What Emblematic Group does

Emblematic Group is a Los Angeles-based virtual, augmented, and mixed reality production studio that creates immersive experiences on commission for global media companies, Fortune 500 brands, and nonprofit organizations. Founded by Nonny de la Peña — widely known as the "Godmother of Virtual Reality" — the company pioneered walk-around VR with the 2012 Sundance premiere of "Hunger in L.A.," recognized as the first VR documentary. The firm operates as a B2B professional services studio, with engagements spanning Standard Chartered Bank's Formula One racing simulation at the Singapore Grand Prix, Cartier's Fifth Avenue virtual store tour, the Wall Street Journal's Google Daydream VR app, the New York Times' "We Who Remain," and social-impact work for Planned Parenthood, PBS FRONTLINE, the World Economic Forum, and the True Colors Fund.

The studio's technology stack centers on volumetric video capture, photogrammetry, and videogrammetry, producing high-resolution photorealistic 3D environments and "holograms" of real people. Its proprietary REACH platform extends this capability to the web, offering a drag-and-drop interface that lets users place real people into 3D environments and share volumetric VR via simple web links — positioning REACH as a self-serve distribution layer beyond bespoke commissions. Distribution has historically run through major film festivals (Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Venice), partner platforms (NYT VR, Steam, Google Play, YouTube), and institutional installations including the Victoria & Albert Museum and Davos.

The business model is project-based professional services with custom commissions; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding, no reported revenue, and an operating headcount band of 501-1000 employees (note: this figure conflicts with the boutique nature of the studio's named projects and is not independently corroborated). Press and award activity clusters between 2014 and 2017, with the most recent public press mentions dated 2021; no funding events, acquisitions, or executive changes are disclosed in the input.

Name

Emblematic Group

Legal name

Emblematic Group

Website

https://emblematicgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Emblematic Group is a Los Angeles-based VR production studio that creates commissioned immersive experiences for global media companies, Fortune 500 brands, and nonprofits, using volumetric capture, photogrammetry, and videogrammetry delivered via its proprietary REACH platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive VR Production Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Virtual Events (All-Hands, Town Halls, Product Launches) (MPAGAOAI)

Keywords

• Immersive virtual reality
• Volumetric video production
• Immersive journalism
• VR content studio
• Mixed reality experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Branded Content & Commissioned Work: Emblematic creates custom VR experiences commissioned by brands and media companies. Examples include Standard Chartered Bank's Formula One racing simulation, Cartier's virtual store tour, and the Wall Street Journal VR app.
2. Original News & Documentary Content: Producing original immersive journalism pieces for media partners like the New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, and Al Jazeera America.
3. Social Impact Projects: Creating immersive experiences for nonprofits and advocacy organizations including Planned Parenthood, World Economic Forum, and True Colors Fund.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Emblematic Group is an immersive media studio that produces commissioned virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences for global media companies, Fortune 500 brands, and nonprofit organizations. Its work combines volumetric capture, photogrammetry, and videogrammetry to build room-scale walk-around VR environments for journalism, branded content, and social impact storytelling. The company also operates the REACH web platform, a drag-and-drop tool for creating and sharing volumetric VR via simple web links.

Product overview

Emblematic Group is a VR production studio that develops immersive storytelling experiences. The company's primary product offering is the REACH platform, a web-based tool for creating, remixing, and sharing volumetric VR content using real people and places. In addition to the REACH platform, Emblematic Group produces VR experiences including Hunger in L.A., Formula One, Project Syria, Use of Force, One Dark Night, Kiya, Across the Line, Wall Street Journal VR, Cartier Mansion, Out of Exile, We Who Remain, Greenland Melting, and After Solitary.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REACH: The first web platform for creating, remixing, and sharing volumetric VR using real people and places. Created by the pioneers at Emblematic Group, REACH makes the immersive power of volumetric VR available to anyone. A simple drag-and-drop interface lets users place real people into high-res 3D environments, and then share the results via a simple web link.

