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[basesinla]

Art

That’s basically all we got to see today. However, it’s the ways that we looked at it that caught my attention the most. Today was arguably one of the best days of the whole trek—don’t take this the wrong day though, for the other days were just as awesome.

With that being said, today we encountered virtual reality.

That’s us in the meeting room where we met the CTO and co-founder of Within, the virtual reality company we visited. Would definitely have to say that his experience and story with the intersection between art and technology could not have created someone more appropriate for the position that he’s in.

Oh, and of course we got to demo their product.

David immersed in the virtual world.

The team had been working on this project called “The Life of Us,” in which the user is taken, with another user, through the story of evolution. In the experience, you start off as an amoeba and move up to humanity and get a peek into what the future is like. It was great, and honestly it was quite fun to see the cool interactions that they integrated for both players in the experience.

Perry quite literally trying to throw virtual monkeys off his back.

Anna getting ready to run away from a virtual Tyrannosaurus rex.

Within is trying a different angle on virtual reality. They believe that the core of virtual reality, and its future, will lie on telling stories. This is what they have been working on, and the experience we got to witness today served as proof that the teams at Within are onto something.

We then went to eat at this cool place called Simpang Asia.

It was great.

After that, we went to probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen—the Getty Center. And, yes, we checked out a lot of the art they had in store. But wow, I mean, just look at this place.

And gosh, the views!

This place was simply amazing. Oh, and yeah, they had some pretty cool art as well. Took tons of pictures of that, too.

Apparently I think that clocks are super cool?

And they had an awesome garden.

Believe me, I have tons of pictures. Way more where those came from. Including this one that shows a miniature Getty Center.

Not to scale.

Anyway, it was great. Being exposed to such different manifestations of art and its intersections with technology was truly an enriching experience. If only I would have been able to stay for longer! All of our days here have been super packed, which is a great thing, but it always feels like I want more. That’s also a great thing, but we can only do so much with the time we have. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

[basesinla]

Wednesday at Warner Brothers Records and Alexa Accelerator

Having already visited three amazing and diverse companies, it was difficult to imagine how other companies would compare. On Wednesday, we continued our trek (pun intended) to Warner Bros. Records (WBR) Inc., a major recording company. It was completely different from our other companies yet also wonderful.

We began day 5 with a relaxed morning, arriving early afternoon for our visit to Warner Brothers Records Inc. in Burbank. Entering the traditional-meets-contemporary wooden building (we were later told it was designed by the late architect A. Quincy Jones), we found ourselves in a giant waiting room with low-rise couches, walls with a collage of WBR signed artists, and televisions replaying music videos of the artists. Soon, we were reunited with our wonderful curator Greg Mertz, who helped arranged this visit (and the Amazon Innovation Group earlier mentioned) and is also Lead Advisor for WBR Technology Initiatives. Greg then took us upstairs to a large conference room, where WBR executives sit to make major decisions. He had arranged for a panel of WBR leads to share their experiences and insights. We met Larry Mattera, Executive Vice President of Commerce, Digital Marketing and Strategy; Alyssa, a lead in technology; James Garrigus, Vice President of Advertised Supported Streaming, and Xavier Ramos, Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Unlike our previous company visits, Warner Bros. Records is not a startup but a subsidiary company of Warner Music Group (WMG). Founded in 1958, the record label has been a significant contributor to the music industry since physical records to contemporary music streaming services. WBR artists have included Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Sheryl Crow, Michael Bublé, Jason Derulo, Idina Menzel, Linkin Park, and Mastodon.

From Planet TV.

Munching on delicious chocolate chip cookies, we discussed a variety of topics. Larry, Alyssa, and James first gave an overview of their background, their work at WBR, and their shared mission for WBR, which was to discover and provide the best music. Xavier later joined us, and the panel became a discussion. Our conversation mainly centered on WBR’s work in the past decade and the impact of startups, digital media, and technology on the music industry. Throughout our discussion, Larry, Alyssa, James, and Xavier shared fascinating (and some hilarious) personal stories and opinions about the music industry.

Personally, as an individual passionate about the intersection of technology and the arts, I was excited to learn about the intricacies and intertwining relations between technology and music. Since the launch of Apple’s iPod with the iTunes store, the creative conception and consumption of music become completely redefined. Previously, artists created a body of work or collection of songs in an album. However, the iTunes store introduced the concept of the “single” or individually released songs that could be part of a larger body of work. This Apple innovation disrupted the music industry, because it changed how artists approach the creation of their artwork and how consumers receive music. It was interesting to learn how WBR navigated this changing realm, especially when the music industry is a business centered on the creative musical creations by artists. Startups, like Spotify and Pandora, has further influenced this contemporary world, where people can access music more immediately via streaming services. Learning about music consumption and streaming services by individuals who literally control the music industry was incredibly compelling. The WBR team really emphasized their respect/protection of their artists’ creative processes and determination to provide the best possible service for their consumers. While they shared their vast insights on the music industry, the WBR team was also interested in our personal music experiences and honest opinions about current music consumption technologies. Through all the topics we covered, the discussion eventually spilled over the scheduled time.

After our extended panel, Xavier generously offered to give us a tour of the marketing and merchandising departments of Warner Bros. Records. He brought us his office, a vibrant room covered with signed posters for blockbuster feature films (300, The Dark Knight, and more) and filled with WBR-affiliated merchandise and records. Xavier even showed us personal collection of props and merchandise, including a full-sized skull made of gummy candy with a USB drive in the brain, a My Chemical Romance “bullet-proof” vest, and collector albums. He told us many stories, even sharing a few “secret projects” that his artists were working on. We also met the design and graphics department. Xavier was thrilled to share his work, even giving us Hi-Chew and offering to send us a playlist of song recommendations and music services to use.

