MEPTIK, In Conversation with Nick Rivero

XR production technology is here to stay. SCAD partnered with Meptik media company to create two XR stages, one at the Savannah campus and the most recently inaugurated stage at the Atlanta campus. I had the opportunity to interview Nick Rivero, co-founder, and chief technology officer at Meptik. During this conversation, he dives deep into the revolutionary XR production technology and the opportunities it provides within the industry. 

Starting, Nick Rivero described the XR production technology as an opportunity to create entirely new environments and worlds in a way that has not been seen before. He compared this concept with other technologies developed in the past, such as Virtual Reality (VR), where people can look within the digital world, and Augmented Reality (AR), where people can overlay the digital world onto physical reality. Different from these, the new Extended Reality (XR) technology allows the ability to place people within digitally created environments that look like they previously existed or that they are just a figure of the creator’s imagination. The foundation for making these environments is using LED walls that project the environments in real-time.

Nick specified that LED is the ability to take squares of about 18 inches and place them together to create the walls called volumes. These volumes are, as Nick likes to call them, “the windows that transport us into the new worlds.” With this technology, we can visualize any place during any time of the day on the screen, and which scale can be manipulated to fit the creator’s vision. 

Deeper in the conversation, Nick Rivero shared the origin and a little bit of his story within Meptik. He partnered with founder Sarah Linebaugh (SCAD Alumni, MFA in Motion Media) and combined their different skills to make Meptik a reality. Nick mentioned that Sarah has a background in projection mapping, meaning projecting on buildings using motion design to bring the structures to life. On the other hand, his experience focused on video technology for live events and concerts, meaning that he designed the system and technology for global concert tours and shows. This beautiful merge of their skills with creativity and technology became the source of the idea that eventually transformed into Extended Reality and Virtual Production. Nick shared that their drive has always been innovation and “what’s next.” This motivation and the combination of their skills are part of the eight-year-long journey of Meptik. 

Continuing the interview, I asked Meptik’s co-founder about the workflow within virtual production and what it is like to create projects such as Bloom by Emily Rowed. I believe he provided the best answer by describing it as a fun experience. Usually, artists come in with a vision, and the team within Meptik offers the technology that enables the execution of this creative vision. However, particularly in the Bloom project, they were able to initially explore multiple ideas with sketches and storyboarding, bringing in the artist, later on, to try and make the technology come to life. 

Looking toward the future, Nick Rivero emphasized that currently, “we are just at the tip of the iceberg to what is possible with this XR technology.” This technology allows stories that never could have been or were never possible. For example, pieces of Ancient Greece can be filmed by traveling back in time with virtual production. It makes it possible to explore these environments that otherwise we could never live in because they don’t exist anymore. The possibilities are endless when it comes to visualizing stories in ways that have not been done before. It is up to creativity to drive the next chapter forward. 

Nick also shared that when working at Meptik, the team is looking for two core skill sets: creative and technical. Creativity is the content, the virtual art that fuels the experiences. These experiences are vast, from film, episodic, commercials, and music videos. It is a whole spectrum of fields driven by the created content. Meptik looks for designers that understand 3D very well because the 3D workflow is central. The core skill set within technical software like Maya, Houdini, and Cinema 4D is essential. They are looking for artists skilled in motion design or some form of Visual Effects. Motion to have more of an eye for design and visual effects for the vision of photo realism and lighting. On the technical side, they are looking for people who have an aptitude for understanding innovative technology and want to be traveling, on set, and behind the system running these technologies. 

To wrap up the interview, Nick Rivero shared the following advice to any young artist and storyteller who wants to get involved in this technology: “We are at the tip of the iceberg. Don’t think you have all the answers because nobody does right now. Be hungry and want to learn new things because this is one of the most exciting times. Things are innovating and new ideas are more possible than ever. We are looking for people that are hungry for innovation and that want to be jumping in on that. This field is really about wanting to be on the blin edge, jumping into things that have never been done before. The possibilities are endless and there are many new job positions in this field popping up daily. If you have interest, the opportunity is out there.”

Learning more about XR and the Meptik media company was a very enriching opportunity. Virtual production is the new revolution within the industry, or as I like to call it, “the computers of the 21st century”. I am really looking forward to witnessing the upcoming chapters of this technology written by the author of creativity, which, as you can see, within Meptik, has no limits. 

If you are interested in learning more, visit their website and contact their team at Meptik.