Products and services

• REACH Platform A web-based platform that enables creating, remixing, and sharing volumetric VR experiences using real people and places. It features a drag-and-drop interface for placing real people into high-resolution 3D environments and distributing the results via simple web links, making immersive volumetric VR accessible to non-technical users.
• Commissioned Immersive VR Production Services End-to-end custom VR/AR/MR production services for global media companies, Fortune 500 brands, and nonprofit organizations. Engagements combine volumetric capture, photogrammetry, videogrammetry, and room-scale environments to deliver walk-around immersive journalism, branded content, and social impact experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• First VR documentary at Sundance Film Festival 2012
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The New York TimescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Created 'We Who Remain' for NYT VR, the first character-driven VR film shot in an active conflict zone. Collaboration with Nuba Reports, NYT VR, AJ+, and Arte.
• PBS FRONTLINE & NOVAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on 'Greenland Melting' using dimensionalized 360° video, high-fidelity CG models, multi-layered 3D data visualizations, and high-resolution photogrammetry.
• PBS FRONTLINEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on 'After Solitary' using photogrammetry and volumetric video capture to tell the story of Kenny Moore's time in solitary confinement.
• True Colors FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Created 'Out of Exile' VR experience about LGBTQ youth homelessness. Uses videogrammetry to create holograms of Daniel Ashley Pierce and his peers.
• Nuba Reports & AJ+minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration partners on 'We Who Remain' along with NYT VR and Arte.
• 371 ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Co-production with Brad Lichtenstein and Jeff Fitzsimmons of 371 Productions on 'Across the Line'.
• Cartier / T Brand StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Two-part commission for the flagship Cartier store renovation on Fifth Avenue: a 'time travel' video spanning 1910, 1970, and present day plus a virtual tour of the new store interior with interactive hot spots.
• Wall Street Journal / Dow JonescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnered with Dow Jones to develop a VR app for Google Daydream that puts viewers inside a 3D visualization of US stock markets with breaking news, live markets data, and 360° video.
• Planned Parenthood Federation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Commissioned to create 'Across the Line' to help viewers understand what women go through to access abortion services. Premiered at Sundance 2016 as a walk-around experience.
• Al Jazeera AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Originally commissioned by Al Jazeera America as a VR companion episode to the Fault Lines documentary 'Death in Plain Sight' about domestic violence homicides.
• Standard Chartered BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Commissioned a two-part racing simulation experience for the Singapore Grand Prix installed in the bank's exclusive Finish Line Suite in 2014 and 2015. Emblematic modeled a custom Standard Chartered Bank car and uniform for the piece. The multi-player experience lets users race opponents in real time with force-feedback steering.
• World Economic ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Klaus Schwab commissioned Project Syria as a way of raising awareness of the Syrian refugee crisis. The piece premiered at Davos 2014 and has been shown at conferences and fund-raising events worldwide.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Baobab Studios: VR animation studio behind award-winning titles like Invasion! and Asteroids! backed by major venture capital. Comparable as a high-end immersive content studio with proprietary IP and premium distribution partnerships; competes for VR storytelling talent and premium brand commissions.
• Penrose Studios: VR narrative content studio founded by Eugene Chung, producing immersive storytelling experiences. Comparable as a premium VR content studio focused on narrative and emotional storytelling for enterprise and entertainment clients.
• Felix & Paul Studios: Immersive VR/AR studio producing high-end VR documentaries and branded experiences for partners including National Geographic, SpaceX, and President Obama. Closest direct competitor in the premium VR content and immersive journalism category that Emblematic operates in.
• Atlas V: VR/AR content studio producing immersive narrative experiences and animated shorts with international festival presence (Venice, Sundance). Directly comparable as a boutique premium VR studio competing for festival prestige and brand commissions.
• Here Be Dragons (formerly VR Works): Immersive storytelling studio producing VR documentaries, branded content, and interactive experiences for major brands and media companies. Comparable positioning in the premium VR content market with similar festival-circuit strategy and brand-partner roster.
• RYOT / Verizon Media Immersive: Immersive journalism and VR content arm producing branded VR experiences and documentary journalism. Direct overlap with Emblematic's immersive journalism vertical and shared mission of using VR for social impact storytelling.
• Within (formerly VRSE): Pioneering VR storytelling studio and distribution platform with award-winning immersive content. Within has produced VR documentaries, branded experiences, and narrative films with comparable premium brand partners, and was acquired by Meta, giving it a structural advantage in distribution.

Emerging players

• 8i (now part of Unity): Pioneer in volumetric video capture and holograms for VR/AR, with comparable technology stack to Emblematic's videogrammetry work. Previously competed directly but now absorbed into Unity's broader content tools ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Unity Technologies: Leading real-time 3D development platform that powers many VR/AR applications including volumetric capture workflows. Indirectly comparable as an infrastructure provider whose tools enable competitive studios; if Unity expands into content creation tooling, it could disintermediate some of REACH's value proposition.
• Magnopus: Larger immersive content and experience studio with broader service offerings across VR, AR, themed entertainment, and location-based experiences. Has worked with major brands and entertainment companies, representing a scaled competitor with broader capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emblematic-group
• Xx.com/emblematicgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emblematic Group