Nonny de la Peña is a groundbreaking virtual reality director and the founder of Emblematic Group, an award-winning immersive media studio that is pioneering the field of interactive documentary. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, The Guardian, Wired, and the New Yorker, and has won numerous awards, including the TED Prize, the Emmy Award, and the Peabody Award.
De la Peña was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city’s Echo Park neighborhood. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and her Masters in Journalism from USC. After working in the television industry for several years, she was inspired to explore the potential of immersive storytelling after experiencing a virtual reality installation at Sundance Film Festival in 2011.
In 2012, she founded the Emblematic Group, an interactive media studio that produces virtual reality experiences and interactive documentaries. She is also the creator of the groundbreaking virtual reality experience “Hunger in Los Angeles”, which transports users to a food bank line in Downtown LA and allows them to experience the food insecurity faced by so many in the city.
De la Peña has been widely recognized for her pioneering work in virtual reality. In 2013, she was chosen as a TED Fellow and was awarded the TED Prize for her work in immersive journalism. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, Wired, and the New Yorker. In 2020, she was honored with a Peabody Award for her virtual reality project “The Key”, a powerful experience that allows users to explore an immigration detention center.
De la Peña’s work is deeply rooted in her commitment to social justice and her belief that technology can be used to bring about positive social change. She has been a speaker at a number of conferences, including the World Economic Forum and SXSW, and has served as a visiting professor at USC and MIT. Her work has been featured in numerous festivals and galleries, including the Tribeca Film Festival, the Venice Biennale, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Nonny de la Peña is a visionary in the field of immersive media and virtual reality. Her groundbreaking work has earned her numerous awards and has been featured in some of the world’s most prestigious publications. She is a passionate advocate for the power of technology to create positive social change and her work continues to inspire others to explore the potential of virtual reality.
