Silicon Valley Story Lab Merges with Remote Theater

Silicon Valley Story Lab has merged with Remote Theater. The merger positions Remote as an investable incubator for dynamic works of drama delving into the complexities of human existence amidst technological advancement.

Born at the outset of the pandemic, Remote has distinguished itself through a wide range of virtual productions, featuring works by esteemed playwrights such as Obie-award winning Naomi Wallace, Billy Aronson (originator of the concept for Rent), and numerous other national and regional writers. Collaborating with leading local institutions and artist groups (including Cal Shakes, The Marsh, and the Playwrights Foundation) - Remote succeeded in engaging new audiences - sometimes global - while providing crucial opportunities for artists adversely impacted by the pandemic.

Now, as the world transitions to a post-pandemic climate, The Lab and Remote turn their attention to incubating - helping to nurture, develop, and fund through investors - theatrical and cinematic projects that employ new storytelling technologies including AI, robotics, and VR/AR, and that explore the human condition in the age of machines. In its upcoming 2024 season, the merged entity will support three endeavors:

• Pathway: A near-future sci-fi streaming series examining society's reliance on technology for personal transformation and connection, juxtaposed with the hopeful yet desperate belief in technology as humanity's savior.

• The Pitch. A live film about a global competition to win a strategy consulting contract with the most highly valued company in the world.

• Jack London Slept Here. A mostly dark, mostly silent, comic film that looks at technology's limited capacity to meet essential human needs.

"The pandemic triggered a massive societal shift in how we think about and embrace the arts," said Gio Rene Rodriguez, CEO of Silicon Valley Story Lab and co-founder of Remote Theater. "Now we are facing an even greater disruption - the rise of intelligent machines - and storytelling artists everywhere have the opportunity to speak to challenges that will likely be with us for some time. For members of the Lab and Remote, we're embarking on our own explorations as a unified force, leveraging our collective expertise and resources to support a new cohort of emerging storytellers."

For more information about the Remote Theater incubation program, please contact us at info@siliconvalleystorylab.com.

About Remote Theater

Born during the pandemic, with an eye trained on the future, Remote Theater is a collective of artists exploring the boundaries of new technologies that help artists explore the modern human condition. Artists we have worked with include Obie-award winning playwright Naomi Wallace, writer/librettist/TV producer Billy Aronson (the originator of the concept for RENT), and playwrights Eugenie Chan, Anthony Clarvoe, Anita Gonzalez, Lynne Kaufman, Ellen McLaughlin, Tanya Shaffer, Herbert Siguenza, Michael Gene Sullivan, and Caridad Svich. In 2021, Remote was honored by the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (BATCC) for "its distinguished work online while live theater was closed during the pandemic."

Remote is the beneficiary of a Facebook Small Business Grant. Past and current partners include Cal Shakes, Magic Theater, The Marsh, Actors Reading Collective (ARC), and Playwrights Foundation (for their support of our premiere reading of Tanya Shaffer's Manatee on Mars). To learn more, please go to www.remote.theater.

About The Silicon Valley Story Lab

The Silicon Valley Story Lab is an award-winning venture that provides branding, positioning, and communication technology advisory services to organizations in markets that matter. Its mission: to elevate and democratize the art and science of storytelling for a more engaged and responsible global citizenry. Past and present clients include Google, Intel, Unilever, SAP, VMware, Wipro (India), dunnhumby, Stanford University, Kaiser Permanente, the AARP, the DNC, and The Obama White House, and dozens of startups from entry to exit. In 2023, CEO Gio Rene Rodriguez, on behalf of the Lab and Remote Theater (its media production incubator) was recognized in a project commissioned by the David & Lucille Packard Foundation, with nomination and fiscal support from the American Leadership Foundation (ALF), as one of 101 community leaders in Silicon Valley "who have made extraordinary contributions to the region and beyond." https://www.siliconvalleystorylab.com

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