Paramount Pictures Names Ted Schilowitz as Futurist in Residence

Underlining its commitment to virtual reality and augmented reality, Paramount Pictures has named veteran tech executive Ted Schilowitz its first-ever Futurist in Residence.

He will report jointly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Gianopulos and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gumpert. He’s being assigned to work closely with the Paramount and Viacom technology teams to explore all forms of new and emerging technologies, with an emphasis on virtual reality and augmented reality.

Schilowitz will remain as chief creative officer at immersive cinema specialist Barco Escape.

“Ted has been an integral part of the film industry’s innovation into next generation visual storytelling,” said Gianopulos and Gumpert. “He has been a pioneer throughout the industry’s constant technological evolution and can identify what is and what will be relevant and important to moviegoers. He will be an incredible asset to the Paramount team.”

Schilowitz was a consulting futurist at 20th Century Fox, where he worked on the technology and vision of cinema. He was a founding member of the product development team at RED Digital Cinema and one of the creators of the G-Tech product line of advanced hard drive storage products. Prior to RED Digital Cinema and G-Tech, he was on the team that developed and launched the Macintosh products desktop video division of AJA Video Systems.

“From immersive cinema to augmented reality and beyond, I’m excited to work with the Paramount and Viacom teams to discover and implement the latest technological advancements and create strategies that will enhance the audience’s experiences across Paramount’s movie, television, and interactive content,” he said in a statement.

Thursday’s announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives by Gianopulos to revive Paramount since he was named to run the studio in late March.