FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20, 2012- Sand Castle Studios, LLC is pleased to announce that Hunger in Los Angeles, a virtual immersive journalism experience, will debut this week at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Written by artist Nonny de la Peña (who recorded the actual event) and commissioned by the USC’s Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism in conjunction with MxR Lab, Hunger in Los Angeles  virtually recreates an eyewitness account of an actual incident in a food bank line at the First Unitarian Church in Los Angeles, in order to call attention to the growing issue of hunger in the United States.

Sand Castle Studios modeled virtual replicas of the church and scene and used the Unity 3D development platform to to bring the project to life.  Premiering at Sundance, participants can suit up and use a head-mounted goggle display to walk around and interact with other characters in the fully immersive virtual reality simulation.  They will have the opportunity to experience a virtual reproduction, with audio from the actual incident, during which the Church’s available food runs out, provoking anguish and frustration among some of those gathered. Meanwhile, a man in line falls to the ground in a diabetic coma. An ambulance and two paramedics arrive to assist.

About Sand Castle Studios

Sand Castle Studios is a full service creative company dedicated to helping organizations maximize the full potential of virtual worlds and immersive media by creating interactive, social, and 3D experiences. Our strategic, creative, and technical teams are made up of some of the most experienced and talented minds in the world working to create unique and interactive user experiences.

For more information contact:

Kimberly Winnington (SL: Gianna Borgnine)

Sand Castle Studios, LLC

www.changingworldsbuildingdreams.com

kim@changingworldsbuildingdreams.com

1-302-559-5230

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Environmental Documentary Deep Down Launches Interactive Virtual Mine in Second Life for Communities and Educators to Take Action in Solving the Power Crisis

November 23, 2010 – Virtual worlds can provide a comprehensive environment for education, storytelling, collaboration, and problem solving relating to real world issues. Sand Castle Studios, LLC announced today the creation of a project to educate, explore, and examine our nation’s struggle with mountain top removal coal mines, coal fired power production, and alternative energies in support of the documentary film, Deep Down, by filmmakers Jen Gilomen and Sally Rubin with funding from the MacArthur Foundation, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).

“Virtual worlds are a powerful way to connect with others, examine real world problems, and participate in activities in order to learn more about them in a way that might not otherwise be possible,” said Kimberly Winnington (SL: Gianna Borgnine), Chief Executive Officer of Sand Castle Studios, LLC. “This project will establish new ways for communities and students to explore and examine the complex struggle many of our towns are facing as they experience the situations first hand while working to solve the problem of fueling our nation.”

Deep Down’s Virtual Mine project is an immersive, interactive, and educational 3D experience. Located in the virtual world of Second Life®, it will further explore the challenges of balancing the environment, power demands, and economic interests raised in the film by inviting players to take part in a story as it unfolds through a series of three games. Players will be asked to complete a series of tasks including clearing a section of land and blowing up mountains; going through the town to turn off as many electric items as possible and reduce the demand; building a sustainable grid with solar and wind power terminals; and ultimately trying to solve the power crisis in this virtual town. If successful in solving all three problems, participants will then be invited to a Community Jam, celebrating the culture and music of Appalachia complete with line dancing.

Resources for those new to Second Life are available to accompany the game. An Educators Guide outlines how the game can be used in the classroom, and includes tips for entering and participating in Second Life, short videos, discussion questions, suggested activities, and online resources for each of the games. However, while created with educators and students in mind, the games can be played in groups or by individuals alike.

The film Deep Down debuts tonight on the Emmy-award winning PBS series Independent Lens at 10pm EST (check local listings). In a first for PBS, the film will be followed by a short segment introducing viewers to Second Life and the Virtual Mine and inviting them to log in and explore it for themselves. The film will also be screened throughout the nation including a special virtual interactive screening and discussion hosted by the filmmakers on Ustream and in the Virtual Mine. The Virtual Mine will also continue to host events and provide a venue for town hall style meetings to discuss the impacts of mountain top coal removal.

For more information on Deep Down, The Virtual Mine, screenings and events, please see www.deepdownfilm.org

About Deep Down

Deep Down follows one small community in Eastern Kentucky as it is divided by a proposed mountaintop removal coal mine. Through this story of people connected deeply to the mountains and to each other, we learn about Appalachia’s complex contemporary struggle with the black rock that fuels our nation.

About Sand Castle Studios

Sand Castle Studios is a full service creative company dedicated to helping organizations maximize the full potential of virtual worlds and immersive media by creating interactive, social, and 3D experiences. Our strategic, creative, and technical teams are made up of some of the most experienced and talented minds in the world working to create unique and interactive user experiences.

For more information contact:

Kimberly Winnington (SL: Gianna Borgnine)

Sand Castle Studios, LLC

www.changingworldsbuildingdreams.com

kim@changingworldsbuildingdreams.com

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I was recently approached about an upcoming project that would require our team here at Sand Castle Studios to create some custom content within the virtual world of Second Life.  While I can’t talk about the project itself yet, I can share with you a machinima by award winning machinimagrapher and long time Mac lover Bernhard Drax (aka Draxtor Despres in SL) that previews the mockup we put together including virtual Bill Gates who calls out Draxtor for secretly using Windows!

Special thanks to Second Life residents and friends Beyers Sellers, Bevan Whitfield, Anonymous Sorbet, Ze Moo, Java Moonwall, Chantal Harvey, Annabelle Fleury,  Shava Shuntzu, Cyclic Gearz, Tuna Oddfellow, Wilson Voight, Delphina Audina, Arywn Quandry, and Apatia Hammerer who played the office workers.

Pictures of the filming and sets can be seen here.

For more behind the scenes fun, check out The Office Party, a spoof filmed by Chantal Harvey after the shoot was over.