From left to right: (Top) Chuanbo, Ribhav, David, Perry, Xavier, Diego, Kaila

(Bottom) Rachel, Anna, Kimberly, Catherine, and Phoebe

Overall, the Warner Bros. Records was an excellent visit; it was very informative and engaging. The team was immensely dedicated, helpful, and insightful. They worked hard to provide immersive music experiences for consumers and to protect their artists’ creative ambitions. They kindly gave us time beyond our allocated schedule to talk more and even provided us a tour of the WBR workspace. The WBR team was clearly passionate about their work and had a breadth of knowledge to share with us. They even wanted to send us music recommendations. I found this tour symbolized the growth of an established company, the influence of the music/entertainment in Los Angeles startups, and the connections between technology and startups.

Afterwards, we hurried over for an evening Alexa Accelerator networking and information session hosted by Techstars at Luma in Santa Monica. At the Alexa Accelerator, we continued our Monday reunions with our friend Matt Sandler, who also organized this event. As we proceeded to munch on more snacks, we met various startups, each with a unique product or mission involving Alexa technology, interested in joining the Alexa Accelerator. The event continued with a presentation about the Alexa Accelerator powered by TechStars with speakers Techstars Managing Director Aviel Ginzburg and Alexa Fund manager Rodridgo Prudencio. It ended with an informational panel with Techstars Music alum Betsy McHugh of Hurdl, and Alexa Fund company Christian Smith of TrackR. I found it fascinating to learn about the diverse applications for Alexa and startups inspired by the entertainment-based culture of Los Angeles.

To end a wonderful day (and technically begin a new day), we feasted on a BASES-prepared midnight meal of salmon, chicken, vegetables, and tacos.

[basesinla]

Monday with Amazon

(Clarification: chronologically, this visit took place prior to the post below) Monday, 3/27: First company visit of our Los Angeles Trek! (Day 3 of adventures, though – Quick montage:

1: The First Dinner

2: The Last Bookstore (really, http://lastbookstorela.com/)

3: Sandford

4: Standford

[End Montage] )

The first company we visited was Amazon Innovation Group. We got to meet two people – first, Greg Mertz, who we got to know actually through a former BASES member who now works in L.A., and who arranged three of our six company visits (you’ll hear more about him in later blog posts); and second, Matt Sandler, current Head of Startup Business Development at Amazon, Entrepreneur in Residence at TechStars, founder of Chromatik, and general person-extraordinaire.

Our visit began with us gathering on the 3rd floor of the complex at the front desk, where we received our visitor passes and waited for Matt. We then took the elevator up to the 4th floor, where we passed through a complicated revolving door and found a meeting room for us to use.

We sat around the table and the visit consisted of ~2 hours of us talking around the table. Matt and Greg introduced themselves, each of us went around giving a little background on ourselves, Matt gave a more detailed account of his journey from college to Chromatik to Amazon, Matt answered all of our questions, and we all became friends. To quote: “We are all friends now. Seriously. I will be personally offended if you have a question about what we talked about and don’t email me.” – Matt to us

In other words, our visit was really helpful and informative, and overall a great first company visit that really sets the standard for the others. Matt was super genuine and open with us (see above), and we learned a lot both personally and professionally from his stories and experience. Personally, it makes me excited about the future of the L.A. entrepreneurship scene, if Matt and Greg are the types of people leading it.

We said goodbye at the door to Matt, with the promise of further contact, and to Greg, with the confirmation that we would be seeing him later this week during our Warner Bros Records visit.

Then we headed off to dinner, some stand-up comedy, and sleep.

[basesinla]

Onprem and a Delicious Evening

It was hard to imagine what could top an all-immersive journey through evolution that was our afternoon with WithinVR, but our experience with OnPrem this evening would prove it possible.

After arriving 30 minutes late from the Getty Center to the valet parking front of Ceremony Bar, the Treks Team was feeling exhausted, frustrated, hungry, and all sorts of not pleasant. Expecting to have a snack, hear a quick note from an OnPrem representative, and then chaotically find a Mcdonalds, we instead found ourselves greeted by OnPrem founders Candice Lu and Christophe Ponsart as well as members of their amazing team. In short, the evening was nothing but amazing.

First, let us talk about the food. Oh, it was spectacular. Waiters carrying plates full of little tacos, little macaroni and cheese, little veggie rolls, and cute salad portions. After that fantastic bombardment, we got the main entree of mini Angus beef burgers that were just delicious. My only regret of the evening: I was too polite for seconds.

Now, that we’ve got the cuisine description over with, let me just say that the conversation was just the cherry on top. We had an open meet and greet with all the amazing people at OnPrem, including our organizing contact and Stanford BASES alumnus, Michael Longoria. Christophe led us through a thorough presentation detailing the goals and general processes at OnPrem and the team generously offered in total an amazing 4 hours (from 6 to ~10) of their time to answering our questions and getting to know us at a very personal level. Throughout the meeting, what stood out as a beacon in the dull landscape of LA business offices was OnPrem’s uniquely familiar culture. And by that, I mean that they are literally just like a big family. Dynamics are amazingly positive, intimate, and community oriented. As Candice and Christophe jokingly laughed and winced about, “OnPrem treat our employees very well.”

I don’t know about you, but being happy and fed, if they’d found me an internship contract, I would’ve signed on the spot. OnPrem has definitely gone above and beyond with their treatment of the Treks Team. They have demonstrated an amazing amount of passion, generosity, and kindness through this evening, and if they add me on LinkedIn, good judgment as well. It’s getting late so let me wrap this up with a hilarious joke from OnPrem Senior Manager Rachel Kelley.

“What’s brown and sticky?”

Answer: Stick.