Episdoe 346: Zach Blutner talks about the interverse, layers in storytelling and creating a sandbox
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Zach Blutner is the Managing Director of Inter_. Zach has built his career in tourism, museums, attractions, and experiences, all in New York City. Inter_ is an AI-led immersive experience. The experience is led by “I,” who is from the future and has returned to tell guests what it has learned. Guests visiting Inter_ get to interact with projection mapping, interconnected orbs, an interactive floor, and visually stunning interactive elements that often connect to a deeper meaning, message, or story for guests to explore. In this interview, Zach talks about the Interverse, layers in storytelling, and creating a sandbox.
The Interverse
“Interactive immersive experiences aren’t a new concept, but it’s a term that’s become hot now.”
When people think of immersive, they think of one giant room with projection mapping. While that is one avenue of immersive entertainment, Inter_ combines many elements into what Zach describes as “interversive.” This includes projection mapping, but multiple elements for guests to explore and interact.
Inter_ then fuses physical and digital art, resulting in the term, “phygital.” This creates an environment where the guest feels like they are the main characters in a movie, where they want to both participate and take photos and videos to share the experience with others.
Layers in storytelling
“The approach that I’ve had to experiences for many years is to create layers in your storytelling.”
Each immersive attraction is unique in its own way, and they all seek to tell stories. Someone can visit Inter_ and experience it on the surface level and feel satisfied with their experience, whereas others can go deeper into the message and story that they seek to deliver, which extends far beyond their visit.
The main focus of Inter_ is to demonstrate that we are all connected and we are all one. This can be sensed through the multiple layers of storytelling that Inter_ delivers, allowing guests to interact with one another, even if they didn’t come together, to go as deep as they’d like into Inter_’s message.
Creating a sandbox
“If they know what the rules are and they know what the objective is, then they’re good to go.”
When discussing Inter_’s employee culture, Zach shares his philosophy of creating a sandbox, which focuses on making sure that team members are comfortable, and that they have the tools to engage within the experience. Leadership should provide them with the guidelines and areas that are required, and then let them explore their unique capabilities within the sandbox.
This mindset originated when Zach was a tour operator, where he said he never created a script for tour guides. While the parameters should be put in place for what’s required, all team members should be encouraged to be their authentic selves. If it is not authentic, guests begin to disengage, which negatively impacts their overall experience.
To learn about Inter_, you can visit interiam.co, or follow them on LinkedIn, TikTok, or Instagram. To connect with Zach directly, you can reach out on LinkedIn.
This podcast wouldn’t be possible without the incredible work of our faaaaaantastic team:
- Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas
- Audio and video editing by Abby Giganan