11 startups announced deals with Cedars-Sinai hospital or affiliates at the demo day.

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Silicon Beach Fest celebrated 5th anniversary

Silicon Beach Fest celebrated its fifth anniversary with three days of panels, parties, keynotes, mixers and a VIP yacht cruise at the Marina del Rey Hotel and other venues last week. More than 400 speakers shared insights and experience on more than 80 panels and sessions over five days, on topics including growth, VR, advertising, influencers, social media, developers, design, and more. 

Thanks to speakers, sponsors, volunteers, organizers, vendors, and attendees for making our fifth summer Silicon Beach Fest such a success! Several attendees said and tweeted they found the panel topics that continued into engaging hallway and mixer conversations both information-packed and inspiring. Watch for our Silicon Beach Fest one-day event this fall. 

Read article with  SBF HIGHLIGHTS

Kitterly wins SBF Startup Showcase 2016 Title
Kitterly won the Silicon Beach Fest Startup Showcase 2016 title. The crafting site is an alum of 500 Startups, and is founded by Mari Bower, CEO. Kitterly wins the prize package including the SBF 2016 title, $5,000 courtesy Media Temple, a Surf Air flight to its California destinations, two Air New Zealand tickets on its LA - London route, ten hours transactional legal services from Sheappard Mullin, and three months membership at CTRL Collective, at either its Playa Vista or new Downtown location (for a tour email tm@ctrlcollective.com) . Kitterly was first of the 20 startups pitched at the Silicon Beach Fest 2016 Startup Showcase. Five judges choice and one audience choice advanced to the finals on Friday. The six finalists were: Kitterly, Markett, Heal (doctor on demand), Heartbeat (women millennial marketing network), Canny (cannabis directory), and audience choice Vampr (music networking). Markett, an on demand marketing company that is part of Amplify accelerator, placed second. Watch the Friday Final pitches in this replay video. 

Silicon Beach Fest receives Certificate of Recognition from LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. At Downtown Day on Monday, Office of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti city officials presented Silicon Beach Fest founder Kevin Winston with a Certificate of Recognition, on the 5th annivesary of Silicon Beach Fest this year (photo right). Then, LA City Officials described the Mayor's tech initiatives, including attracting tech companies to move to LA, open data hackathons, digital divide programs, opportunities for startups to bid on city projects, and a huge job fair in January, which Jason Nazar is spearheading as LA City Entrepreneur In Residence.  


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