Douglas Gayeton

Douglas Gayeton is a digital renaissance man, who keeps one foot in the synthetic world and one in the organic.

Most recently, as Chief Creative Officer at Millions of Us, he created immersive story experiences for virtual worlds and social networks such as Second Life, Gaia, Habbo Hotel, Scenecaster, Zwinktopia and Sony Home, the world’s first high def virtual world (public beta June 2008). He previously conceived and directed production on virtual world and social network projects for AOL USA, AOL France, MSN, and Vivendi’s YA FOULE, and served as creative director at Napster, transforming the company from a music download service into a semi-open social network.

As a filmmaker Gayeton wrote, produced and directed “Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey,” a documentary shot entirely within Second Life. The highest rated video in the world on YouTube, it was recently purchased by HBO. He directed “Tomorrow,” the first documentary about interactive television. Its depiction of what Interactive TV might look like—and Gayeton’s conviction that “everyone will become their own channel”—was considered heretical at the time, but was eventually realized in the emegence of the Internet. He also developed interactive projects for Viacom & ATT’s Interactive TV, and for MTV and U2’s short-lived ZOO TV.

Other projects include “Lost in Italy,” a 26 episode interstitial TV series created, directed, and shot for US cable network Fine Living, and “My Shoes are Caked with Mud,” a photographic series for a PBS project awarded a Webby for best broadband website of 2004. He has also consulted for the largest publishers in the videogame business. His “Ghost Recon” was nominated for best script and honored with the BAFTA for 2006’s videogame of the year. With William Gibson he wrote and directed “Johnny Mnemonic,” then wrote and designed “Big Brother” with Media-X, and designed an interactive version of “Einstein’s Dreams” with writer Alan Lightman.

He is currently preparing a one man retrospective of his works for Slow Food Nation.